We could be NEXT!

Thursday our agency posted this GREAT news!

"America World is pleased to announce some exciting news about our
referrals! Today we received 8 referrals- one boy and 7 girls. We also
received two referrals of Chinese heritage. One family also received
twins! The children ranged in age from 5 months-27 months and were from
the Jiangxi and Liaoning Provinces. Families receiving referals today
were logged in 12/12/05. Please join us in congratulating these
families on their exciting day!!"

The above group was group 242...in case you forgot...we're group 244. The log in dates for group 243/244 are only two days apart. Although this is sounds like gibberish to most of the world, to us it means that it is very likely they will process our groups together, and we may receive our referral NEXT MONTH!

We are beyond excited and even if I am getting my hopes up, I won't be too disappointed if it doesn't happen in January. At least it's a sure thing in February! Chinese New Year is mid-late February, so either way, we will probably travel in March.

If you are waiting on our Christmas card...it's coming late this year! I couldn't stand to send one more card saying "No really...we ARE getting our daughter this year!" so I'm sending a late one with the big news!

Please keep praying that they will process these 2 groups together next month!

Love,
Alissa

Home Study, Part 3.

Yesterday I received a packet from America World to help us in completing our 3rd home study update! We will need physicals again, confirmation of employment, criminal and child abuse reports (including fingerprinting), income reports---it's pretty crazy the amount of papers we will need to pull together in the next couple weeks! Oh well, this really
should be the last time we have to do this, and everything else is good until next summer!

In the meantime, fabric has been pouring in for our Bai Jai Bei 100 Good Wishes Quilt! It's so exciting to see what everyone has chosen and read the beautiful verses, notes, and good wishes from our friends and families! For those of you who are reading this and are worried that it's too late, it's not! Please know that you can send the fabric and note ANYTIME and we'll be thrilled! I'm working on getting the album organized and next week, Jason's mom will start getting the fabric that she does have together and cut out!

I will soon post a picture of the fabric we have so far---so much fun to look at and try to visualize what the quilt will look like.

Here's to QUICK referrals!

Much to be thankful for,
The Potocniks

I jumped the gun, but in a good way!

Just 30 seconds after I posted, our agency posted this announcement:

America World is pleased to announce that we received 16 healthy
female referrals today! Families receiving referrals were logged into
the China Center of Adoption Affairs on December 5th of 2005 (group
241). We also received a referral for a family who was expedited due
to Chinese heritage. The little girls are currently located in the
Jiangxi & Guangdong Provinces. The girls ranged in age from 9 months
to 22 months. Please join us in congratulating these families, and in
praying for them as they prepare to travel.

That's 241 checked off the list...now we just have 242 and 243 and it's our turn...did I say I was waiting patiently? I lied.

Blessings,
Alissa

"The CCAA has finished the placement of children for the families whose adoption application documents were registered with our office before December 8, 2005."

We are excited to hear that these dossiers have been processed, though our agency has been pretty quiet the past couple of days. However, I took the above quote from the CCAA website, so I believe it to be true! Our documents were logged in December 22, 2005...so just 14 more days worth of dates to be processed (this could take 2-3 months), and we're on deck!

No other news right now...just waiting...patiently!

Love,
Alissa

Would you look at that sweet baby?

I'd like to introduce Ady Margaret Borchert, born September 19th at 5:07pm EST. Her proud parents are Karen Borchert (my little sister) and her husband Taylor. She was 7 lbs, 14 oz, and she is possibly the most beautiful baby around! Madison and I went out to Washington D.C. last week to see our new niece/cousin, and she has stolen our hearts!

When we started this long journey to Leila Grace, Karen and Taylor were planning on joining us on the trip to China. However, the wait became longer than expected and all of a sudden, we heard that Baby Ady would make her appearance sometime this September. Of course, we were SURE we'd have Ms. Leila home before Ady arrived, but we were wrong again! Anyway, we are pretty excited that Leila will have a cousin close to her age, and we couldn't be happier for Karen and Taylor!

Congratulations---we love you Ady!

