One Step Closer to Haiti

Many of you know that for the better part of 4 years our family has been on the journey of adoption. We first started praying and researching and praying some more in the summer of 2007. This journey has not been a straight path with no bumps or twists or turns for us, but it has been one where we have seen the hand of God and learned to trust that He who calls you enables you and will sustain you even in the darkest of nights. Now, at the beginning of 2012, we are finally seeing things begin to take shape and believe that we are indeed jumping the last of the hurdles and entering the final stretch of the race as far as paperwork is concerned.

We have our final home study visit on Monday with our wonderful caseworker (Kelli) at Bethany Christian Services. She will then finalize our home study and we will be able to file our I-600a (Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition) with the USCIS. Once we have fingerprinting done and approval from our I-600a, we will be well on our way to submitting our Dossier (the BIG BULK OF PAPERWORK one piece of which is the home study) that will travel to Haiti AFTER being notarized, state sealed, and authenticated in the U.S. Then, the waiting begins for our referral (the picture of our little one(s)).

Would you help us pray?

Would you please pray for us that the next few weeks of paperwork collection, notarizing, state sealing, and authenticating (is that really a word? HA!!) will go without too many kinks? We read the blog for our orphanage regularly and receive newsletters from them, and the truth is that there are many little ones who are waiting. . . just waiting for their FOREVER FAMILY!!! We are confident that God's timing is perfect and that things are totally in his control, but we need you to pray for us that through each step of the following weeks we will be diligent, that careless mistakes will not be made on our part or the part of agencies who are completing time sensitive documents.

Would you also continue to pray for our little one(s) in Haiti? We have no way of knowing if they are already in the orphanage or if even in the next months their mommies or daddies or grandmas or grandpas or aunt or uncle will have to make a very difficult decision, a decision to give them a hope and a future, to choose life for them rather than death because of malnutrition or disease. Would you pray for their sweet little hearts and minds as they grieve this loss and as they learn to trust those who are taking care of them in the orphanage? Would you pray for their birth families who love them but can't care for them?

Would you pray for the orphanage workers--Dixie, John, Susan, Molly, Melissa, and others--who are rocking them, feeding them, teaching them, and making sure they are loved and cared for until God places them with their forever family? Would you pray for their strength and well-being? Would you pray for their protection again evil and harm? Would you pray that they would have wisdom beyond their human understanding to know what is best for each child in each situation?

Would you pray for Jason and I as we seek God and ask Him to prepare our hearts and our home for the transition that will occur as we grow to a family of 5/6 and learn to parent a child who has been through more than we can even understand or grasp?

Thanks for sharing our journey. God has turned our hearts to Haiti, and we can't wait to bring our son/daughter(s) home!!!!