Fingerprints Done! Waiting for Our Initial Approval

Where are we at now with the adoption? We are getting closer to moving on to the next step!  We ended up getting our appointment on the 9^th. It was scheduled for this Thursday, the 19^th. It wasn’t the most convenient time for my mom to watch the kiddos. It would be up to her to get the kiddos on the bus in the morning. Other parents have attempted to walk in early, some offices allow this, while others give you a hard time, and some don’t seem to allow it at all. Mark and I decided to try it on Friday, the 13^th. We had to travel to Grand Rapids and pray that they would let us in.  My nerves grew as we got closer. By the time we finally arrived, I was almost nauseous. Then, we stepped in the door. This was our 5^th time and the busiest we had ever seen. I was so worried that they would turn us away. The clerk at the reception desk asked why we were early. We explained that it fit better into our schedule and took a deep breath. He told us that he couldn’t get us in ahead of those with actual appointments, but they should be able to work us in if we were willing to wait. We were! We ended up waiting 1.5 hours. It was finally our turn. The officer that took our biometrics (fingerprints) asked why we came in early. I explained that we would have had to bring all 8 kiddos if we came at the scheduled time. She said she understood, as she had 7 kids. She then gave me the customary “Next time, call this number to reschedule”. However, she took both of our biometrics and we were on our way!!

Now, we gather all of our dossier papers and send them to our agency for big fancy seals.  Then, as soon as our i800a (initial approval from US government to adopt internationally) comes we can send it to our agency and get our paperwork to China!!  Praying this happens quickly!

I recently had the opportunity to speak to a group of ladies and share my experiences and heart for adoption.  I loved going through our pictures and remembering those journeys.  Retelling the stories of each of our adoptions and reliving the joy of meeting our children for the first time.  The best part was explaining the blessings we experience: the sound of our kiddos echoing “I love you” back and forth throughout the rooms of our house, the increasing acceptance of hugs and cuddle time, and finally sitting in the Worship Center during practice on a Sunday morning while my sweet child belts out with all of her might “Jesus, He loves me, He loves me, He is for me; Jesus, how can it be, He loves me, He is for me”.  Yes, He is sweet girl!  Those amazing women took up a special offering and made the first donation towards our newest adoption journey!  Praise God!