tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21963604095484768292024-03-13T06:18:13.678-07:00The Story of Usangiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818763337973204374noreply@blogger.comBlogger16125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196360409548476829.post-64651005018500742542015-05-08T07:19:00.001-07:002015-05-08T07:20:57.445-07:00Leaving on a Jet PlaneThe last few days I've had two songs that are constantly in my head....."Leaving on Jet Plane" by Peter, Paul & Mary (or John Denver depending on who you like better) and Leann Rimes' "One Way Ticket"....<br />
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"leaving on a jet plane....don't know when I'll be back again...."</div>
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"bought a one way ticket on an [east] bound [plane]..." (I just change Leann's lyrics a little to fit our situation!)</div>
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In case you haven't guessed already, our flights are booked!!! And yes, they are one-way tickets!!!! After a lot of thought and prayer, we are planning (Lord willing) for our whole family to stay in Ethiopia until we are able to bring "A" home, instead of breaking it up into 2 trips!! (Some of you know, Jon's parents are coming too, but they do have return tickets!) </div>
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On May 6, we received the call from AWAA that we had been assigned a court date for June 4, which meant we needed to be in Ethiopia by June 1! Most of the rest of that day was spent emailing & calling a travel agent, who found us good deals on tickets for May 29. </div>
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May 29 = Jon's Birthday, and also the 1 year anniversary of accepting A's referral!</div>
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God's timing = wow!</div>
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So, our basic schedule is.....May 29 leave from Harrisburg to Dulles to Addis Ababa. We will arrive on the 30th, at 7-something Ethiopian time. We will be able to visit with A at our agency's Transition Home each day, and then after we pass court on the 4th, we will have full custody of him, and he will come live with us at the guest house. Typically it takes 3-5 weeks after court to gather the needed documents to submit to Embassy. Once we submit to embassy, it will be several days and then we will be able to come home. We have no way of knowing how long we will be in Ethiopia, which is kind of scary but we are trusting God has a plan for that too!</div>
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Here are a few things we would love you to be praying about....</div>
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*Because of our longer stay, we needed to apply for a different type of visa - so right now, we have no passports :) They should make it back in plenty of time, but it just gives me an uneasy feeling!</div>
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*"A" needs to have some medical testing done and have the right results in order to come home! If the results are not what we anticipate, it would delay things many more months and of course our plans would drastically change.</div>
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*Our fingerprints expire mid-July. I have talked to our officer at USCIS and she told me she would resubmit our fingerprints. I am anxiously awaiting something in the mail that would tell us if she was able to resubmit our last fingerprints or if that is something we will need to get done before we leave.</div>
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*Pray for our little guy's heart. We know he is SO excited to come to America and have a family, but please, always remember that adoption begins with huge losses, and is really bittersweet. We are excited about all the time we will have while still in Ethiopia to bond & attach before we come home to life in America.</div>
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*There are so many little things that need to be done before we leave, even silly things like hanging pictures on his walls and buying him shoes, that I was expecting to have time to do in-between trips. Pray that all the little things come together! :)</div>
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*And of course.....at least a month in Ethiopia?! Honestly it's a dream come true for me. But there are definitely lots of obvious prayer requests that go along with it, especially when considering there will be 5 of us!</div>
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Thanks so much for your continued prayers! </div>
angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818763337973204374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196360409548476829.post-15963302512269815912015-04-29T15:11:00.002-07:002015-04-29T15:11:51.642-07:00The News We Have Been Waiting For!It's hard to really describe what the last several weeks (or even months) have been like for our family. Trusting in God, most definitely.....feeling a peace.....yes, 95% of the time. But hard. Emotional, stressful, draining, doubting, wondering, waiting, wishing, without an end in sight. Sleepless nights, or at the very least - waking up in the middle of the night, realizing what time it was in Ethiopia, and praying. The burden I had to pray in the middle of the night was unbelievable!! Towards the end of last week we heard from another dear family in very much the same situation as us that they received a new MOWCYA date, and it wasn't until May 27. We knew that if we received a negative from our 4/6 date, that our new date would not be until May 27 or later. We also knew that all the paperwork we had redone had made it to Ethiopia, but was not yet in the hands of MOWCYA - meaning that it was likely we would be getting a negative on our review if it happened anytime soon.<br />
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We had decided earlier that we needed a little family getaway - a respite from all the stress, so we planned a weekend to the Frederick & Hagerstown areas. We had SO much fun - swimming in the hotel pool, exploring beautiful Frederick (everything you see on this bridge is PAINTED....the ivy, the gate, even the bricks!),<br />
