Waiting patiently

Our dossier got to Virginia to America World Adoption.  Our case worker Caitlin e-mailed and said all was well and it would be on it's way to Ethiopia.  Then the panic set in.  The house wasn't painted, the new floor coverings were not in and we are nowhere near being ready to purchase a bedroom set for our kids.  Then the calm set in because I realized it is in God's hands.  This journey has always been His intended journey for us.  We patiently wait for word that our children are ready to come home, come home to the place they were intended to be safe and Loved forever.  That in itself was enough to continue the calm in the midst of the storm.

We are tracking Fed Ex to Virginia

Our Lord is Great!!!  I was able to pick up the final piece of paper last night after work.  Got home, copied and put in our dossier material, checked and rechecked and then rechecked the recheck.  (Did you get that?) to make sure all was well and in it's place.  This morning was a crazy morning, I had inservice for my teaching job and Chuck had reports to finish before his days off.  I prayed I would be able to make it into the Fed Ex drop box before they picked up this afternoon.  My prayers were answered, I arrived about an hour prior to their pick up.  So, according to our tracking our dossier will be in Virginia at America World on Thursday.  Then off to Ethiopia and the true waiting begins.  What a great week and it's not even half way over!!!!

Yippee we are there!!!!!

Today I decided to get the mail from yesterday.  It really wasn't a big hurry.  Our I-171H wasn't due for another week and I am still waiting on a form from our local adoption agency.  So, I sauntered out, picked up the Sunday paper and crossed the street to the mailbox.  At the bottom of the short stack was a very official looking envelope from USCIS.  Our I-171H had arrived!!!!  I am ready to have it notarized and send it off tomorrow morning.  However, I still need that single form from our local agency.  The Lord is great!!!! I will be able to go to the local agency and get it signed and notarized tomorrow and still make the Fed Ex to America World.  We are so excited words can't even begin to describe it.  Keep us all in your prayers.

Waiting and waiting and waiting

After watching all the news of the I-171H forms coming through and knowing we were 4 weeks since our biometrics appointment I couldn't take it anymore!!!  I phoned the National Benefits center and found out our application was approved on August 6th.  There is a review period of approximately two weeks and then our I171-H will be issued.  With any blessings we will be DTE (Dossier to Ethiopia) by the end of August.  The excitement continues to flow.  We have been at a stand still on the house renovations since the garden has been blessing us so abundantly.  We will have to move that up so we can really start to get ready.  The paperwork chase is almost over.  I have already taken my copies, placed everything in order and am waiting patiently for that last "oh so very important" piece of paper.  Kids here we come.  May God continue to protect you and all the other orphans and hold you in his hands.