Love,
Alissa

Legacy of An Adopted Child

Once there were two women who never knew each other...
One you do not remember,
the other you call mother.
Two different lives, shaped to make Your one...
One became your guiding star,
the other became your sun.
The first gave you life,
and the second taught you to live it.
The first gave you a need for love,
and the second was there to give it.
One gave you a nationality,
the other gave you a name.
One gave you a seed of talent,
the other gave you an aim.
One gave you emotions,
the other calmed your fears.
One saw your first sweet smile,
the other dried your tears.
One gave you up...that's all she could do.
The other prayed for a child and God led her straight to you.

And now you ask me, through your fears,
the age old question unanswered throughout the years...
Heredity or environment...
which are you the product of...
Neither my darling...neither...
just two different kinds of love.

-Author Unknown-

This poem was found on the back of a program from the upcoming movie "Bella." We were lucky in Lees Summit to be able to have a pre-screening, offered free to members of the community who have a heart for adoption (sponsored by Royals player Mike Sweeney). The movie has won many awards but was very low budget, so will only premier in the larger cities in mid-late October. If it does come to your city, I would STRONGLY recommend it---it's a great story of adoption and love. Jason and I really enjoyed it, and were especially impressed by the lead actor, who was there to answer questions. He is very famous in Mexico, sort of the 'Mexican Brad Pitt,' but has decided to only do movies that are made with decency and utmost integrity. We were amazed by his testimony and his commitment to what he really believes.

Have a great day!
Alissa

WE'RE IN THE 240'S!

The official announcment just arrived:
America World is excited to announce that we received 19 healthy referrals today! Families had log in dates of 11/22/05 & 11/24/05. The girls are from the Guangxi & Jiangxi provinces & ranged in age from 6 months to 11 1/2 months. Please join us as we congratulate each of these families!

Jason and I are beyond excited! These two log in dates represent groups 239, and yes, FINALLY, group 240! This means only 3 more groups to go and then it will be our turn! (As if I haven't said it 3000 times, we are group 244). So the big question is, when? If the referrals keep coming as they have the past 3 months, I think the earliest referral date would be November (fly in Dec/Jan), the latest would be January (fly Feb/Mar). In the meantime, we are celebrating like crazy as we've been waiting for a long time to be this close!

Thank you to those of you who have shared in our excitement today. It's truly frightening to think how I'll be acting when it really is our turn! Also, congratulations to our friends the Peltons, who we met way back when at our adoption class at Adoption and Beyond. Here is their website if you are interested: http://www.freewebs.com/peltonadoption/. We can't wait to meet Makenna!

Have a great night!

Love,
Leila's family

Today I sent my big 5 year old on the bus to Kindergarten and my oldest to 3rd grade! Here's a photo of Rudy (age 4), Madison (almost 9), and Caeden (age 5) on their first day. I can't believe how quickly time has flown by...it seems like Maddie was JUST holding Caeden at the hospital when he was born! Now if only the time before we get Leila could fly just as fast!

Have a great day,
Alissa

Ok...we received word today that we are in the 1-4 month range for receiving a referral! I am trying not to get my hopes up too much, as things can (and always do) change. Regardless...that was a great email to receive. Also, wanted to let you know that I did NOT write this great devotional posted yesterday---someone on my online adoption group submitted it and I felt it was a great post for August! Have a great weekend!

Alissa

Waiting Is A Blessing

"Yet the Lord longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you
compassion. For the Lord is a God of justice. Blessed are all who
wait for him!" (Isaiah 30:18, NIV)

Yes, you read it correctly. "Blessed are all who wait for him!"

We may find it difficult to comprehend that waiting could be a
blessing. We'd prefer not to wait. We don't like to wait for our
food. We don't like to wait for the movie to start. We don't like to
wait for answers to our questions. We do not like to wait for
information.

While we don't like to wait, the prophet from God gives us three
reasons why waiting really is a blessing.

We are blessed when we wait on the Lord because the Lord longs to be
gracious to us. He doesn't just think about being gracious to us, He
longs to be gracious. Sounds like He is looking for opportunities
to be gracious to us. He longs to be gracious (kind and merciful) to
us. He does not have to be gracious to us. We certainly do not
deserve it. Yet, He longs to be gracious to us. That's worth waiting
for.

