No news...

I wanted to give everyone an update or sorts.  Honestly, we don't have much to update about.  We are still waiting to get our I-800 approval from the USCIS so that Claudia's country can issue the Article 5 and tell us to come get her.  We have been told by our agency that if this does not happen this week that we will not be traveling this year.  Even if it does happen, there is little chance that we will travel this year BUT we have HOPE.  I have been in contact with our Immigrations officer, I am convinced she is the best of them all!  She has been so nice to us during this process and puts up with my emails.  Our paperwork has not gotten to her yet but she said that she will make it a priority once she does get it and told us: "Do not give up hope."  How sweet is that? Please pray for us this week that things will move quickly and that we will get a travel date in the next 2 weeks or so.  I sounds impossible, but nothing is impossible for God.

We are still very short on the funds we will need to travel and will most likely have to take out a hefty loan to cover the rest of the adoption cost.  Please keep this need in your prayers as well.

We are in the path of hurricane Sandy.  Please keep us in your prayers for this as well.  We cannot afford any damage from this storm.  Please pray for everyone that will be affected by this storm and that help will get to where it is needed in a timely manner.

The teens from our Church are leaving this morning for Peru on a missions trip with Dominic Russo Ministries.  Please keep them in your prayers as well as they travel for their safety and for a meaningful learning experience.

That is all I have for now, I will update you as we get new information.

Still waiting

We are back in the waiting game.  We are waiting for USCIS to approve our I800 and send our pre-approval to Claudia's country so they can get moving to issue the Article 5 and tell us when we can go get her.  In the mean time please check out our auction which is in full swing!  It has a  few weeks to go still but there are several items without bids still.  Get your Christmas shopping started early :)

http://www.facebook.com/AuctionToBringClaudiaHome

The auction is on Facebook, just type your bid into the comments section.

Six Weeks

God willing, in six weeks Angie and I will be traveling to Latin America to meet our daughter for the first time.  Neither of us has ever been outside of the United States before (sorry Canada, you don’t count) and I will be spending two months in a country where I speak so little of the language that I might as well say things really loudly and slowly in English.  A country that when I researched books about it, every single one was the story of someone who had been held hostage and tortured in the jungle for 6 years.  A country whose largest anti-American organization/army has a name that I cannot help but laugh when I hear.  (FARC!?  I mean, c’mon, it’s hard enough to be taken seriously when you’re a Marxist rebel army hiding out in the jungle eating capybaras, but then to name your organization something that inspires gut-wrenching laughter in your most hated adversary?  That sounds like something Mel Brooks would come up with.  I am SO dead if I get abducted.)

And even more terrifying than becoming a paycheck to a bunch of Idealist Latin-American Hippie-Soldiers is the thought of having a 3 year old to take care of.  I’m not sure I know what a 3 year old is, let alone how to raise one.  Is there an owner’s manual or something?  Do I get points for effort?  How much damage could a well meaning father-to-be possibly do to a kid in just a couple of weeks, right?  The good news is that we know she’s a tough kid.  I would rather not think/talk about/be reminded of the things this poor girl has gone through, but she’s so tough she puts Rocky to shame.  And she (and EVERY SINGLE ORPHAN) deserves a family that will love her forever. 

For whatever reason (and I don’t hold them accountable at all) Claudia’s foster family isn’t willing to adopt her.  But she deserves to know that she is a daughter, not a foster-daughter or ward of the state.  That there is absolutely nothing wrong with her, and that she has a Mother and a Father who love her no matter what, and will raise her to know that her Father in Heaven loves her even more than we do.  That her Mother and Father’s friends and family lover her so much that they are willing to sacrifice their own comforts and time and money so that she can be with them.  I can’t say it enough – I don’t deserve the friends that I have, and it is inconceivable that I will ever be able to repay your kindness and generosity.

 My hope is that by bringing Claudia home with us, that where she lives now will be able to take in another child.  It sounds like they do a very good job with Claudia, and many kids would be lucky to have a home like the one she is in right now. 

And one by one (or five at a time for some of the Reese’s Rainbow community) family by family,  we’ll get there.

It's Official...

We have officially been asked if we want to be Claudia's parents!!!