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eating yummy Cuban food,<br />
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Going to a minor league baseball game,<br />
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(where it just happened to be Star Wars Day),<br />
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and Carly won the stadium Smile Cam prize.... <br />
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playing games back at the hotel room, and then exploring Antietam National Battlefield and the surrounding area. It was a FUN, stress-free family weekend and such a blessing to us. We almost dreaded coming back to real life!!<br />
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Monday morning around 10 my phone rang. Glanced to see who was calling and it was AWAA. I was filled with 99% dread and 1% hope, especially since we had just been told the previous week that our letter would most likely be negative. Then to my astonishment, Lauren told me that she had some good news for us - MOWCYA had written us a positive recommendation. Even WITHOUT our new paperwork being there. It was AMAZING the weight that lifted....as if I could actually feel it! There were 2 minor issues (not concerns) - the MOWCYA director was not in the office so our file was still lacking her signature.....and the judge was not in his office, so we couldn't be assigned a court date. No matter - we knew our letter was positive!!!!! It was so exciting to start telling people the good news!!! I called Jon right away, and couldn't wait until after school to tell Jackson, so Carly & I took him lunch :) We have been floating on Cloud 9 ever since.<br />
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This morning I received an email saying that the MOWCYA director's signature has been obtained, and our file was given to the court! We are waiting for the judge to return, and then we will be assigned a court date - most likely in June. Just in case you didn't realize, COURT = TRAVEL!!!!! We couldn't be more excited and thankful to be meeting our son SOON!!!!! Thank you, Lord!!!!
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3/6 - 2nd MOWCYA Date - received an email from AWAA saying that MOWCYA is closed - no reasons why or dates when they will be back<br />
3/9 - MOWCYA is back open, but behind on their files<br />
3/17 - email from AWAA saying that due to MOWCYA writing negative letters for families, we need to update more paperwork - birth certificates, marriage license, employment letter, unemployment letter, financial statement, and get a few others certified<br />
3/24 - sent all documents to AWAA, also found out we received a negative letter from MOWCYA, but not for any of the reasons we were expecting. The problem has been fixed and we have been assigned a new MOWCYA date.<br />
4/6 - NEW MOWCYA DATE<br />
4/17 - all documents have their certifications & authentications and are on their way to Ethiopia.....will they be needed in order to receive a positive letter?? Only time will tell!<br />
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Praise God that He continues to give us comfort & peace through this very discouraging time. One verse that I have been repeating over & over is Proverbs 21:1.....I may have taken some liberty with changing a word or two, but the meaning remains the same :) "MOWCYA's heart is like a stream of water directed by the LORD; he guides it wherever he pleases."<br />
<br />angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818763337973204374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196360409548476829.post-33564283203672651902015-02-21T16:54:00.003-08:002015-02-21T16:54:22.180-08:00New MOWCYA DateThe past several weeks have been difficult and frustrating. Knowing that at any point we could be hearing about a new MOWCYA date, I was literally checking my email every 15 minutes. The anticipation mounted each time quickly followed by disappointment. While many families in our agency were hearing of new dates or approvals being written, we hadn't heard ANY updates. Many times I wondered if MOWCYA had somehow lost our paperwork!!! <br />
This past Wednesday, we were able to pray with our small group. I woke up Thursday feeling like a brand new person, KNOWING that God was going to be doing something!!! I rejoiced to hear from a friend who finally got their new MOWCYA date (I had just prayed for them as well as us earlier in the day), and by the end of the day, I was still rejoicing for them although had a slight tinge of jealousy since we didn't hear any good news. Thursday evening I took some friends grocery shopping and asked them to be praying. They were such an encouragement, reminding me that NOTHING is too hard for God!!! The next day, the kids had a 2 hour delay. I happened to check my email before school (for the first time in forever not thinking about hearing an update) and there it was!!!!!! <br />
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The news we have been waiting to hear for several months!!! <br />
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Along with several other families from our agency, we have a MOWCYA date for March 6!!!! </b></span><br />
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<b><span style="font-size: small;">Just 2 weeks away!!</span></b><br />
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There are no guarantees, and so far not much as gone smoothly with our process! BUT, if things do go as planned, and MOWCYA approves us on that day, we should hear about a court date by the following week. We could travel soon after that. To summarize -----> we *should* be meeting our son in March!!!!<br />
