For Hiroko!

Nothing adoption related here, so if you're looking for an update, come back later.

I'm hoping this post will reach my dear friend Hiroko in Japan.  After the horrible earthquake, she is the only friend I have not heard from.  I've sent email and they keep bouncing back to me undeliverable.  We have friends in the same prefecture and we know that power and utilities are back up and running there.  Maybe she changed email without telling me.  She has been known to stop by my blog and I hope this reaches her.

So, Hiroko, if you are reading this...

Emēru o shite kudasai.  Watashi wa anata wa daijōbudesu negatte imasu.  Nihon no tame ni inoru.
(Please send email.  I hope you are OK.  I pray for Japan.)

More

Much to my surprise, we're not done with our paperwork yet.  I thought we had everything done, ready to go, just waiting on fingerprints and immigration paperwork.  But I got an email from my agency yesterday saying we need further notarized clearances for the college student renting our basement.  I don't know why this wasn't brought to our attention before.  So now I have to figure out how to do this and get this ball rolling.

More paperwork.  More waiting.  More time. 

It's all part of the process and it's all good.

Huh?

I'm back with just a short update, then I'll go back to the dark side.  :)

We got something in the mail today that's quite confusing... an I-797C Notice of Action from USCIS that did NOT include a fingerprint appointment.  Rather, they returned our application, our home study, and our finger print payment stating the check was written for the incorrect amount.

I followed our agency's list down to the last dime, so I'll let them handle this confusion.  Our agency had said that our Nepal finger prints would be allowed for the China program and we would only have to pay the $85 for finger printing the college student renting our basement.  I have an email into La Vida now and will wait for their answer and will post the update later.

UPDATE:  Our agency emailed us this afternoon and said that this is not an uncommon experience.  The people at USCIS did NOT read their cover letter and prior approval for Nepal, so they rejected our application.  We are to send everything back to our agency and they will iron out the wrinkles with USCIS and we should not owe one more penny. 

Going Dark

I'm taking a break from the blog for a while.  I will return. 

Blessings to you all in our absence.

Holiday Cooking - Chinese Style

This year I was reminded of what we did last year on Christmas Eve – the Nepali dinner I cooked after Christmas Eve services at church. Even my oldest son remembered the Momos he loved.  We had so much hope last Christmas that we’d have our Nepali daughter home by Christmas 2010. That was our plan, not God’s.

But, with JOY this year, I made an authentic Chinese dinner on Christmas Eve (and said a prayer or two for the children of Nepal). I have some recipes from Jay’s Godparents in Minnesota who spent a great amount of time in China, love to cook and have some authentic recipes. Here was our Christmas Eve menu, in honor of the daughter we pray will be home long before Christmas 2011.

Appetizers:   Spring Rolls

Main Course:   Ling’s Palace Treasure Chicken and Fried Rice

It was DELICIOUS and I'm nearly certain this could become a holiday tradition.  In hindsight, I should have made the spring roll filling and the chicken and fried rice before church, just to elminate the rushing upon our return home.  Then all I would have had to do is roll and fry the spring rolls.  Either that our church just has to do earlier afternoon Christmas services!

I hope all of you were able to find joy during this holiday season even when it feels like someone is missing from your family.  Blessings to you all in 2011 and may our children come home from their foreign lands!

Very Sneaky, Sis

Yesssssssssssssss! It’s done! A Christmas gift – our home study is DONE! I’ve waited all week for word that our agency had approved the rough draft and have heard NOTHING. And my social worker just sneaks the complete study in the mail so we get it for Christmas. I think she did it quietly just to surprise me. Sneaky indeed! So thankful!!! There couldn’t be a better Christmas gift this year.

Three notarized copies are on their way to my agency in Pennsylvania and 2 copies are in my possession! From here on out, there are a few more steps:

1. Our agency will send the home study along with our I800-A form to USCIS for approval.
2. Our basement renter will need to be fingerprinted at USCIS in Omaha (Maybe 1 month from now, hopefully sooner).
3. After fingerprinting, we are issued our final dossier form from USCIS (4-8 weeks after finger printing).
4. When this last form is authenticated, then our dossier will be on its way to China!

Now I just have to sit back and let God do the rest over the next 2-3 months. In the meantime, I’ll be sending out 3 applications for adoption loans and grants after the holiday. I’m hoping all of them will be able to assist us financially in some way. [Prayer request page updated!]

Almost There!

Jay’s medical form is finally done, but not without some drama, i.e. 3 trips to the doctor’s office, including a 2 hour wait for a simple signature!  With this last form in, our home study rough draft will be emailed to our agency this week for their approval.  I mailed my last set of dossier documents to our agency this morning and they will be sent out for authentication (our agency does this for us which is a nice treat).

We’re so close to being done with paperwork! Just the official, notarized home study, finger printing at USCIS and that I-171H which will take weeks, I’m sure.

I will be patient. I will be patient. I will be patient.

[yeah, right!]