We knew it was coming of course, but this makes it that much more real.  It is surreal that our social worker, agency, doctors, psychologists, the US and her country (not to mention our friends and family) all think that we are capable of being good parents to this precious jewel.  The hoops that we have jumped through already and the ones we will continue to jump through have been worth it; but this process has been difficult.

Today we got to learn more about our soon-to-be daughter.  We learned about her medical history and some of her social history.  She had a very sad start to life and I am not ready to share that, I do not know if I will ever post about it.  Please forgive me for being vague, some things are best left private. 

Some info we can share:  She is in a foster home and she is taken care of well.  She continues to grow and improve with her muscle strength.  She can stand and walk a little while holding onto walls and furniture but is eaily frustrated.  She is in a regular kidnergarten program and is socializing well.  We are so happy for this!  She has a few medical problems that will need to be addressed but they are not as bad as we though they could have been praise God!

We will get out paperwork out as soon as we can and pray for a quick return so that we can travel in a month!  Wow, one month...  Crazy to think about.  Oh I hope it happens.

By the way... Claudia is so little.  She is only wearing a size 18 month clothing!  We need to get some warm, winter clothes in a size 18 months or my girl is going to freeze!  Most of the clothes we have are bigger than that.

Ok, so  I know what you are wondering... Did you get any new pictures?  As a matter of fact we did.  We got these recent pictures of her.  Oh my how she has grown.  Claudia, stop growing until we get you home...



Look at that adorable smile!

I think she is mad that they are making her stand so long to take a picture!

These are the last pictures we will have of her until she is in our arms!  We pray that that day is only a month away!  Please continue to pray that the process move quickly and without any problems from here on out.  Please pray to God for the financial provisions to make this adoption possible!

Big Day!

OOOOoooooH, I am so excited!

Today we are supposed to get all of Claudia's social and medical history.  Our referral packet is coming TODAY! We can officially say YES to this precious girl and learn all we can about her!  I cannot wait to find out more about her personality, likes, dislikes, current size. And I want to see new pictures of her.

Unfortunately for me I have a long day ahead of me before I get to come home and rush to the mail box.  Lord, please give me the patience to wait and the concentration to do what needs to be done today.  Jason worked late last night so that he can get home about the same time I do so that we can open it and go through it together.  I cannot wait.

Mr. Mailman, please do not disappoint.

Guess What?

I know this is a bit overwhelming, two posts in a day but I wanted to announce that:

 

 

Our agency has received our Official Referral Packet and they are Express Mailing it to us Today!!

 

So, we are only a day or two away from learning more about our soon-to-be daughter!  Along with this update, we learned that there is a tiny, itty bitty chance that we may still travel this year.  I am holding onto that hope for as long as I can.  We have so much to do this week, and so much more money to raise.  I have no idea how we are going to get this done, but somehow, someway it will happen.

 

 

Please say a few extra prayers for us today!

Still waiting...

We are still waiting on our referral packet to arrive.  Last we heard, it should be translated by now and on its way to our agency.  We are hoping to have it this week, but that may not happen.  Things are looking more and more bleak for Claudia to be home this year.  This is very tough on us but we know that everything will happen according to God's perfect timing, so we wait and trust in Him.

You may have noticed that we took down the Chip-in for Claudia's quilt.  Why?  We did not see any progress with it.  We understand that it was not a fundraiser to get her home and there was little in it for you so we decided to call it quits.  BUT  Brenda and Emily and so super sweet that they donated the quilt to us anyway!  What a beauty it is.  Not only is it gorgeous but the lining is super soft, perfect for a child.  So without further adieu, here is Claudia's beautiful quilt:

The lovely packaged quilt

 

 



 

 

I wish I had better lighting to do this quilt justice.  I assure you it is masterfully made, excellent quality.  I urge you go to their Etsy shop: http://www.etsy.com/shop/masterpiecequilts and browse the available quilts.  These would make an amazing Christmas gift for a loved one!  Also, visit their website: http://masterpiecequilts.com/ to learn more about this Mother and Daughter team.  They are amazing. 

We will keep on waiting and update you when we have news.  Please keep us in your prayers as we wait and pray that the funding  will come in as we need it.