Our Dossier has been sent via UPS to Thomasville, GA to our Adoption Agency. It is supposed to arrive at their office by 3 p.m. on Monday, June 21. I'm tracking it but you just never know. There have only been a few times in my life where I was that nervous. The man at the UPS store had to reassure me a few times that it was safe and would arrive to its destination. So, we wait again. As soon as it arrives to the A.A. it will be forwarded to Daina, the Latvian facilitator/lawyer/translator. She will spend the next several weeks translating the entire Dossier into Latvian. That's a lot of paperwork! As soon as we get our USCIS approval we appostille it and send it to the A.A. and the same process will occur. Then all that will head to the orphan court, where a referral will be given and a court date scheduled (soon there after). When will that be? Could be as early as the end of September to Late November.
Life continues to go normal (as normal as it has ever gone). We are trying to mentally, tangibly and emotionally prepare for a 4th child to be in our home. The only things left to get for Miss Meggie is toothbrush/toothpaste, pillow and a swimsuit!
When we pick her up from the airport we will have about a 2+ hour wait while she makes it through customs and then we will head home. Well, sort of.... we are planning on making it all the way to St. Louis (area) to spend the night in a motel. We will rise in the morning and go to Six Flags with our church group. We had originally planned that we would come all the way home and only the boys would be going but figured that she is a kid. Meaning? In spite of being extremely tired, she would want to go to an amusement park.
It is interesting to watch how people respond to our adoption. For example, today while at Hillbilly Days at Bennett Springs Park, Keegan was looking at marionette puppets. He has always wanted something he can control, so what better than this. Anyway, he talks to everyone and was telling the vendor about Meggie & that he wanted to buy one for her as well. The lady said, "Well, since you're being so kind, instead of 2/$12, how about 2/$10." SOLD! Later another vendor heard and while I was buying stuff, he gave me another seasoning packet. Some people are confused why we would choose International Adoption over Domestic. Well, as you know we weren't looking into adoption until God placed Meggie in our lives and why international because that's where she lives. Had she lived in Idaho, I'd have chosen Domestic. I know there are thousands of children here in the United States and that breaks my heart. I also know that there are so many children living in other countries that need a home just as much but instead of being provided for until they are 21 (like our system), they age out at 16. Some children like little Katy, that is handicap, are being put into "Independent Living Skills" at 10 or 11, so that in the following year they will be on their own. Thank God that Katy has been adopted by a family near St. Louis that saw that immediate need and have adopted Katy and are providing for her medically, physically and emotionally. Okay, off my soap box!
We will see Meggie in 6 days! Keep praying for her young heart and her ability to understand all these changes taking place in her 10 year old life. Please also pray for Meggie's 11 year old foster sister Inessa. She too is coming to the US on the hosting trip. Her hosting (soon to be adoptive) family has hosted her before and they continue to pray for her to be able to accept her situation and move past some of the emotional scars her biological mom has given her. She is becoming more and more open to being adopted. Please pray for Yuri. He is a 10 year old boy from Latvia that will also be coming to Lebanon this summer with some friends of ours. This is his first trip to the US and I can only imagine how scary that is to this young man. Please also pray for the other 177 children coming to the states. Some of these children are as young as 4 or 5. Pray for the chaperones that will travel with them and their abilities to understand and meet the needs of these children.
Thank you for your support and prayers. We need them daily! May God bless you!
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