So last week when I stated that we only needed that last page of our home study signed and notarized for our dossier was not quite accurate! Yep, it just seemed too easy!
But of course, yes, another set back! God is really testing my patience!! Yes, I hear you Lord! Loud and clear! It's not my time....but why not? I have to keep telling myself that He is in complete control! He will not forsaken me!
You might wonder, what are we waiting on now? Yet again, another oops on our sweet social worker's part! She was unaware (?) that she needed to send a notarized Certified Copy of Original form with her agency's license and her license. I was all set to send our dossier (pretty much as sacred as breast milk...sorry men, it's true!) to our agency on Friday after I went to get our paper's apostilled at the Secretary of States office. Apostilling is pretty much a notary to notarize your notary (such an un-trusting world)! Russia requires EVERY page that is notarized to be apostilled. What's amusing about that is each page is about $10 to apostille. We have probably 30 pages to apostille! The good part about this is the maximum amount they charge is $100! Wow! We finally will catch a break with the financing part of our adoption...the ONLY break!
I'm choosing to see the good in this situation. 1. We live in Austin so apostilling our documents will be a far easier task than if we lived anywhere else in Texas. 2. We catch a break with the money aspect of it all (I'm stretching here!). 3. It's allowing me to put complete faith and trust in our Father who, "in all things, (God)works for the good, of those who love Him, who are called according to His purpose."Romans 8:28 Ahh! Yes, rest in that Kirsten!!!!!
Now, if my heart will just really soak that in!!
We have asked our social worker to over-night the documents, but aren't holding our breath that it will be here before Wednesday :(.
On another positive note, we did send off our i-600 form to USCIS on Friday. It's so relieving to have just another set of documents out of our hands...along with some more money, of course.
'Till next time!!!
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
God's Timing
We received our completed home study in the mail today! I knew today would be the day! When I opened the mailbox I saw a large white envelope with our agency's name. It felt like Christmas!! I drove home so excited that if a dog or cat ran in front of the car I probably wouldn't have noticed it.
As soon as walked in the house I threw everything down (no, not Brady, he was at school), and ripped it open, just like a kid at Christmas. I knew there was going to be 4 copies of it. I found the 4 copies which were held together with paper clips. Then I found page 11, with 4 copies, paper clipped together as well. Hm, well, maybe this was an extra sheet? So I read the last page of the homestudy to find out it was page 10 and it ended with an incomplete sentence. Hm, again! I figured out that the page 11 sheet definitely was the last page. But what was it doing all by itself? Too bad paper can't talk! On that last sheet of paper, I noticed there was a place for our social worker to sign her name and at the bottom of the page it had a place for a notary to sign...but where was the signature and notary????? NOT THERE!!!!
So yes, our home study has arrived at our house...incomplete! From what we can figure out, she sent it forgetting to sign and get it notarized!
Well, you can imagine my frustration. After waiting 2 months for this and it isn't complete!!!
I was reminded by one of my best friends ;) that this was God's timing! I wanted her to be mad right along side me! She calmly said that this is God's way of saying that this girl I have picked out for you isn't ready yet. She has been my voice of reason today and I thank her for that! God knows my girl! He knows when the right time to send our dossier over to Russia. At the exact time SHE will be ready to come to our family!
So, yes, while this is yet another small set back, I know He is in control!! Once we get her signature and the form notarized, I can send it to the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) with our "application to adopt". Once that is approved we'll get our FBI fingerprints and wait for those results and send all of our hard, long, exhausting paper work to our agency and then on to Russia!!! Sounds so simple! Ha!
On a positive note, one of my good friends received her referral last night! Talk about a Christmas morning experience! It wasn't even my referral and I cried and smiled and felt butterflies all at the same time! It just made this experience so real! An orphan is waiting to have a home and that's just one more child rescued!!! The orphan population is minus one more today (and who knows how many more amongst the world).
I had the extreme privelage to attend a Together for Adoption conference this weekend with Scott. I can't even begin to explain the profound impact it had on my life! We were bombarded (and that's a good thing) with so many facts about the fatherless. Scott met a newly married couple , (with no children), and they left there inquiring about adopting a child....they came there with their church for a fun weekend away! Awesome! We were called to "defend the cause of the fatherless" Psalm 82:3. No, I'm not saying go out and adopt a bunch of kids, but seek out how YOU can make a difference in an orphans life! I found one simple, (and fashionable) way! Clothing! I met the 2 cutest Nashville women, who between the 2 of them, have 13 children-7 adopted! They make cute t-shirts that say, "147 million orphans" on the front and "feed 1" on the back. The money goes to feeding 1 orphan! How simple is that?
Their website is www.147millionorphans.com
Hopefully the next time I blog is to say we've sent our i600 form to USCIS!!!
Blessings to you all, and please pray that I will be OK with God's timing:)
As soon as walked in the house I threw everything down (no, not Brady, he was at school), and ripped it open, just like a kid at Christmas. I knew there was going to be 4 copies of it. I found the 4 copies which were held together with paper clips. Then I found page 11, with 4 copies, paper clipped together as well. Hm, well, maybe this was an extra sheet? So I read the last page of the homestudy to find out it was page 10 and it ended with an incomplete sentence. Hm, again! I figured out that the page 11 sheet definitely was the last page. But what was it doing all by itself? Too bad paper can't talk! On that last sheet of paper, I noticed there was a place for our social worker to sign her name and at the bottom of the page it had a place for a notary to sign...but where was the signature and notary????? NOT THERE!!!!
So yes, our home study has arrived at our house...incomplete! From what we can figure out, she sent it forgetting to sign and get it notarized!
Well, you can imagine my frustration. After waiting 2 months for this and it isn't complete!!!
