Adoption Update

We figured we owed you a post in the way of adoption news. It's a slooooooow moving process, but here's what's been happening:

We gathered all the clearances and reference forms (thank YOU to those of you who wrote them for us)
We had our physicals - I'm "neurologically intact" and Marc was deemed "boringly normal". We'll take that!
We had our psych evaluations - they said we were fit to be parents. *whew*
Our home study is written and is waiting to be approved by the case worker in the WI office
Our I800-A is filled out and ready to mail...but we need the approved home study before I can send it in
The dossier is all put together...except for the I800-A approval (are you noticing a domino effect of activity here?)

This week I'm confirming that everything we need to send to US CIS (Child and Immigration Services) is ready to be mailed. We need two more things notarized (a big shout out to Clayton Hetrick for helping us out!). In January, once we have the approved home study, I am going to begin applying for grants!

We need to have the US CIS/I800-A approval so we can get the dossier shipped over to the Philippines by February 4. I'm an absolute ball of nerves because the ball is in someone else's court and there is nothing I can do, yet there is a deadline I'm being held to! Because these lessons are (sadly?) so familiar to me I suspect his is God teaching me that He is in charge of this adoption and to trust in him, to give up control. Sometimes I wish God would stop trying to teach me this lesson. Sometimes I wish I'd just get it already!

So, much to be happening in the next six weeks in the Pensyl Adoption -stay tuned! If you could pray for our son or daughter, their family, their caretakers, their country, we'd appreciate it greatly. We count our blessings this time of year and this year we have a huge blessing to be thankful for and praying for, but this blessing has burdens attached to it - a heart broken mother and/or father, a heart broken child perhaps - let's pray for healing and hope for those involved in our adoption in the Philippines. Thank you!