Turning the Last Corners of the Long Paper Trail

I have to say that I am really looking forward to this week as we will be nearing the end of the paper trail for the adoption process!  "Nearing" being the key word there as there are still some things to do, but the list is dwindling and that's worth blogging about!!

See, the paper trail is a long one- for reasons that I do understand and agree with completely.  We all want to be sure that the children being adopted are going into stable and loving homes with families that are safe and secure as possible.  I do get that.  But I also see the time span, inefficiencies, and minor unrelated details that take place during this period of preparing to adopt that can really drive adoptive families nuts.  

We started our paper processes in January with the first step, having our home study completed.  This sounds easier than it is.  If I pull out my file folder labeled "Home Study Process" it is literally a 1/2" thick of papers.  Here are most of the things required for the home study:

1. Adults Medical Exam (2 appointments)
2. Each Child Medical Exam (in our home means 4 appointments)
3. Survey of the home by the Fire Marshal
4. Survey of the home by the Health Inspector
5. School Reviews
6. MVA records
7. State Police Clearance- fingerprints appointment
8. Proof of Insurance
9. Proof of Occupation
10. Financial statements
11. Home budget, debts, loans, all that is documented
12. Personal essay written describing our life (2 pages each adult)
13. Three meetings with our case worker
14. Interviews with the caseworker for adults and with children
15. Letters of recommendation
16. 10 hours of course time learning about adoption, grieving, and bonding
17. Marriage license and Birth Certificates
18. tb test and HIV test
19. AND I'm sure I'm missing more things as I'm running this off memory and not our 'to-do' list that I refuse to re-visit after it's been all checked off!!

That's just the home study.  Next step is preparing the dossier, which is a French word for 'big paper pile'.  It sounds so much better in French! The dossier contains the home study AND....

1. Letter to the Orphanage stating our interest
2. Family application form
3. Financial Information (AGAIN- but in a different format than the home study agency requires)
4. Letter from the Bank (AGAIN-very similar yet slightly different than the home study agency requires)
5. State Criminal Clearance Letter (AGAIN-  but in a different format than the home study agency requires)
6. Letters of Reference (AGAIN- but in a different format than the home study agency requires)
7. Employment Verification Letter (AGAIN- but in a different format than the home study agency requires)
8. Health Medical Statement/ Doctor visit (AGAIN- but in a different format....you get the idea!)
9. Certified Marriage License and Birth Certificates (AGAIN)
10. Introduction letter (AGAIN- like the essays for the home study, but shorter)
11. Home Study Report
12. Copy of the Home Study Agency License
13. Post placement agreement
14. Proof of Home ownership (AGAIN)
15. Power of Attorney
16. Passports photocopy
17. Photos of ourselves, family, and home
18. USCIS Approval

Whewww!  This is what we have been working on for the last 5 months! Note to the requirements that are repeated?? Well, we have to do them again because the forms are different and every single paper from the dossier list has to be notarized, then county approved, then state authenticated!  We have had our home study approved and our dossier reviewed and are now waiting for a few more signatures locally- piece of cake.

HERE IS WHERE WE ARE!!  #18 on the last of the list!!!  We have applied for the USCIS approval which is the U.S. .....oh I'm forgetting.....the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  Ok, so here is where we get yet another set of fingerprints taken so that we can be cleared for international purposes.  I don't 100% understand this step beyond the point that it's another safety factor internationally and prepares immigration services for when we bring the children here.  Regardless, it's on the list and last on the list too!!!

This Tuesday, June 4th, we go for the fingerprinting appointment!  Hoping and praying that a few weeks afterwards we will get our clearance, the USCIS Approval, and this is our last piece to collect!!  Cheers and celebration!!

So what next?  T H E N ....we get all the dossier papers authenticated by the Secretary of State which will mean a road trip to Annapolis, then the dossier is official and ready to mail to our adoption agency!  From there they will have it processed and ready to be mailed to Ethiopia at our placement agency.  At this point, we will be on the waiting list for the match with our children!  So excited!  Although this process can take months to 8 months or more sometimes, we are placing every single step of this in God's hands.

No better place than that.  He has guided us, protected us, made way for us beyond what we could dream up or imagine, so I know that He's got this and will continue to see His work through to completion!

Philippians 1:6 "And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ."

Please pray for us in our travels on Tues. and that all goes well with great fingerprint images! Pray for the Lord's timing in the processing and reviews of the fingerprints that will bring us to the USCIS approval letter.

Pray for the children that we will be matched with. Pray for their hearts to be healed from their current heart-ache and uncertainties as they learn about the healing love of Jesus. Pray too that they learn to love their new family and adjust to the change that is before them.

THANK YOU!!  Stop in again to see what's new and how to pray for us!