Next steps

Last week we sent off our I800A form (with lots of money) to the Department of Homeland Security. Basically this form pre-approves us to bring a child who has been declared an orphan back to the U.S. once the child has been adopted. As part of the process, we also have to be fingerprinted and checked. I find this interesting because we've been fingerprinted for our last two adoptions and don't expect that our fingerprints have changed a whole lot. But, that's how things go. This I800A form is pretty much the last thing we need for our dossier which is the huge packet of papers that we send over to the country for their review and approval and then, for a referral to adopt a child. 

While we wait for the I800A to be processed, we begin the daunting task of applying for grants, loans, and doing fundraising to help us bring our child home. This is going to be hard for us because neither of us like asking for help and we especially don't like asking for money. With the adoption of our last two children, we were able to do things on our own to find the money to cover all of the expenses. That is not the case this time. We are moving forward with a huge step of faith that God will help us figure out this part out. We feel such a calling to bring another child home and have been affirmed in this decision over and over. Moving forward without the funding in place has definitely been a challenge for me because I don't have control of it and need to have a lot of trust. 

Pease pray for this new child who will someday join our home. I am confident that God will use this time to make all of us ready to come together to as a family. Someday. In God's time.