We are happy to announce that last Thursday, November 10th, A Helping Hand received 16 referrals from the CCAA.  All together, there were 15 families who received 16 children . . . including one very fortunate family who was referred twin girls!  This batch of referrals was delivered to our office 5 weeks and 3 days from our last set of referrals.   We received 14 referrals from Guangdong Province and one from Hainan Dao Island.   Of the 14 Guangdong children, 13 came from the Lianjiang Social Welfare Institute and one child was from the Shenzhen Social Welfare Institute.  The referral from Hainan Dao Island was from the Haikou Social Welfare Institute.   The age of the children referred ranged from 7 to 25 months, with the majority of the babies being between 7-9 months of age.  The Log In Dates included in this batch of referrals were relatively small.  The LIDs for all 25 families fell between March 18 -30, 2005. 

Special Needs:  Last week, A Helping Hand also received our new special needs listing from the CCAA.  The special needs list is issued quarterly, and this time around, A Helping Hand was given profiles of 30 Special Needs Children.  It is our deepest prayer to be able to place all of these children into loving families who are committed to provide them the love, care and nurturing they need.

This is such a joyful time for the families who received their referrals, and we are happy to be able to update all of our in-process families so that you, too, can celebrate the union of these precious children to their forever family. 

Is it taking longer to get a referral?  We would like to take a moment to talk about some relevant questions our families have brought to our attention about the timing of referrals.  There have been a lot of rumors floating around the internet hypothesizing about why this batch of referrals took longer.  Some rumors are actually saying that the regular wait time for referrals is going to increase to 8-10 months. 

The end of the year often brings some variance to the referral timing.  This happens for a multitude of reasons, all relevant, but none permanent.  Typically, the CCAA has many annual meetings and committees in November and December.  There are year-end reviews, as well as projection and planning meetings for the next year.  It also happens that a number of directors and staff take well needed and well-deserved vacations at this time.  These varying factors can impact the referral timing, causing it to slow down a little bit.  I would like to assure you, however, that there are no problems or issues at hand. This is just the ebb and flow of the China referral process.

I ask you to keep these factors in mind as you look forward to next month’s referrals.  The CCAA’s referral process is a system, and no system can run at full speed 100% of the time.  The CCAA does not work on an exact schedule, nor have they ever submitted themselves to a specific timetable for issuing referrals.  They send out referrals in general about once a month.  They have never guaranteed this to happen every 4 weeks to the date.  For this reason, there is no such thing as a “late referral” because the CCAA issues them at their discretion, when they are ready.   Understanding the CCAA’s perspective will allow you to develop more realistic expectations about referrals, their timing and how the CCAA issues them.

As we head into the Thanksgiving season, it is good to take some time to consider our blessings.  A Helping Hand is immensely grateful for the wonderful families with whom we have the honor of working.  We also are thankful for the precious children we are able to place into the arms of their forever families.  Most of all, we are grateful for a gracious God, who places His divine hand on the destiny of each orphan child and each family He has entrusted them to.

The Staff at A Helping Hand wish you blessings and peace this Thanksgiving.  Whether you are already home with your little one, waiting for your referral, or just beginning the paperwork, never lose sight of the amazing journey you have embarked upon.  It is truly a journey of a life time.