October Update

This month has been extremely busy for the Casey and I. We received a letter stating that the USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) could not approve our adoption. Evidently, we forgot to add information about the room that the adopted child would live in and a complete breakdown off all finances. The main problem being that they thought we lived in Mississippi since we still own a home there. We corrected our home study and wrote a letter explaining that we do reside in Louisiana. We are praying that we will get our approval letter in November.

We also gathered and filled out roughly 17 documents and took all of our blood test, TB screen and drug test. After completing all this work, we were told to wait on those documents and just send our Home study, and 3 power of attorneys to Ukraine immediately. We got everything notarized, drove to Baton Rouge and had everything apostatized (state seal proving that the notary is certified).

We were introduced to our Ukrainian translator Konstantin Nikitin, via email. Then the shocking email came. The email stated that we would most likely pick up our child/ren in May 2010. For those of you who have forgotten, I am pregnant and due April 3! Also, Casey is a youth minister and June and July is very crazy for us with camps and weekend retreats etc. So on October 16^th I mailed our documents, checks and a letter begging for an August date. Hopefully, we will find out in November or December whether our request/begging attempt was accepted. We are praying hard that our meet and pickup date will be in August.

We were also blessed by two Sunday school classes in our church that put together a catfish dinner to help raise money for our adoption. When we first started this journey the Type A personality in me, said we don’t have the money we just can’t start the process yet, the other part of me said if God has given us a burden, a desire and compete peace about adopting and the timing of this adoption, how can I say that my God is too small to provide the means. So with COMPLETE faith that he would provide not only the means but the ability to take care of a child, we proceeded. I can honestly say that we have been completely humbled by how God is providing and who he is using. This has also strengthen my faith that when God calls us to do things or make hard decisions, he will provide.

We have been the receipts of God’s people sowing generously, “ ¹² This service that you perform is not only supplying the needs of God's people but is also overflowing in many expressions of thanks to God. ¹³Because of the service by which you have proved yourselves, men will praise God for the obedience that accompanies your confession of the gospel of Christ, and for your generosity in sharing with them and with everyone else. ¹⁴And in their prayers for you their hearts will go out to you, because of the surpassing grace God has given you. ¹⁵Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!” 2 Corinthians 9: 12-15