Citizenship & Immigration Papers Resent Today

Hey Folks!

Our homestudy update was finally received......after a nice, long talk with the executive director of our home study agency. After we got that, I added the other necessary documents (that we had ready) and sent the whole kit and kaboodle to the Atlanta office of the CIS. We should be fine on the deadline, our document doesn't expire until May 16. So, hopefully, they will get it a good month before the deadline.

There is one small matter of concern that you could feel free to pray about. It is nothing major, but could just cause more hassles....um work for us. Since our original homestudy was completed, we have moved; that is part of the reason we did the update in the first place. But, I'm not sure if I needed to do anything special with our paperwork that we sent off today to reflect that (it is reflected in the update). I asked our adoption coordinator with our placement agency, and she wasn't sure, and apparently didn't feel the need to check on it and get back with me. Her advice to me was to email the Atlanta office (and then let her know). I did that last week. I got a generic automated response, but I still have not received any other email. From what I gathered on the CIS website, you only need to fill out extra paperwork if your status is pending, and our status is approved, it's just about to expire. I couldn't find any information that matched our scenario. So, my decision was to go ahead and send our documentation, and if there is something else needed, hopefully they will let me know and I can still get it to them by our deadline next month. I sincerely hope that doesn't come back to bite me, but I felt better about everything being there, than waiting on an answer that I may never receive.

If all goes as planned we should get the "one time free extension" and another appointment to do our fingerprints, as they have expired. Then, we should be able to sit back and wait again.

You may have noticed that I've added a song to Malagan's blog. In fact, it should be playing for your listening enjoyment even now, as you read. (I suppose it's only fitting since the name of the blog is Malagan's Song.) This song was playing on a friend of mine's blog during a time when she was waiting. One day, the words just popped out at me. I had heard it a thousand times, but finally, really caught the first few lines of the lyric. It says, "Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord, we will wait upon the Lord, we will wait upon the Lord." So, now that has become our adoption waiting theme song. Not only because we are waiting on the Lord, but because it goes on to say that the Lord himself is the defender of the weak, and the comforter to those in need. I ask you, who is more weak and needy than my little Malley, and all those like her. I will trust Him to hold her and the others in his arms until I can hold her in mine. He does not faint and he does not grow weary, even when I do.

EVERLASTING GOD:
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
Strength will rise as we wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
We will wait upon the Lord
Our God You reign forever
Our Hope our strong Deliverer
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
You do not faint You won't grow weary
You're the defender of the weak
You comfort those in need
You lift us up on wings like eagles
You are the everlasting God
The everlasting God
The everlasting God
The everlasting God.

Update Woes

Well, at least we're consistent. Yep, you guess it, we have had and are having issues with our home study update. You know, again, this is something that should be so routine for everyone involved and yet, it just isn't.

First off, our social worker was scheduled for 3/5, but lo and behold, she had to reschedule for 3/11. She stated several times that once the in home meeting took place, she would have our update ready within a day or two. Well, the 13th came and went with no word, and yes the 14th too. Finally, on the 17th she emailed me saying that she needed more information. There is a particular form that each family has to have completed by their local Department of Family & Children Services. I had sent our form in way back in January. Apparently, our social worker hadn't received it, and we were going to have to actually go to DFACS ourselves and have them fill out a new one. But, just by chance I called the main office of our home study agency just to double check, and it turns out that they had it there. Obviously, that was a relief but also very frustrating, because we could've had our update much sooner, had the correct communication happened between main office and social worker. Anyway, I'm thinking worst case scenario, we would have it by 3/21. No such luck. FINALLY, on 3/26 she sent me an email saying that she had sent in our report to the main office. Oh, and she apologized for the delay (thank you very much). Well, I kept expecting an email or something in the mail, and I still haven't gotten it. I know, it's just the 29th, but I'm working on a deadline here and I'm anxious. So, I called the main home study agency office today.

First of all, the phone was answered with "HELLO". Obviously, I thought I had called the wrong number. But, no instead it was our agency's receptionist and she was out at a restaurant having lunch. She had forwarded the calls. I couldn't hear her for all the background noise and conversation. But, I tried to inquire about how long I should expect to wait before I receive our update. And IF I heard her correctly, she said, "Oh, you can call back A WEEK FROM TUESDAY, when s0 & so is going to be in, she's the one that does that." I'm thinking, Are you kidding me????? I was prepared to have some discussion right then and there, but I thought, "what good would it do, she is obviously doing more important things right now, and doesn't have time for me." But, you can bet, on Monday morning I will be making a call to the executive director herself.

Again, this is so frustrating because it doesn't have to be like this, it shouldn't be like this!! There are children here and all over the world that need parents. Yet, we have agency's that don't even care enough to man the phone during normal office hours. We have, over and over, in this process been met with people that are apathetic and just quite honestly don't care......and I'm not talking about caring about us or what we're trying to do as a family, I'm talking about people not caring about their own jobs. People that could care less whether they do their job properly and to the best of their ability. And, this is just not acceptable. Not when there are government imposed deadlines to meet, and if they are not met will cost us, at the very least an extra $1000. Not when, there is a little girl across the world that doesn't have a mommy to meet even the most basic of her needs.

This process is killing me. It is stretching me and doing things with my patience that I never ever thought I could. You see, in the past, I've always had some tiny morsel of control. Something that I could do that might change the outcome of the situation. But, with this adoption, there is not one single solitary shred of control. Not even the most minute amount. And, I think I would be okay with that on some days, but when the wait drags on and on, and there is nothing I can do about it, I just ache and feel the most hopeless feeling. It is the same way I felt when Sara Kate was sick, and I knew there was absolutely nothing I could do to help her. Try that feeling......on, and on, and on. It's a hard place. Please Pray

Our Fortune

We are almost finished gathering the paperwork for our homestudy update. It has been a long process. It seems every task, no matter how small and easy proved difficult. I know we are not the first adoption in our area, but with each piece of paperwork, it was less and less evident. I was beginning to think I was actually speaking my request in Chinese, because many were the misunderstandings. We are now just waiting on a three sentence letter from Brad's company stating that he actually does work there. Apparently, a three sentence letter is very time consuming, and Brad had to wait for the ladies' assistant to come back to work before it would be typed.

Enough venting.....

I thought I would share the fortune Bryce got last night after our meal on our little date at Ginga. We are counting on it to be true, even though Ginga is a Japanese Steak House and we are adopting from China. Lets not get hung up on the details. Any way, It said:

"Good news of a long-awaited event will arrive soon." -Amen

No it really didn't say Amen at the end......but if my memory serves me correctly, Amen means, 'so be it'. So, I added that.

Let's Pray it so ya'll, pray it so.