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Please continue to pray that MOWCYA would approve our paperwork on March 6 or before!!angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818763337973204374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196360409548476829.post-47842386135805584382015-01-22T10:08:00.000-08:002015-01-22T10:08:12.696-08:00Quick PAIR UpdateJust wanted to give a very quick update -- the Embassy interview went smoothly on 1/14! The very next day we received an email from Embassy that the i-604 investigation was complete. We were told it could take 1-2 weeks for our PAIR letter to arrive, but we were thrilled to receive it 1/20. What does this all mean? We have been CLEARED on the United States side of things. We are waiting on only ONE thing - MOWCYA approval. <br />
Our original MOWCYA date was back on 10/29. It did not happen that day, and instead we were made aware of several documents we needed to redo and resubmit. Since then, we have not heard of a new MOWCYA date. Many other families from our agency have had theirs, so we are hopeful we hear something soon. We have no sense of a timeline, because EVERYTHING is contingent on MOWCYA. If the review date is soon, and they approve, we could travel 1-2 weeks after that!!!! We are praying that we hear something soon! Please join us! We so badly want to meet our sweet A!angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818763337973204374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196360409548476829.post-58318038086465358232015-01-13T11:14:00.000-08:002015-01-13T11:14:07.970-08:00The LatestIt's been almost 3 months since my last blog update, and since then we have had to re-do more documents, pay more bills, and mostly just continue to "hurry up and wait." In an effort to keep this update somewhat short, I'll just do a timeline of sorts of what's been going on. To make things easier to understand, keep in mind that anything to do with "PAIR" involves the investigations on the part of the United States, and anything with "MOWCYA" deals with the Ethiopia side of things.<br />
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<b>11/1/14</b> - Received an RFE (Request for Evidence) from USCIS.<br />
<b>11/19/14</b> - MOWCYA is requiring new POA (Power of Attorney) paperwork that needs to be notarized, state certified, and authenticated. We immediately got it notarized and sent it to be state certified.<br />
<b>11/25/14</b> - our new POA arrived at our agency. They take it to the State Department & Ethiopian Embassy to be authenticated.<br />
<b>12/2/14</b> - received a grant from the RubyMyles Fund!!!!<br />
<b>12/5/14</b> - POA sent to Ethiopia<br />
<b>12/10/14</b> - documents needed for RFE received and immediately printed off & sent to USCIS<br />
<b>12/21/14</b> - received our updated i-171h (this had expired in mid-November) - need to notarize, certify, & authenticate a copy.<br />
<b>12/23/14</b> - received notification of PAIR filing - our case has moved to Embassy<br />
<b>1/2/15</b> - received certified i-171h and sent to agency to be authenticated.<br />
<b>1/5/15</b> - received request from Embassy to set up interview with relinquishing relative/finder.<br />
- also received notice that MOWCYA is requesting another new document - agency's commitment to post-placement services. This is something that our agency's Pennsylvania office will fill out & get notarized. MOWCYA is not requiring us to certify & authenticate this!!<br />
<b>1/6/15</b> - notified that Embassy interview will take place 1/14.<br />
- also on 1/6, received notice that MOWCYA is also requesting new application letters. We needed to write a new letter & have it notarized, but do not need to certify & authenticate. MOWCYA is allowing copies (for a limited time) so we can scan it immediately to AWAA.<br />
<b>1/10/15</b> - Travel vaccines <br />
<b>1/12/15</b> - received notarized Agency Commitment to Post Adoption Services, scanned & emailed to AWAA.<br />
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That pretty much brings us up to date! Lots of redoing documents, which always means lots of money! We are so thankful that our grant from the RubyMyles Fund covered it all! And isn't it neat that we found out about it on the 3rd anniversary of when all our paperwork was originally sent to Ethiopia? :)<br />
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Our i-171h is in the process of being authenticated, and should be on it's way to Ethiopia on Friday! We are still waiting to hear when our MOWCYA date will be rescheduled from it's original date of 10/29. <br />
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TOMORROW, at 5am our time (1pm Ethiopian time) a very important interview will be taking place at the US Embassy in Ethiopia. If all goes well and no RFEs are requested, we could be completing the PAIR process within the next 1-2 weeks! We are very cautiously optimistic that we will hear good news tomorrow, but there is always a possibility an interview will not be able to take place. Please pray along with us that a favorable interview happens tomorrow! <br />
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<br />angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818763337973204374noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196360409548476829.post-50835417649506387942014-10-24T05:33:00.002-07:002014-10-24T05:33:15.388-07:00One Step Forward, Two Steps BackIn reality, we know that all things are working together for good in our adoption process! But some days are easier than others.<br />
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<b>There are 3 things that need to happen before we can go to Ethiopia for our court date: </b><br />
<b>1) Letter from MOWCYA (Ministry of Women, Children & Youth Affairs), </b><br />
<b>2) Birth Relative/Finder Interview</b><br />
<b>3) PAIR letter</b><br />
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The first 2 are things that need to happen on the Ethiopian government side of things, and the PAIR process is US. We were finally submitted to PAIR 9/29. So far we have not heard any updates. We are hopeful that we will at least hear that we have been assigned an officer soon. <br />
