Lord grant us favor....PLEASE!!
Adoption is not for the faint hearted that is for sure. We passed our 30 day non appeal period and began our the next stage of paperwork for our little guy. I honestly keep wondering when the paperwork chase is going to end. I have 2 binders (each 2 inches) full of the copies of documents, home study and dossier. I'm sorry to be complaining but it seems that around every turn there is another document (or 10) that need to be completed.
We sent off a number of forms on Oct 3rd, including our I-600 with his birth certificate, adoption judgement and judgement suppletive for the birth certificate (each document in English and French). These were sent to the USCIS---let me just say, our experience with this department of the government now affirms the reason that the government is in the trouble it is. Inefficient to say the least.
We also had to complete the G-28: Notice of Entry of Appearance, I-864: Affidavit of Support, Affidavit Concerning Exemption from Immigration Vaccination Requirements and the Application for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration. We got all of these docs off quickly and then waited.
A few weeks later we received a letter from the USCIS requesting additional information/proof of orphan status. We opened the letter and were shocked....more proof than the 4 documents in both English and Spanish?!? The feelings we felt were extreme anger, sadness, frustration and hopelessness. What more did they need to prove that he is an orphan? We reached out to our agency with the request for evidence and of course this would take an additional couple of weeks for the attorney in Congo to get the additional documentation that the USCIS requested.
Finally, over a month after originally sending our I-600 off we sent back the documentation (on Nov 5) and pray for a quick (can we even say quick since this set us back at the very least another month?). It is now Nov 17th and we are still waiting for approval of our I-600 so that the Ministry can begin their work and approvals.
Everyday we check the mail to see if there is a letter of approval. So far, each day we are disappointed. Our hearts hurt. Our arms are empty. All we can think about is when we will be able to hold our son in our arms. I know everything is in His timing but it is getting hard to accept that His timing is not matching up with our timing. I continue to pray that those reviewing our paperwork will show us favor. Please Lord, show us the light at the end of the tunnel. Let something go quick in this process, we need some sort of win to encourage us.
Hang in there, I know how irritating and frustrating and heartbreaking this is. I have been waiting 16 weeks to pass court. Too loooong. I am adopting a waiting child and they told me the process would be quicker because she was waiting. So silly of me to believe that. I am praying for your patients and that you'll get your approval soon. Adoption is seriously a crazy train.
ReplyDeleteThanks very much Amber- much appreciated. I'll be praying for your adoption as well. Where are you adopting from?
DeleteI am adopting (hopefully) a 4 year old litle girl from DRC. I hope she comes home soon or she may be coming home to an insane mama ; ) Thanks for the prayers!
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