Our Journey - Successful Summer Adoption Update

GREAT news...we received our approval from the Immigration Department this week!

John David was very excited to officially
drop off our Immigration envelope at UPS.

After receiving our official home study write up the first week of June (thank you to our awesome social worker for working so quickly), we immediately rushed to overnight all of our paperwork to Immigration. 

Once Immigration received and processed our application, they sent us appointments to have our biometric fingerprints done the first week of July.

Our sweet little helper at our fingerprint appointment at the
Immigration office (John David decided it would be more
fun to play at a friend's house...I didn't blame him). 

Initially the Immigration Department estimated it would take about 2 1/2 months to receive their decision.  So as you can imagine, it came as a huge surprise to get our approval letter in the mail this week, almost a month earlier than expected.  I was a bundle of nerves opening the letter...

After the initial shock sunk in that we successfully completed another major step in this process, I realized I am now "behind" in our paperwork. Initially I hoped to have all of our paperwork ready so when we received our response from Immigration everything could immediately be mailed off to Ethiopia.  However since our approval came early, my procrastination caught up to me. 

SO this upcoming week is going to be CRAZY.  On the agenda...
1) Additional financial statements from the bank
2) More reference letters 
3) Fill out forms...LOTS of forms
4) Local Criminal Clearances (to go along with the federal, state and Immigration ones we already have)

Please pray for quick turn around times and fast responses from everyone involved this week.  As soon as we can get all of this final paperwork finished and submitted to Ethiopia, we will officially be placed on the waiting list.  Also please pray for patience from our sweet little ones (and mommy) as they tag along to all of our appointments this week.

Do not be anxious about anything, 

but in every situation, by prayer and petition, 

with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:6