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A few weeks ago, we heard from our agency that the first two things had been scheduled for 10/29! Even though we were told approximately 40% of people do not get the MOWCYA letter on the first try, our hopes were high! Especially because it also meant there was a *very slight* possibility we would not need to renew our i-171h, saving us over $700. Things were finally moving!!! (I even bought "A" a Christmas stocking yesterday......just in case!)<br />
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Unfortunately, our excitement was short-lived. We started hearing rumors, and then our agency confirmed, that all MOWCYA are involved in a meeting that started October 20. It is anticipated that these officials will be back in their offices the first week of November. However, during these meetings no MOWCYA letters have been written. Along with this information, AWAA provided us with new information that MOWCYA is going to be changing the way they write these important recommendation letters....<br />
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"MOWCYA announced a new procedure regarding recommendation letters that
we would like to explain. Previously, recommendation letters were
written following the review of a case by a single MOWCYA expert. Due
to concerns about the thoroughness
of the review, a new system is now in place that requires multiple
MOWCYA experts to review a family’s case in order to write
recommendation letters. The Director of MOWCYA must also approve all
recommendation letters. Once the recommendation letter has
been approved it can then be released to the court in order for the
adoptive family court date to be issued. MOWCYA hopes this new
procedure will result in more comprehensive reviews of adoption
paperwork and reduce the likelihood of unethical processes."<br />
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And then of course..... "The new procedure of writing and approving recommendation letters will
<b>lengthen the time</b> it takes for them to be issued. This is due in part
to the schedule of MOWCYA’s Director, as her duties require that she
attend regular meetings and
trainings throughout Ethiopia."<br />
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We are happy - really honestly happy - that Ethiopia continues to take steps to make sure adoptions are ethical!!! Terrible, horrible things can happen in the world of adoption. We are so thankful to be adopting from a country who loves and cares for their children so much that they are continually improving their adoption regulations. We know that ultimately God is in control of all timing!! Sometimes though, monthly updates are just not enough. We just want our boy home. <br />
<br />angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818763337973204374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196360409548476829.post-78981155854778835712014-09-29T15:58:00.001-07:002014-09-29T16:00:37.622-07:00Submitted!We are rejoicing! This morning I finally received the phone call from our family coordinator at AWAA saying that we had all of the needed documents to submit to PAIR (Pre-Adoptive Immigration Review). PAIR is "the process by which the US can pre-determine a child's prospective eligibility to receive a US Visa before the adoption is finalized in Ethiopia." It was not difficult to submit - our FC emailed me all of the documents that were needed. It did take most of the afternoon to print and organize all the documents and their translations. (Of course it didn't help that I ran out of ink after printing 2 documents and had to run to KMart to get more!)<br />
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Everything is now on it's way to USCIS in Texas! Typically it takes around 30 days to be assigned an officer who will complete our investigation. The investigation itself may take anywhere from a few weeks to a few months. Our FC seems to think our paperwork is in good shape and should not need any more documentation. As for a timeline, it is still possible that we will travel for the first time before the end of the year!! We are certainly hoping for things to happen as quickly as possible, butwe are content to rest in God's sovereign timing. <br />
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I can't even begin to explain the weight that has been lifted! Exactly 4 months from the day we accepted A's referral, we are moving forward!!! Thank you, Jesus!!angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818763337973204374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196360409548476829.post-84148780073852530212014-09-15T06:03:00.000-07:002014-09-15T06:03:17.652-07:00Happy Birthday A....and Happy 2007!The weekend was a little bittersweet for us. Mostly sweet, thanks to our trust in the Lord and in HIS timing. It is amazing the peace he has given us through this time of waiting. We are trusting that all things are working together for good (Romans 8:28), and He has generously allowed us to have a few glimpses of why His timing is better than ours (which maybe I will write about another day). <br />
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We had a lot to celebrate over the past several days - Ethiopian New Year, A's birthday, and the one year anniversary of some wonderful friends arriving in the US. Carly and I made some cookies to celebrate these special events.....you may be able to tell who was on sprinkle duty. :)<br />
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Our local Ethiopian restaurant had a special running for New Years, so Jon and I had a little date and stuffed our bellies full of delicious Ethiopian food, coffee, tea, and honey drink. We chatted with the sweet Ethiopian owner, who confirmed that we are pronouncing A's name correctly :) We are so blessed to have an Ethiopian community, restaurant, and grocery that are relatively local. I was able to stock up on my berbere (common spice in Ethiopia) and it was exciting to realize that most likely the next time I buy it, we will be in Ethiopia! If you are local and an adventurous eater, try <a href="http://www.addisuethiopian.com/" target="_blank">Addisu Ethiopian</a>! Better yet, invite us to go with you :)<br />
