GREAT NEWS!!!

Hey everyone,

I don't have much time, so this post will be short. This past week has truly been a roller coaster of adoption news. Emotionally, it hasn't been as tough as it could have been and all that credit goes upward :)

We found about a week ago that the Kazakhstan consulates have stopped accepting new dossiers due to an internal review. That's about the last thing you want to hear during this process - that some step along the way is completely blocked. We prayed about it and had a calmness, knowing that God is completely aware of the situation and completely aware of who He wants to bring to our family.

Exactly one week later...we find out that the consulates have reopened or will be reopening soon. That is awesome!!

Oh yeah - if I hadn't mentioned it already - we got confirmation that our dossier is currently being translated.

This is really happening! :)

Love,
Phil & Amy

Delayed (again)...but not discouraged!

Hello!

Believe it or not, we ran into another paperwork delay. Three weeks after submitting our "final" paperwork, our OAA informed us that the translator and/or the consulate want five additional documents updated to ensure they won't expire. It's definitely frustrating, since it seems like we just completed them (and we did - it's only been about 4 months). We could let it get us down, but we're not. Amy's a bit bummed, since she is just so ready to be a mother today. I love that she is overflowing with that love and I have tried hard to be a point of stability and comfort for her throughout these delays.

We have been praying for God's will and we both know that he is ultimately in control of things. Put those together and it means that we have no reason to be upset or stressed out right now. I'll admit - we both want to bring home our baby more than anything - but there's no possible way that our idea of the perfect path matches God's. :)

We continue to be blessed with documents coming and going much faster than expected. For example - we needed to get a new marriage license (which stinks, since it costs $65 for just the document....then add to/from shipping plus $10 for the apostille!) and we were told that it would take 5-10 business days. I ordered it on a Tuesday afternoon. It arrived on Thursday morning!!! I have no idea how that's even possible, but it's awesome.

Our friends have been so supportive recently and that has been awesome, too. We have had a few fundraisers recently (which I'll probably get into more in another post) and people have been so giving and selfless!

Thank you for continuing to read this blog and share a part in our lives. Please know that even though we may not talk to you often (or ever, if you happen to be reading this and you've never met us), we appreciate your interest in this child's life so much.

God bless you,
Phil