We are blessed when we wait on the Lord because the Lord rises to
show us compassion. Obviously the Lord never sleeps or slumbers
(Psalm 121:4) but this statement brings to my mind the image of the
Lord getting up in the morning checking his notes and saying, "Well,
let's see what can I do to show Tom how compassionate I am today?
"What can I do to show Tom how sympathetic I am as he goes through a
difficult day? How can I show Him how concerned I am about Tom and
his family? " Or, perhaps the Amplified Bible explains it better,
"He lifts Himself up, 'that He may have mercy on you and show
loving-kindness to you.'" Sounds like He enjoys showing us
compassion.

We are blessed when we wait on the Lord because the Lord is a God of
justice. That reminds me that I do not need to spend a great deal of
time trying to make sure that justice is handed out to people. God
is a God of justice. He will take care of it. Justice is His
business. Justice is His nature.

It also helps to see waiting as a blessing when we more fully
understand what Isaiah had in mind with the word wait: "Blessed
(happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait
for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His
favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken
companionship] !" (Amplified Bible)

The last part of that explanation can help us develop a better
appreciation for waiting: When we "expect and look and long for Him
[for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His
matchless, unbroken companionship! "

As you wait for the Lord to do what the Lord longs to do, rises to
do, and is His nature to do, look for Him, look for His victory, His
favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless, unbroken
companionship.

Waiting can be a blessing.

Posted today:

America World is pleased to announce the receipt of 7 healthy female
referrals today! Families receiving referrals were logged into the
China Center of Adoption Affairs on November 16 of 2005 (group 238).
The little girls are currently located in the Hunan Province and range
in age from 16-19 months. Please join us in congratulating these
families, and in praying for them as they prepare to travel.

5 more groups and we're up! Keep praying for 2007, please!

Love,
Alissa, Jason and kids

From July 6, 2007:

America World is pleased to announce that we received 9 healthy female
referrals from the Hunan Province today. The girls ranged in age from
7-8 months old and were all located in the Chenzhou Children's Welfare
Institute. Please join us in congratulating these families on their
exciting day!!

The above group is #237...we are #244...slowly but surely we're getting there!

Love,
Alissa

Hello everyone,

Many of you know that we had over 20 families donate some GREAT stuff for our garage sale last weekend and because I leave for vacation tomorrow, I just cannot get a personal thank you note to each of you in time. However, Jason and I want you to know how much we appreciate your generosity in donating to our sale, and ultimately, the adoption of our sweet little China baby.

The sale was amazing! We had people here almost all the time, all 3 days. The weather was hot, but perfect for the sale! We set up a sign about adoption, China in particular. We even had a donation fishbowl on the checkout table, and people were amazingly generous...I can't tell you how many people blessed us!

The great news---we made almost $2000 for our adoption from the sale. We could NOT have done that without your donations and we are so thankful. We had no idea that it would go that well and we are well on our way to finishing out our expenses. God has blessed us greatly and we thank you SO much.

Thank you to these families...and PLEASE forgive me if I forgot anyone:

Elaine Lewellan
Teri Burns
Scott, Linda, and Laura Burgess
Cori and Carrie Weeda (and friends!)
Phil and Marian Rogers
Paul and Karen Miller
Greg and Kim Zoltek
Jeff and Cindy Madden
Mike and Angie Magee
Linda and Rudy Potocnik
Jason and Teresa Kemper
Tim and Nona Luke
Jason and April Lee
Doug and Autumn Leach
Rusty and Shannon Brotherton
Todd and Rebecca Long
Robert and Kellie McQueen
Scott and Tracy Robinson
Bert and Traci Mattis
Michael and Julie Coram

Also, thanks to those of you who donated time (getting us lunch!) and energy (baking treats for the kids to sell at their stand)...and Traci Mattis gets the prize for donating an insane amount of time to helping me organize, price, mark, etc. (Her husband gets the credit for loaning us his truck multiple times!)

Thank you to everyone---now if we could JUST get to CHINA soon!

Much love,
Jason and Alissa Potocnik

Today I Will Make a Difference
by Max Lucado

Today I will make a difference. I will begin by controlling my thoughts. A person is the product of his thoughts. I want to be happy and hopeful. Therefore, I will have thoughts that are happy and hopeful. I refuse to be victimized by my circumstances. I will not let petty inconveniences such as stoplights, long lines, and traffic jams be my masters. I will avoid negativism and gossip. Optimism will be my companion, and victory will be my hallmark. Today I will make a difference.