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A few days ago, our A turned 7. Seven seems so old. Especially when we thought he was 5 just a few months ago! It was difficult to miss his birthday, but birthdays aren't really celebrated in Ethiopia, and he doesn't even know his birthday, so to him it was probably just another day. We wanted to do something special to celebrate, so we bought a couple blue balloons (his favorite color) and the kids wrote messages on them and then we took them to a field and released them. As much as I told the kids they won't make it to Ethiopia, I think they still have in their minds that it's a possibility! <br />
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I was hoping for a sweet, magical time. Carly did not share my sentiments, and sobbed over having to let "her" balloon go. Since the best field we could find without too many nearby trees and no other people happened to be a cemetery, we didn't feel it was best to hang around with a sobbing child. We prayed for A, released the balloons, and hightailed it out of there! <br />
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We love you A, and we hope we don't miss another of your birthdays for a long, long time.<br />
angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818763337973204374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196360409548476829.post-59834121583293082392014-09-04T09:04:00.000-07:002014-09-04T09:05:02.457-07:00Answered Prayers for Progress!!!I bought about 80 pounds of tomatoes this morning, and I'm in the middle of canning pizza sauce, my kitchen is a WRECK, and I need to make dinner before I head out the door to volunteer at school, but I just received an email and I'm overjoyed to share some good news! Everything else will just have to wait! We received the following information from our family coordinator...<br />
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<span style="color: #1f497d;">"I got an update <span class="Object" id="OBJ_PREFIX_DWT112_com_zimbra_date">today</span>
that the social worker successfully gathered documents for A! They
are being sent through the regional government for a final signature
and then will need to be translated.
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I am regularly following up with our staff so you are going to be
prioritized with them. They know to keep pushing this paper work along
as much as they can!"</span><br />
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<span style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="color: black;">So, so happy to hear that all the documents were collected last week! Now we are praying for that final signature and those translations to be accomplished. All of the paperwork needs to be done to US standards, so it is not uncommon to to have 2 or 3 attempts at translating! </span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #1f497d;"><span style="color: black;">On our side of things, we are prepping to have another Home Study update. We will go in for our 3rd set of FBI fingerprints soon, and once we get all of our clearances back, we will send it all to our new social worker so he can get started! Thanks for your prayers!</span> </span>angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818763337973204374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196360409548476829.post-15784240743440734632014-08-24T17:44:00.001-07:002014-08-24T17:44:35.903-07:00Praying for Progress This Week!We are <i>so hopeful</i> that this is the week we will hear news of some forward progress in our adoption journey. We did hear from our family coordinator that AWAA has purchased a plane ticket for the social worker at A's former orphanage. The social worker is supposed to go to A's hometown <b>THIS</b> WEEK to collect the documents needed. These documents will all need to be translated, and then we can finally be submitted to PAIR. <i>Please pray along with us that this does happen, that obtaining the documents is a smooth process, and that our PAIR submission happens soon.</i> It is getting so hard to wait. We know that God is working behind the scenes, and His timing is perfect. But with our human eyes, all we are seeing is.....<b>nothing</b> happening.....and that can be really discouraging!<br />
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In the meantime, here on the homefront, we've been keeping busy! School started this past week, and I had my first day of being an "empty-nester," since Carly will be in school (K4) for the first time on Tuesdays & Thursdays. I was so happy to hear that both kids LOVED school this week :) We were also able to take a little day trip to New Jersey yesterday to visit with college friends, and today spent the day at Dutch Wonderland. Life is great with the 4 of us, and we can't wait until we can change that number to 5!<br />
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Thanks so much for your prayers and encouragement! Along with the paperwork issues, please be praying for our little guy's heart! I can't even imagine the transitions he has gone through over the past several months. <br />
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angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818763337973204374noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196360409548476829.post-84128014030034077382014-07-22T08:01:00.003-07:002014-07-22T08:02:35.861-07:008 Week Post-Referral UpdateToday is 8 weeks since our referral of A! Tomorrow is 3 YEARS since we sent in our initial payments to AWAA. At the time, we thought we could have a referral within a year. That obviously didn't happen but we believe "A" was meant for our family and we continue to see all the ways God has used our wait time and circumstances to allow him to be in our family. More on that in a bit.<br />
