Waiting for update

Just got an email from Irina (our Buckner caseworker). We should hear soon from the social worker that has been assigned to do our Home Study update. Apparently we don't have to do much, just meet with him/her at our house. Not much information to go on, but it is at least the next step.

Yeah!!!

Home Study needs updating.....

Just found out that our I-600A application was received, but our Home Study is over 6 months old and will need to be updated before it can be sent in. The application can't be processed until they get the Home Study. UGH!!!

Okay, this will work out.

God is in control and we (I) need to leave it in His hands.

Easier said than done.

Don't know what we will have to do regarding the update for the Home Study; just found out tonight about it.

Please continue to pray for us as we deal with this new situation.

On a different note, only 5 more weeks before summer break.......

Waiting.....

We are still waiting to hear from USCIS about our application to bring children home from Russia. I know it will take several weeks, but I keep looking for an e-mail or letter in the regular mail! I am not concerned or worried that we will be denied, just impatient!

We heard from our caseworker with Buckner about the situation that was in the news recently. The statements about stopping Russian/American adoptions were not made by the people/person that determines the adoptions. Those statements were made by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and adoptions are under the authority of the Ministry of Education & Science.

Buckner International posted on Facebook the other day that basically adoptions are not stopping or being put on hold at this time. Things will continue as they currently are.

God is so Great!!

Our next step is to get our paperwork ready to send to Russia (the Dossier). Hopefully we will get that information soon.

Chris started with the Athletics Crew yesterday and it seems as if they will work well together! He knows several of the guys and has worked with one of them before.

Again, God Is Great!!!

Thank you for all of your prayers and support!

News....

Chris was offered a position on the Fort Bend ISD Athletic Crew!! Yeah!! Now we don't have to decide what to do. He doesn't know all the details, but he did tell me that it should be the same pay & hours. He isn't sure where the Athletic Crew will be located (he is currently working out of the Hodges Bend Bus Barn), but it doesn't matter to him. The two possible locations aren't that far away. He will still be able to work his part-time position at Wal-Mart as scheduled. This is great news for us!

Regarding the incident that has been in the news lately about the adoptive mom who sent her adopted child back to Russia, we are not concerned. I got an email from our Buckner Caseworker today that basically said to not be concerned or worry that it will slow or stop the process. Until they hear specifics, things will progress as anticipated. If there are any changes or such, it will take time for anything to be done.

Please keep praying that things will go well. God has His hands all over this adoption (as seen in all the really cool things that have happened lately) and we just need to trust in Him.

Paperwork is in the mail

One of the Spanish teachers at school very kindly translated Chris' birth certificate from Spanish into English for us! Aren't teachers wonderful??

I got all the supporting documents ready, attached them to the I-600A application, clipped on the form to request an email when the documents are accepted and the check for the fees then put it all in an envelope to mail out this afternoon. It was sent out today at 3:30 pm to Lewisville, Texas via USPS Express Mail. It was so worth the $15.90 to mail it. They should have it tomorrow or Monday at the latest.

Now we wait.

I also sent the 1st installment of the Agency Fee to Buckner via regular mail (certified).

We are on our way....

Of course I did all of this in between classes (okay, some was done during a class) today. I have really great students this year!

Today we started talking about Families to get ready for the Children's Unit that starts week after next. When I was going over the different types of families, I kinda lost it a bit (okay, some classes it was more than a bit) when I got to the Adoptive Family. One of my students was asking questions and I just had to cry. Of course, that meant that the other students got mad at her for making me cry, but I just explained that it was good kind of crying. By the end of the day, nobody wanted to ask any questions in case I started crying again! Gotta love 8th graders!!

Chris and I found out about the 2010 Heritage Day coming up on the 24th at Tallowood Baptist Church. We are excited about attending and meeting other 'waiting families' as well as families that have already brought their children home.

Good; no, it's GREAT News!

I got a call Saturday night from Chris' dad with some wonderful news! His sister Sue has been talking with the family (Grandma, Grandpa, Aunts & Uncles in California) about helping with our adoption fund. I talked with Aunt Sue last Tuesday night about how things were going. The news that Mel had to share Saturday night was that the family was going to help us out with most (if not all) of what we need for the adoption! What excellent news! It really made our Easter very special.

I spent the next hour on-line getting information from the USCIS website, downloading the I-600A form that we need to send in. This is the "Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition" that is required by the US Immigration Service we need to submit to get approved to adopt from Russia. It will also include getting fingerprinted. I spent time today trying to get more information (clarify a question regarding translating Chris' birth certificate from Spanish to English) and eventually had to send an e-mail (I really hate computers on the phone....). I hope to get an answer soon so we can send in the paperwork. The sooner it is processed, the sooner we can send our Dossier to Russia!

We are really excited about this new turn of events! Just when we thought that we would have to wait several months or a year to continue the process, God blesses us with this!!! God is so wonderful!!

Please continue to pray for us during this time of paperwork; pray for our children and their current caretakers; pray for our family as they help us out with the funds; pray for Chris' work situation (should know something around the 15th of April).

Bad news & Good news.....

We have bad news & goods news.

As of April 30, 2010, Chris will no longer be employed as a groundskeeper with Fort Bend ISD. They have 'outsourced' the groundskeeping department. The good news regarding it is that Fort Bend ISD will keep 14 of the guys on the Athletic Crew and 6 on a new HVAC (not quite sure what that all entails) Crew. There are 6 positions available in the Custodial department that those not chosen for the other 2 crews can interview for. Chris thinks that he has a decent/good shot of being selected for one of the Crews (the selection process is being done in the 'office' and the guys don't have any say-so in the process) based on the criteria they were told last week. They have been told that they will know if they are selected for a crew around the 15th of April (or so they were told....) we we will have to wait and see what happens.

Either way, Chris still has his part-time job with Wal-Mart and there is the possibility that he will be able to go full-time if he needs to.

I will be back at Beckendorff Junior High next year (turned in my contract this past week) teaching the same thing with a new name. The class name is changing from "Personal & Family Development (PFD)" to "Principles of Human Services (PHS)" but it is still Home Economics.

So far we have about half of the funds we need to continue the paperwork for the Adoption. Because of things going slower than anticipated, we are now looking at starting the paperwork this fall, hoping that we will be able to meet our children and bring them home next summer (unless God provides for things faster; He is in the Miracle business.....).

Please continue to pray that we stay on track. As things have slowed down, it is easy to get discouraged about all of this.

Please pray for my sister and I as we have 3 craft shows coming up: Seven Lakes High School Garage Sale (April 10), Fishers of Men Lutheran Church Mom's Market (April 24) & St. Andrew's Episcopal Church Spring Craft Fair (May 15).

Chris and I are planning a Garage Sale at our house on April 17. Please pray for us as we prepare for it and that we have a good turnout (good profit).