I will be grateful for the twenty-four hours that are before me. Time is a precious commodity. I refuse to allow what little time I have to be contaminated by self-pity, anxiety, or boredom. I will face this day with the joy of a child and the courage of a giant. I will drink each minute as though it is my last. When tomorrow comes, today will be gone forever. While it is here, I will use it for loving and giving. Today I will make a difference.

I will not let past failures haunt me. Even though my life is scarred with mistakes, I refuse to rummage through my trash heap of failures. I will admit them. I will correct them. I will press on. Victoriously. No failure is fatal. It’s OK to stumble… I will get up. It’s OK to fail… I will rise again. Today I will make a difference.

I will spend time with those I love. My spouse, my children, my family. A man can own the world but be poor for the lack of love. A man can own nothing and yet be wealthy in relationships. Today I will spend at least five minutes with the significant people in my world. Five quality minutes of talking or hugging or thanking or listening. Five undiluted minutes with my mate, children, and friends.

Today I will make a difference.

From Shaped by God
Copyright (Tyndale House, 2002) Max Lucado

Hi Everyone!
In that last picture, Caeden was hiding but after our trip to Lincoln a couple weekends ago, I have a new one to post. Although Caeden is shirtless---at least you can see his face! Still waiting...hoping for referrals next week (not ours...just forward movement!). Have a wonderful weekend!
Love,
Alissa

24For in this hope we were saved. But hope that is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what he already has? 25But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently. -Romans 8:24-25

Now you're in the know!

Here's the latest information we have received as to WHY the wait time is so long.

Q: Why has the wait from LID(log in date) to referral increased over the past year and a half?

A: At a meeting held in December 2006 the CCAA announced that the number of dossiers received at the end of 2005 and through 2006 had increased over 200% from previous years. With this increase there are more dossiers for families than paper-ready children available for adoption, causing the wait time to increase. There are literally thousands of dossiers at the CCAA awaiting a referral and while there are undoubtedly enough children available in China, not all orphanages or children are registered with the CCAA for adoption. Unfortunately, there are extremely rural orphanages that lack the resources needed to register with the CCAA. The CCAA is working to register more orphanages; however, this is a lengthy and complicated process. America World is praying diligently and working to find new ways to see all orphanages become registered with the CCAA to allow all adoptable orphans to be placed in forever families.

It does help to have a little bit more information, and we are truly happy that the amount of dossiers has increased by 200%---that's more children with forever homes, and that is something to thank God for! It's important to keep it in perspective--
our desire is not only to bring home a daughter from China, but to see all orphans find a home, and thankfully that IS happening, slowly but surely!

Have a wonderful week!
Alissa

7 groups away!

Here is the announcement that our agency received this past week:

"America World is pleased to announce that we received 25 healthy
female referrals today! Families receiving referrals were logged into
the China Center of Adoption Affairs on October 27 and 31 of 2005
(group 235-236). The little girls are currently located in the
Guangdong, Jiangxi, and Hubei provinces and range in age from 7 to 15
months. Please join us in congratulating these families, and in
praying for them as they prepare to travel."

We're hoping now that the May 1 deadline has passed (with all the new restrictions), that maybe the process will speed up. IN case I haven't said it 300 times so far, we're group #244, logged in Dec 22, 2005. We're getting closer!

Have a wonderful week!

Love,
Alissa and Jason

This devotion from Proverbs 31 ministries was found on my yahoo group today and I thought it was perfect for today! This wait is excruciating...there has been absolutely no movement for almost a month, but God is good and we know His timing is perfect!

April 23, 2007

You Will Not Be Forgotten

By Glynnis Whitwer

"But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a
day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day."
2 Peter 3:8 (NIV)

Devotion:

When my third child was born, my oldest was three. And they were
all active boys!My husband and I were outnumbered and my life was
completely up-ended. For the next three years I couldn't even go
shopping at Target by myself with the kids. While one raced down
the aisle, the toddler climbed out of the cart. Meanwhile, the
baby, who disliked being confined from the moment of his birth,
screamed! I was a mess! I felt like climbing over the cart and
racing down the aisle screaming myself.