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Yesterday I received an email with the subject line "PAIR Update." Bonus points if you remember what PAIR is, but for those who don't, it's "Pre-Adoptive Immigration Review" and our next big step in the process. We need to be submitted PAIR and approved before our case moves on. At this point, we really do nothing but wait - When I saw the email, I held my breath, hoping for some good news, like - we are only waiting on one more document! Instead, I found out that we are still a long ways off from being ready to submit. Our little guy's orphanage, which is many hours away from the Transition Home he is living in now, is also many hours away from his hometown, where all his paperwork is. The person from the orphanage in charge of collecting the necessary documents for PAIR submission has been unable to do so because of the distance, and because he has been working on collecting documents for other children. AWAA is going to purchase a plane ticket for the social worker to go collect the documents. Hopefully this is done soon.<br />
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We were also informed that a more accurate birthdate was found - one that makes him a year older than we originally thought. So, "A" is now 6, and will turn 7 in just a few months. Wow, that year went fast ;) We are definitely praying for wisdom in his schooling. It is a fine line of not wanting him to be a lot older than everyone in his class, but at the same time, not setting him up for a frustrating time in school. We won't really be able to make a plan until he is here and can assess him, but we would appreciate your prayers in the meantime.<br />
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Now back to my first paragraph.....since our request was 0-5 years (which is actually 5 years 11 months)... if our agency had "A's" correct birthday on file from the beginning, we probably would have never received his referral. It is amazing to me how God orchestrates every detail!<br />
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Since every post is better with pictures, here's a few from our beach trip last week! We hope that next year we will be going as a family of 5!<br />
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<i>Just as a reminder, here are a few things you can be praying for:</i></div>
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1 - That the orphanage director/social worker would be able to travel SOON to "A's" hometown and collect the documents that are needed, and that the documents that need to be redone due to the age change are done without any problems.</div>
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2 - Wisdom for us as we continue to navigate this process and all of it's twists and turns - and that we would be able to come up with a school plan that is best for "A."</div>
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3 - God to be preparing ALL of our hearts for the many changes and transitions that will be taking place.</div>
<br />angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818763337973204374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196360409548476829.post-20148862841431146162014-07-08T16:46:00.003-07:002014-07-08T16:46:47.336-07:00Looking Ahead: DonationsToday we are 6 weeks post-referral, and although I don't have any updates to share, a few people have asked about donations, so I thought I'd give a little of a heads-up donation list! Although we won't be traveling anytime soon, if you come across any of these items and would like to donate them, I'll be glad to take them whenever! This is a very basic list, and as we get close to traveling we will know more specifics.<br />
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*<b>Suitcases or large duffel bags</b> - all 4 of us are planning to go on the first trip. We will each be allowed 2 suitcases. We only own 2 big suitcases total. Basically, the more suitcases we have, the more donations we are able to take. It would be a huge blessing if we didn't need to buy more suitcases. If you have old suitcases that you don't use anymore (but could still survive an international flight), we'd love to take them off your hands! <br />
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<b>*Diapers & Wipes</b> - <i>always</i> needed at the Transition Home & the orphanages. <br />
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<b>*Crocs</b> - the kids at the Transition Home all wear Croc-type shoes! I have seen these types of shoes go on sale at CVS and Kmart at the end of the summer each year, or they can be used if they are in good shape.<br />
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<b>*Fun Stuff :)</b> - we will be spending a lot of time at the Transition Home on our first trip and would love to be able to pass things out to the kids. Things like soccer balls, bubbles, coloring books, and sugar free gum are all big hits! And of course fingernail polish for the girls!<br />
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If you have any questions about specific items, feel free to ask! Thanks for your interest! <br />
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<br />angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818763337973204374noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196360409548476829.post-51627761828489041192014-06-19T19:25:00.002-07:002014-06-19T19:27:17.201-07:00A Small UpdateI have to admit, this is a pretty fun stage to be in at the moment - looking forward with such anticipation to the day when our family of 5 is all together. I'm sure as the waiting drags on, it will be a lot less fun, but in the meantime the whole situation is so fresh and new and I love getting out my phone or photo album to show off new pictures of our little guy. I so appreciate all the people who are asking for updates, and although it's not a huge exciting one, we are one step closer.<br />
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As you know, we had to update some of the paperwork from our dossier since it was over 2 years old. This meant new physicals, financial statements, police background checks, etc. It all had to be notarized, and one item (the dossier cover sheet of all things) needed to be authenticated in Harrisburg. Over the weekend, the last 2 pieces of paperwork we were waiting on, the police background checks, arrived in the mail. (And yes, our records are still clean!) I was able to send all this paperwork to our agency Monday, along with a check (because there's a check involved basically anytime there's paperwork involved!). I heard from our Family Coordinator that she received our paperwork and everything looked good.<br />
