A little step...

To hold a particular child until your home study and dossier is done, we had to fill out a few forms and write a letter of intent, basically saying that we will provide her medical needs and that she will be treated just as our biological kids are.  I sent all that in and I just got an email yesterday that our Letter of Intent has been sent to China.  After the home study and dossier are done and sent in, we will get the official approval from China that she is matched with us. We're kind of in the "pre-matched and pretty for sure she's yours as long as everything goes okay" stage.  A lot of this process is going to be a hurry up and wait situation, and we were fully aware of that when we started this.  I have no patience and all, so this will for sure be a test for me.  God knows how to grow and stretch His children. 
I'm hoping we get a call from our social worker early next week.  Tomorrow, we have an appt. with the Holt director here in our city.  (We are so blessed to have a district office in the city we live in.  It makes things much easier.)  Hopefully, we can get everything turned in to her that will get us started on the home study process. 
With the way that everything has worked out so far, I feel like I've totally underestimated my God.  There are so many what-ifs in this process and so many times I think "well, what if God is just testing us and we won't actually be able to see this through?"  Every time I've thought that, something that I've been worried about has been worked out just fine. 
So we announced it last night on face.book.  I went back and forth on when to announce it, thinking that maybe I wouldn't want everyone to know so early, especially if something were to happen and it should fall through.  But all of that is nonsense.  If I am to trust God, I have to trust Him with every single step of this.  And to put it all out there allows us to have the support and prayers of our friends and family.  Yeah, there are going to be bumps in the road, but whatever happens, He will work everything out according to His purpose.  He has already promised that.

Romans 8:28  "And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose."