Progress… At Last!

This last weekend was fun and fantastic… we finally finished all the details for the home study paperwork and mailed it off! Hurrah!

While it was fun and fantastic, it was also incredibly stressful. Reading the fine print revealed several more tasks that we had to do to finish… (What?!? Personal checks not allowed? Who uses money orders now days anyway? Why isn’t this all electronic?) We transferred money from our GoFundMe account to our checking account and were hit by the slight administrative fee… and found when you are fundraising for each penny, even slight fees make you go “Ouch!” We love the convenience and ease that people have when using GoFundMe to give, but a small portion of each gift is taken out by the website. If you want all the money to go to us and can write a check, please send it to our church’s adoption ministry (and then it is tax deductable too!) or directly to us. Here are the details if you want to know more.

Another “Hallelujah” moment: our doctor finally filled out our medical forms! After three months of waiting and gently reminding him, we now have written proof that we are healthy enough to adopt! We are glad that our adoption agency suggested that we do our medical appointments as soon as possible – apparently this sort of delay is quite common. But now we have them and can do a happy dance. I wonder if happy dances burn more calories than other dances… we need to stay healthy and fit, after all.

And another “Praise God!” – We have enough funds to pay the first payment to the agency to start the processes of creating our dossier for Bulgaria! We are sending the check and signed contract off this week.

After months of slow and steady effort and no tangible results, it seems like this weekend was full of fireworks.

Now everyone is asking, “So what next? Do you get your kid now?”

Sigh. No for a while yet.

First is the home study, which we now can schedule. It consists of four visits with a social worker. Once they stamp us “Approved”, we then go on to obtain permission from the Federal government to bring in an orphan from Bulgaria… more paperwork and a little more money to get their stamp of approval. Then we will have the second payment to the agency and more paperwork for our dossier. Then more stamping of “Approve”, and after more payments to Bulgaria, then, maybe, it will be the long awaited referral time! Or we may just choose a kid off the waiting list and then it is the same process, only done double time!

Keep us in your prayers… we are experiencing God’s victory each and every day of this long road. Keep our little kiddo in your prayers too! We are blessed to be surrounded by such dear friends as you – thank you!

P.S. We can’t wait for you to meet our kid… he/she is going to have many awesome aunties and uncles!