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The next item on our list was the Post Placement Plan - basically we needed to find contacts for basically any professional service we could end up needing for A - speech therapy, occupational therapy, respite care, counseling, etc. It also had a list of questions to go through to prepare us for different situations that could occur - everything from transitioning A to American food to what we would do if we found out more serious special needs were present. We were able to complete this and also send it in to our Family Coordinator earlier this week. We now have a little bit more of a webinar about Adopting Older Children to complete, and then we are done ------ until our Home Study Update and PAIR paperwork, that is ;)<br />
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On to more exciting things.....our sweet boy! I mentioned earlier the unbelievable timing of our referral - just before many friends from our agency were traveling. Because of that amazing timing, I have been able to hear and see updates several times a week. Because of these wonderful families (who are there soaking up every moment with their precious kiddos), we have been able to see before & after pictures on haircut day, know that he loves to play marbles, watch him do cartwheels, and hear his sweet voice saying "Hi Mama!" These updates, pictures, and videos are treasures like no other!<br />
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A did receive his first care package last week, and we received so many great pictures of him opening it! It's hard to describe the feeling of him wearing the shirt we sent, and seeing him looking at pictures of us, his new house, and wondering what he must be thinking!!! We are praying that God is preparing his heart, and our hearts too, for all the transitions that will take place.<br />
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I'll leave you with our first family photo :)<br />
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angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818763337973204374noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196360409548476829.post-78486247310635002014-06-06T08:10:00.000-07:002014-06-06T08:10:05.075-07:00First Care Package!Another set of questions we've been asked a lot is, "What now... Do you ever get updates? Can you send him anything? Does he know about you?" It's such a blessing that the answer to these is YES!<br />
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Once we officially accepted his referral (we sent the paperwork in on May 29 - Jon's birthday), our US staff contacted the Ethiopia staff, who told A the news. We were told that when A found out, he had a huge grin on his face, and went around showing everyone our pictures! (These pictures were the ones we put together in our dossier, so they are completely outdated!)<br />
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From now on, each month we will receive an update. They will email us a new pictures and any important news about A - health, progress, etc. In addition to that, each month we are able to ask 5 questions. These 5 questions can be directed to A or to the nannies who take care of him. We are thankful that we will have these updates to look forward to each month! Our first update will come in the beginning of July.<br />
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In between updates we also have an option that i'm soooo thankful for - sending photo releases & care packages through other families in our agency. AWAA & Ethiopia are both very cautious about protecting the identity of the children in orphanages & our Transition Home....so we can't just be randomly taking pictures of all the kids and sending them to anyone. The photo releases allow families who are in Ethiopia for court or embassy to take pictures for those who are still back here in the US. The timing of A's referral was impeccable, in that several families were traveling a few days later! I was able to scan & email several photo release forms and I am LOVING seeing pictures and hearing stories about A almost every day since we accepted his referral. What a blessing!!!<br />
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Along with photo releases, we are also able to send care packages through traveling families! And guess what? A's first care package is currently on a plane along with my dear friend <a href="http://imnotcounting.blogspot.com/" target="_blank">Jess</a> and her husband, who are traveling for court and will be meeting their son "A" for the first time!!! (Sidebar: I am convinced that there are very few circumstances in which a "dear friend" can be someone that you've never actually met in real life. Adoption is one of them). Jess & Eric were DTE just a few weeks before us, so we have been traveling this road together for a long time. I had hoped to be travel buddies someday, but when the Soete's accepted their referral in January, and ours did not follow too closely, we thought a care package delivery would be a good substitute.....never actually dreaming it would end up happening! Yet another case where God's timing is just so sweet!<br />
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So what do you put in a care package? We have some guidelines to follow. It should fit in a gallon zip lock bag. No candy or vitamins. Nothing too sentimental or that you absolutely want to keep (A will open his own care package, but after that most of the items will be community property). I think there are a few more rules that I don't remember offhand. Shopping for A's first care package was a little more intimidating than I thought it would be. It would be his first real impression of us....but at the same time, we knew all of the items would be shared. Here's what we ended up with!<br />
