Welcome Packet - Starting the paper chase

We received the welcome packet in the mail today. It has a ton of information, and our heads are spinning. Fortunately, we live very close to the Texas branch office of our agency, and so our coordinator is going to come over on Tuesday and go over all of the materials with us. We'll get started after that meeting with all of the paperwork gathering. We're so excited!

We're approved!

Well, I mentioned earlier today that we had not heard much...until now! We just got an email saying that our application for adoption has been approved by our agency. We are so excited and will keep you up to date on our progress! Thanks for the continued prayers!

Vietnam Adoptions on the Rise

The following is from our agency's blog:

According to the government update, 780 children have come home to U.S. families since Vietnam reopened in January 2006. In April 2007, 120 children were placed. "I think this is the largest number placed in one month so far. Adoptions are really taking off in Vietnam," says Children's Hope Vietnam Program Director Nicky Losse. Link

That's great news for us! We haven't heard too much since the last post. Our application is being reviewed and we should hear back any day now regarding our approval.

First Post and Welcome

Welcome to the McDoniel Family Blog. My name is Chet McDoniel, and my wife, Joni, and I started this blog to share with family, friends, and anyone else who cares about our international adoption.

Joni and I have been talking and praying for several months, and we have decided to adopt a baby from Vietnam. The agency we have chosen is Children's Hope International, and they have already checked to make sure that my handicap won't pose a problem for us.

For those who don't know, I am limb deficient in that I do not have arms, and have shortened legs. I use an electric wheelchair to get around long distances, and type, drive a van, etc with my feet. Our agency was very efficient in letting us know that this would not be an issue at all for adopting from Vietnam.

So, our application was mailed on Wednesday, and we are now waiting to hear that they received it. Stay tuned to this blog for more updates, and we welcome you on our journey.