Biometrics Appointment

Biometrics sounds so fancy.  We like reading Fancy Nancy stories at our house, and Ane is constantly asking us how to do ________ fancy or how to say __________ fancy.  Really though, biometrics is just a fancy way of saying we're getting our fingerprints taken.  Our application has made it far enough along in the CIS processing that we've been assigned March 15th as our date to go get fingerprinted in Kansas City.  We've had people ask where we're at in the process, so although we're really still in the same phase of waiting for approval to go on the Waiting Families List, we are seeing some progress.  Our social worker said our approval form will arrive a few weeks following the fingerprinting. 

Right now we're just getting together the last of our documents and references needed for our dossier, which also means having at least one document redone since, can you believe this, its been 6 months since we officially began this process.  I'm just hoping that if the past six months seem to have gone by so quickly, our 7+ month on the wait list will too.  I daydream about snuggling our beautiful baby in my arms, but I'm also trying to make the most of the time I've been given right now with my two silly, fancy, growing, beautiful girls.

Thanks for your love, support and prayers! 

Application Accepted for Processing

Well, it's another snow day down here is western Missouri which means Daddy is home to play with the kiddos while I get a moment to write an update.  Really, at this point there is little to update concerning our adoption.  Our immigration application was sent into the Department of Homeland Security and now we're just waiting for approval from them so we can go on the waiting families list.  I did receive an email from them today saying that our application had been accepted for processing.  Well duh, that's why we sent it, big deal, right?  Well, actually, yeah, since 2 weeks ago we got our original application returned with a rejection notice.  We had forgotten to sign the application.  (DUHH!!!!)  So I headed out at the very beginning of last week's blizzard to resubmit the application, and have had flashes of doubt ever since on what else I could have forgotten.  Thanks to the "Do Not Reply" email this morning I can now confidently say that it's out of our hands.  Our social worker and adoption agency gave their wholehearted recommendation of us as adoptive parents in the home study, so now the US government just has to issue their agreement of that assessment.  We're hoping to have our CIS approval in about 3 months, at which time we'll officially join the waiting families list.  In the mean time we're finishing up our adoptive parent training and wrapping up paperwork to be sent to Ethiopia when we go on the wait list.  We're feeling truly blessed as we look at our adoption account and see just how close we already are to our next goal amount which we need to become a waiting family.  God is so gracious in providing for us!  Thank you to everyone who has supported us in prayer or with finances!!!

Last week was a full one for our families.  I lead the Sunday morning service and preached at our church this past Sunday and I truly consider the blizzard and 4 snow days to have been God's wonderful provision of time for me to prepare.  Emerson was a HUGE help around the house and with the kids so I could study, write, and rehearse, and was a fantastic spiritual support for me.  The service went great and I think God was really glorified in what we did together.  We're not the typical church ministry couple with the wife on the piano and the husband at the pulpit, but we are learning to honor God with our unique giftings of Emerson on the guitar leading the congregation into worship and me at the pulpit.  We're still working out the kinks, but love being able to serve our church family as a team.

We weren't able to video this most recent message as our church does not provide childcare so Emerson was sitting with the kiddos during the sermon and was unable to run the camera, but we do have video of a sermon from November when my parents were visiting and able to hold the kids while Emerson ran the camera.  It is a sermon on the spiritual reality and practical command of adoption.  I hope to post it soon.

Have a happy snow day!