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Superman T-shirt, Spiderman sunglasses, small American flag, bouncy balls, punch balloons, Parachute guy, markers, activity book, GUM (we have been told the kids go crazy for gum!), and a photo album with updated pictures of our family. </div>
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Our hopes are that we will be able to send care packages around once a month if there are families traveling. Our first instinct, of course, was to send as many as possible! However, not only would that start to be a burden financially, but giving A the impression that he will be showered with gifts isn't accurate! :)</div>
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So excited for our little guy to open his 1st care package!!!</div>
angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818763337973204374noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2196360409548476829.post-85531042103645264722014-06-05T10:36:00.000-07:002014-06-05T10:41:32.594-07:00FAQsSo here I go again, with a new blog. I'm still trying to figure out a way to import all my old "adoption" posts onto this one...but for now, if you are interested in more of the background of our adoption journey, you can check it out on my old blog <a href="http://www.thecellardoorstories.blogspot.com/search/label/adoption" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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If you are reading this, you probably know that a little over a week ago, on May 27, we received THE call......the call we have been waiting for for 2 1/2 years......the call that we have a CHILD on the other side of the world in Ethiopia! At some point, I will share more about that special day, and how specific prayers were answered in a BIG way, but for now I want to answer some of the questions we have been asked.<br />
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<b>What is his name?</b> Sorry, but we can't post any specifics! I can try to pronounce it for you in person, but we've already heard at least 3 different ways to say it. We will refer to him as "A" although even that initial is subject to change :)<br />
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<b>Can I see his picture?</b> Sorry again. If you see me in person, definitely ask to see some pictures ~ but we can't post pictures until we pass court, which is not anytime soon. Just trust me when I say that he is super cute and has a dimple that absolutely melts me!<br />
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<b>What do you know about him?</b> <b> His background? His family? His special needs? </b>Our "A" is around 5 1/2 years old, which makes him our middle child. Other than that, pardon me for being vague. If you ask me personally, I <i>may</i> share a little more. It's so natural to be curious about his story, but please just remember that although we are overjoyed to welcome him into our family, adoption always begins with some degree of loss. We don't take that lightly and will do our best to protect his story and his heart. None of this is "secret" information, but it's just "private."<br />
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<b>Did you know this was coming?</b> Honestly, a few weeks ago our Family Coordinator from AWAA told us that based on our request, a referral could be coming "tomorrow or next year." So we knew it could be happening any time (from mid-January on I had a minor heart attack every time the phone rang), but at the same time knew it was a possibility that it would not be until next year. <br />
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<b>Does he speak English?</b> No. He might learn a few words, but other than that....no. Actually, he doesn't even speak the most common language in Ethiopia (Amharic) although he's learning some of that now. His 1st language is Somali. <br />
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<b>When do you get to bring him home?</b> This answer is so confusing, I can barely follow it. The short answer is - not anytime soon....but timelines are changing all the time. Our agency gives an estimate of 8-10 months, but even that is a total guess. Right now, we are working on updating some paperwork. Certain documents need to be less than a year old in our dossier (medicals, financial statements, police background checks, etc). We are working to complete these as quickly as possible. At the same time, our agency is working to collect other documents to be submitted to the PAIR (Pre-Adoption Immigration Review) process. When they have collected the documents they need (at last check, they still needed 6/10), we will file more paperwork. If our paperwork is all good, our case will be passed on to the US Embassy in Ethiopia, where they will complete an investigation which can take 4-6 weeks to complete. If the investigation results are favorable, then the PAIR letter will be issued. <br />
When the PAIR letter is issued, our next step is court. (I'm skipping a lot of info to give you the abbreviated version). Court is our 1st trip to Ethiopia! When we pass court, we legally become A's parents. Unfortunately, at this point, we do not get to bring him home after court. <br />
Our second trip, which involves our Embassy appointment, should take place 4-8 weeks after court. THIS is when we will get to bring A home!<br />
As you can see, there are so many variables, and no real way of knowing when we will travel. Add to that the fact that Ethiopian court closes during the rainy season (sometime in August to sometime in October) and that just means that we honestly have no idea about a timeframe. We'd appreciate your prayers that all paperwork and investigations go smoothly!<br />
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Thanks so much to everyone for your interest and your questions! Even if my answers are vague, or even if I can't answer them, we SO appreciate you taking an interest in our sweet boy!!<br />
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<br />angiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00818763337973204374noreply@blogger.com2