I was reminded by one of my best friends ;) that this was God's timing! I wanted her to be mad right along side me! She calmly said that this is God's way of saying that this girl I have picked out for you isn't ready yet. She has been my voice of reason today and I thank her for that! God knows my girl! He knows when the right time to send our dossier over to Russia. At the exact time SHE will be ready to come to our family!
So, yes, while this is yet another small set back, I know He is in control!! Once we get her signature and the form notarized, I can send it to the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) with our "application to adopt". Once that is approved we'll get our FBI fingerprints and wait for those results and send all of our hard, long, exhausting paper work to our agency and then on to Russia!!! Sounds so simple! Ha!
On a positive note, one of my good friends received her referral last night! Talk about a Christmas morning experience! It wasn't even my referral and I cried and smiled and felt butterflies all at the same time! It just made this experience so real! An orphan is waiting to have a home and that's just one more child rescued!!! The orphan population is minus one more today (and who knows how many more amongst the world).
I had the extreme privelage to attend a Together for Adoption conference this weekend with Scott. I can't even begin to explain the profound impact it had on my life! We were bombarded (and that's a good thing) with so many facts about the fatherless. Scott met a newly married couple , (with no children), and they left there inquiring about adopting a child....they came there with their church for a fun weekend away! Awesome! We were called to "defend the cause of the fatherless" Psalm 82:3. No, I'm not saying go out and adopt a bunch of kids, but seek out how YOU can make a difference in an orphans life! I found one simple, (and fashionable) way! Clothing! I met the 2 cutest Nashville women, who between the 2 of them, have 13 children-7 adopted! They make cute t-shirts that say, "147 million orphans" on the front and "feed 1" on the back. The money goes to feeding 1 orphan! How simple is that?
Their website is www.147millionorphans.com
Hopefully the next time I blog is to say we've sent our i600 form to USCIS!!!
Blessings to you all, and please pray that I will be OK with God's timing:)
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Waiting and Following Him
Well, I thought it was too good to be true...to have the home study done and mailed to us in a month, that is. I got an email from our social worker the other day,(we love her....we really do) saying she hasn't even started on our home study report yet! Ah!!!!!!!!!!! What? Not even started???? She said it would be another week or so. Hm, or so...what does that mean?
I'm slowly realizing that this entire process has really gone somewhat smoothly, so far, compared to some other families I know. The term "waiting" is taking on a whole other meaning!
"Be still and know that I am God," Psalm 46:10, comes to mind! Me, be still? Are you kidding? Scott teases me that I am an "instant gratification" type of person, you know, like the girl, Violet on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory..."I want it now!" If I see something and get my mind set on it, it will either be bought, or we will get it done! (Sorry, Bud, love you, but you married a non-patient person) He reallyis a saint for putting up with me! I admit it, patience is one of the virtues I struggle with the most! This whole process is just reaffirming the fact that I NEED to work on it!
I think the whole nine months of pregnancy is the perfect amount of time to mentally, physically and emmotionally prepare you for a newborn (unless they were like Tyler, who was very colicky, and then you need more time :)).
Is there any amount of time that will prepare you for a child, from a different country, who doesn't speak your language, who has been abandoned for whatever reason and "cared" for by someone else for possibly the first year of their life. I don't know if there is? We've have been given MOUNDS of books to read, contacts to speak with, and websites that will help "prepare" us for what is to come. Although, we don't know what is to come. Yes, it is important to drown ourselves in the pool of information given to us, to prepare us, and our home to receive this child.
I believe that this time is given to us to prepare us for what God has in store for us-what HE has mapped out for our lives. Not what WE are mapping our lives to become!
To keep my mind off of the waiting, I am excited to help start our church with an orphan ministry and to increase the awareness of God's children in the world who are needy and starving for a forever family. There is a song that I have become in LOVE with! It's by Leeland featuring Brandon Heath. It's called "Follow You" and it has really spoken to me. I hope you will listen to it.
(You might need to turn the volume down on my "playlist" at the bottom of this blog before you press play for this video).
Enjoy!!!
I'm slowly realizing that this entire process has really gone somewhat smoothly, so far, compared to some other families I know. The term "waiting" is taking on a whole other meaning!
"Be still and know that I am God," Psalm 46:10, comes to mind! Me, be still? Are you kidding? Scott teases me that I am an "instant gratification" type of person, you know, like the girl, Violet on Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory..."I want it now!" If I see something and get my mind set on it, it will either be bought, or we will get it done! (Sorry, Bud, love you, but you married a non-patient person) He reallyis a saint for putting up with me! I admit it, patience is one of the virtues I struggle with the most! This whole process is just reaffirming the fact that I NEED to work on it!
I think the whole nine months of pregnancy is the perfect amount of time to mentally, physically and emmotionally prepare you for a newborn (unless they were like Tyler, who was very colicky, and then you need more time :)).
Is there any amount of time that will prepare you for a child, from a different country, who doesn't speak your language, who has been abandoned for whatever reason and "cared" for by someone else for possibly the first year of their life. I don't know if there is? We've have been given MOUNDS of books to read, contacts to speak with, and websites that will help "prepare" us for what is to come. Although, we don't know what is to come. Yes, it is important to drown ourselves in the pool of information given to us, to prepare us, and our home to receive this child.
I believe that this time is given to us to prepare us for what God has in store for us-what HE has mapped out for our lives. Not what WE are mapping our lives to become!
To keep my mind off of the waiting, I am excited to help start our church with an orphan ministry and to increase the awareness of God's children in the world who are needy and starving for a forever family. There is a song that I have become in LOVE with! It's by Leeland featuring Brandon Heath. It's called "Follow You" and it has really spoken to me. I hope you will listen to it.
(You might need to turn the volume down on my "playlist" at the bottom of this blog before you press play for this video).
Enjoy!!!
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