In those difficult three years I kept trying to regain my old life.
An organizer and leader by nature, I'd volunteer to oversee
something at church and then make my kids and me miserable trying to
get it done. My heart is heavy when I remember the times I dragged
my three little boys to one event or another, only to leave angry
and in tears because they couldn't sit still.

Instead of accepting my life as it was, I plowed ahead, wanting to
serve God and feeling certain He was pleased with my sacrifices.
The problem was that my innocent children made the real sacrifice by
enduring my non-stop lifestyle. I wish with all my heart that
someone had taken me out to coffee and helped me get some
perspective. I was too blind to see.

What I know now is that sometimes God calls us to a new mission
field that on the surface looks like we've been called out of
the "game." But nothing could be further from the truth! Those
three years I was afraid to stop pursuing my goals in case an
opportunity might pass me by. Instead I missed the opportunity to
minister more deeply to my children passed me by.

Second Peter 3:8 says, "But do not forget this one thing, dear
friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a
thousand years are like a day" (NIV). Although this verse is
speaking about the Lord's return, I believe it can be applied to any
time of "waiting." God doesn't see time as we do. Three years
seems like an eternity, when it's really just a breath in time. The
first part of verse 9 offers hope to those who think opportunities
are passing them by and God has forgotten them: "The Lord is not
slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness."

I wish someone had told me that God would not forget me, that I was
right where He wanted me, and that I should relax and see the
opportunities He had placed in front of me. Even though my days
felt like years, they really were just a blink. At least, that's
what I know now …

Heavenly Father, I praise You for Your faithfulness. No matter what
my circumstances look like to me, I know You have not forgotten me.
Help me to see Your hand in every moment of my day, and to look for
ways to serve You and those around me. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

9 groups away!!!

Today brought more referrals for our agency, as stated in this announcement below:

"America World is pleased to announce the receipt of 19 healthy female
referrals today! Families receiving referrals were logged into the
China Center of Adoption Affairs on October 19th and 24th of 2005
(groups 233 and 234). These families waited roughly 16 months from
log in date to referral. We also received referrals for 2 families
who were expedited due to Chinese heritage who were logged in on April
14th, 2006. The little girls are currently located in the Jiangxi and
Guangdong Provinces and range in age from 6 to 15 months. Please join
us in congratulating these families, and in praying for them as they
prepare to travel."

We just hit the 14 month anniversary of our log-in date, but despite the long wait, we are encouraged that the referrals keep coming. Based on the above information, and 'rumors' on various sites, I am anticipating a referral in August or September (which means we would fly in late Sept/early October). It IS going to happen eventually!

In the meantime, we have been so blessed by two families, as well as a neighboring church, who have helped us tremendously with the financial part of this adoption. The costs have just kept going up as we have had to re-do so many documents that expired during this extended wait time. Jason and I knew the financial part of this would be hard, but we also knew (and were told by many) that God would provide in one way or another. We are so thankful not only for the donations, but for the hearts behind those gifts. We know that we have been blessed beyond measure, once again.

THANK YOU for checking in, and please please keep Leila Grace in your prayers as she has probably been born by now.

In His amazing grace,
Alissa and Jason

Happy New Year!

Thanks for checking in. I haven't posted in awhile as there hasn't been much progress since the end of December. However, today 19 referrals were received, which included groups 231 and 232. This means we are now 11 groups away---almost into the single digits! We've heard that summer is about the worst time to travel in China (very hot!), but we really don't care at this point---we just want to get there and meet that sweet baby girl!

Last week we had our fingerprints redone at the Department of Homeland Security here in KC. Apparently, fingerprints 'expire' after 15 months, so we had to do them again just in case one of us had committed a felony recently (we didn't...phew). I also learned that almost 10 years of working in a hospital (and washing my hands constantly), leads to 'difficult to read fingerprints.' I tried to say something clever about that, but the people at the Dept of Homeland Security don't have the best sense of humor.

I also made a call this week to our agency to ask what I need to do with the revised home study (it also expires). I expected to have to send it 3 different places for certification, authentication, etc. etc., but my coordinator instead told me that I would be handing that to the officials in China! I don't know why, but it just made my day having someone assure me that yes, someday we'll be headed to China and this long, long, wait will be soon forgotten.

Much love from Kansas City,
Alissa and Jason