Bio-what?

We leave bright and early in the morning to head up to Birmingham to the USCIS office where our biometrics will be done. Sounds fun right?

To people who speak English...we're going to the Immigration office to have our fingerprints taken for yet another background check. This is all part of our petition to bring our adopted daughter back into the country after we pick her up in Taiwan. After this petition is processed, we will be all set to get her Visa so she can enter the US. Kinda a big deal. ;)

Latest info tells us that we shouldn't expect to Skype with her until mid-July or so. We're already working on how to do 3-way Skype. Apparently it's possible and we just have to figure it out so that Andy can be included in everything too. We should be receiving the paperwork that actually initiates the court process any day now. 

I pray each day that we can get this process moving along, and then when it does, it's a little surreal. I know that included in the paperwork is a contract and a Power of Attorney. Our signatures will allow the Social Worker to represent us in all of the many court appearances in Taiwan. 

We don't know exactly when she'll learn that we are going to bring her home to be part of our family. When the kids are in foster care, the agency doesn't have nearly as much control or say in how and when things happen with her. I'm glad she's NOT living in the orphanage at age 6, but gosh I wish they could give me a date when she'll know, a date of updates we'll get, and a date of when we can Skype and see her sweet face! Not that I'm planning it out or imagining it or anything... ;)

Oh well...tomorrow is another step closer and then we are going to go to the McWane Science Center to spend the day with the boys. I'm really looking forward to all of it. Family time is at a premium right now and we are certainly making the most of it!

Another step (two steps) closer!

Yesterday we received notification of our appointment for fingerprints at USCIS. Our I600A petition will be done as of next Friday...well, the application and fingerprint part of it. We are relieved that we got an appointment so quickly and can get it done before Andy leaves.

Secondly, today we got the email we've been waiting for.

We got orphanage approval!!!!


We can begin to have contact with her. We get to send her a photo album of us, our lives here, the house, the neighborhood, the school, the church, etc... We get to start introducing her to us. SHE gets to learn that there is a family working hard to bring her home, to adopt her and make her our daughter. She finally gets to learn about an exciting new future. AND, we get to start Skype-ing with her. I don't know when that will start exactly, but it's going to be soon and I couldn't be happier!

What a great day!!

Generosity surrounds us

If I never see another box of random clothes, it will be too soon. Ha! We are preparing for our big Yard Sale tomorrow. We have been collecting donations from friends and strangers alike for several weeks. We spread the word at church, posted on Facebook, placed flyers in mailboxes around our neighborhood, and it has gone very well.

People have been so incredibly generous and it's been so fun! It's a lot of work, but it's also been a fun endeavor to experience the good hearts and generosity of so many. God has blessed us a thousand times over and we are very thankful.

We also received a donation in the mail from an old friend. God drove them to contribute and we are just so thankful. We know and believe that He works through many people, in different ways, and that you just never know what and when things will happen. As this process continues I am learning that He encourages us RIGHT when we need it, and He keeps confirming that we are following the right path.

I sure have had days where I doubted this, and doubted our ability to give our new daughter everything that she will need to adjust. And then that very day someone will send me a message saying they were just thinking about us and praying for our adoption. Or we'll receive unexpected money (from our mortgage company no less) and it's just before a payment is due. It keeps happening, and I keep being amazed and thankful.

And we can't wait to share all of this with K. Telling her the story of how we came to adopt her, and how God helped us and blessed us along the way is going  to be one of the best parts of this whole process. She'll have immediate, concrete examples of how God works in our lives, how He guides us, and what it means to be a believer. Quite often, I imagine how that will go, and what we'll say. I. Can't. Wait.

I stepped away from the blog for a bit but I thought I'd update it, mostly so I have a record of this journey.

Our home study was officially completed in February. It was translated by our placement agency and then sent on to St. Lucy's in Taiwan. Every step is so exciting and gets us closer to bringing her home.

We've been waiting for orphanage approval for several weeks now. There's been quite a delay and so we began to ask questions. This is what we were told. St. Lucy's is undergoing an inspection by the government of Taiwan. This inspection happens every 3 years and it keeps the orphanage director extremely busy. Catholic Charities also wants St. Lucy's (in Tainan City) to open up an office in Taipei so the director is not only managing the big inspection, but she is traveling and devoting time to finding space for an office. This means our package sits on her desk and awaits her approval.

It's just standard for us at this point that the situation "isn't typical" and that the delays are unusual. Of course it is! There was a time when it would have driven me crazy. Don't get me wrong, I want this approval to happen so that we can begin all of the court processes there, and do a few more things on our end. But a large part of me keep remembering that God is in control and for whatever reason, this delay is happening...and I just need to shut up and let it happen.

Of course I can't know for sure but we believe that we now know why there has been such a delay. Andy was notified a week ago that he has to deploy on June 11 for 140 days. This deployment is pretty interesting as it's a stateside deployment and not the usual 6+ months. He was chosen to be a Det commander at one of the pre-deployment training bases. As far as deployments go, this is a pretty good deal. He doesn't have to be in the war zone, won't be gone as long, and will be on the same time-zone and have easy access to email, Skype, and phones.

As a side note I prayed he would not be sent to Afghanistan or Iraq this summer and be gone for 6+ months. I prayed specifically and well, God answered those prayers huh? lol

Upon learning of this deployment our first concern was that he probably won't be home in time to go to Taiwan and pick up K. But as each day passes, and the weeks add up, the 4-5 months left in the process begin to stretch out to the end of October!

We don't know anything for sure but I think/pray he'll be back in time to go with me.

If not, we have a  contingency plan of my sister and mom going with me. I know I'd enjoy this trip of a lifetime with them. I love that we'd always have such a special memory of that together. So, not my ideal, but definitely okay if it happens.