Got this email just today!
It reads:
I just wanted to let you know a brief update which we heard from China this morning. Your paperwork for the agency Letter Seeking Confirmation was sent to the Consulate today (12/22 in China) and we expect that the Article 5 will be issued by the Consulate on January 5. Usually the Travel Approval is issued about 2-4 weeks after the Article 5. At this stage my rough estimate for your Travel Approval would be early February.
It's really happening.
Thursday, December 22, 2011
Tuesday, December 20, 2011
two things
Two things to share really quick before my spaghetti water boils...
1. A family has committed to adopt Jonathan! Excellent! Keep up with the progress here. And please, if you feel led, continue to pray for this sweet boy.
2. Our DS-230 was express mailed to the US Embassy in China yesterday. When I asked our social worker how long from now (it seems I can't get enough explanation!), she said 2-3 months until travel approval. Not 2-3 months until travel.
But you know what?
It's fine.
February...
March...
No matter.
If I've learned anything about this timing thing it's that God really does know best. What in the world was I thinking by wanting to travel before Christmas?
So, so glad we've stayed put.
1. A family has committed to adopt Jonathan! Excellent! Keep up with the progress here. And please, if you feel led, continue to pray for this sweet boy.
2. Our DS-230 was express mailed to the US Embassy in China yesterday. When I asked our social worker how long from now (it seems I can't get enough explanation!), she said 2-3 months until travel approval. Not 2-3 months until travel.
But you know what?
It's fine.
February...
March...
No matter.
If I've learned anything about this timing thing it's that God really does know best. What in the world was I thinking by wanting to travel before Christmas?
So, so glad we've stayed put.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
moving right along...
We got our letter from the National Visa Center on Friday! We should have our Article 5 in a month or so and then our travel approval after that!
Most excellent.
Most excellent.
Friday, December 16, 2011
just a couple of things...
We didn't share with anyone that there was a potential glitch headed our way. A glitch that could've delayed our trip to China by another two to three months! Oye.
We just didn't want to get everyone (including ourselves!) in a frenzy if it didn't pan out.
I only mention it now because a soft, quiet Voice said, 'Just ask your agency again if this precaution is really necessary before speaking with the folks at Immigration.'
So last week, I went to our social worker and asked if we really needed to go back and cross that 't' from months ago.
'Is it really necessary? Or just a hunch?', I asked.
So our social worker sent an inquiry to the US Embassy to double check.
And we waited.
Just a day or two, but still...the waiting. Always some kind of waiting. Believe it or not, I am getting better at it! Go figure.
And then the email came.
"The embassy said everything looks good and we don't have to go back and file the such-and-such."
Yes!
God, thank you for whispering to me. Thank you that sometimes I actually hear You because so often I'm just deaf to You. Plain old not-hearing, not-noticing, too busy, too distracted, too frazzled. So thank you that there are times when I do hear Your soft voice.
~~~~~~~~~~~
A knitty-gritty update: We should be getting a letter any day from the National Visa Center confirming that our approval cable has been sent to the US Consulate (embassy) in Guangzhou, China.
Then our agency will file the DS-230 with the US Consulate asking them to issue and send a document called the Article 5 to the Chinese authority for adoptions (CCCWA) that states that our adoption complies with US immigration law.
This should all occur in the next month or two. Then our travel approval will be issued by the CCCWA and we'll travel within a month of receiving our travel approval!
I'm still 'feeling' February...
~~~~~~~~~~~
I found this blog a year or so ago when I googled 'Ethiopian adoptions.' I have found Missy's way with words funny, light and on-the-mark.
I found this post especially poignant today. Never thought much about Mary. I do now.
Enjoy.
We just didn't want to get everyone (including ourselves!) in a frenzy if it didn't pan out.
I only mention it now because a soft, quiet Voice said, 'Just ask your agency again if this precaution is really necessary before speaking with the folks at Immigration.'
So last week, I went to our social worker and asked if we really needed to go back and cross that 't' from months ago.
'Is it really necessary? Or just a hunch?', I asked.
So our social worker sent an inquiry to the US Embassy to double check.
And we waited.
Just a day or two, but still...the waiting. Always some kind of waiting. Believe it or not, I am getting better at it! Go figure.
And then the email came.
"The embassy said everything looks good and we don't have to go back and file the such-and-such."
Yes!
God, thank you for whispering to me. Thank you that sometimes I actually hear You because so often I'm just deaf to You. Plain old not-hearing, not-noticing, too busy, too distracted, too frazzled. So thank you that there are times when I do hear Your soft voice.
~~~~~~~~~~~
A knitty-gritty update: We should be getting a letter any day from the National Visa Center confirming that our approval cable has been sent to the US Consulate (embassy) in Guangzhou, China.
Then our agency will file the DS-230 with the US Consulate asking them to issue and send a document called the Article 5 to the Chinese authority for adoptions (CCCWA) that states that our adoption complies with US immigration law.
This should all occur in the next month or two. Then our travel approval will be issued by the CCCWA and we'll travel within a month of receiving our travel approval!
I'm still 'feeling' February...
~~~~~~~~~~~
I found this blog a year or so ago when I googled 'Ethiopian adoptions.' I have found Missy's way with words funny, light and on-the-mark.
I found this post especially poignant today. Never thought much about Mary. I do now.
Enjoy.
Thursday, December 15, 2011
if only, if only, if only...
If only we could adopt them all.
Stories such as these break my heart.
God is big enough for this.
:)
http://www.nogreaterjoymom.com/2011/12/urgenturgenturgent.html
Please feel free to share about Jonathan with anyone and everyone.
What an amazing kid.
Stories such as these break my heart.
God is big enough for this.
:)
http://www.nogreaterjoymom.com/2011/12/urgenturgenturgent.html
Please feel free to share about Jonathan with anyone and everyone.
What an amazing kid.
Friday, December 9, 2011
60 days and counting?
We experienced something neat on Thursday night.
We had our 'travel conference call.' Meaning, we're far enough along in the process that when our agency had their monthly travel call for families who are approaching travel, we were included!
So there we were with five other couples on an hour-and-a-half long conference call talking over all of what to expect when we travel.
Others with our agency who are gearing up to travel were from Texas, upstate New York, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Washington DC.
It was so cool.
It really made it feel real.
Because of the Chinese New Year (I think she said it's January 28th?), our agency won't allow any families to be in China for several weeks in January. Things virtually shut down there (including government offices, of course) so there's little reason to try to complete an adoption during that time.
So, if we're not ready to travel by January 6th (which we won't be), then we'll definitely travel sometime after February 2nd.
These are real dates!
It really looks like we'll be traveling in February!
That's like 60 days from now!
Amazing.
And...we got a new video the other day of our boy. Man, oh man. To think that'll his little body will be in our arms is...well...I don't know. I'm at a loss. No words.
Thanks for hanging in there with us! The time has almost arrived.
We had our 'travel conference call.' Meaning, we're far enough along in the process that when our agency had their monthly travel call for families who are approaching travel, we were included!
So there we were with five other couples on an hour-and-a-half long conference call talking over all of what to expect when we travel.
Others with our agency who are gearing up to travel were from Texas, upstate New York, Vermont, Rhode Island, and Washington DC.
It was so cool.
It really made it feel real.
Because of the Chinese New Year (I think she said it's January 28th?), our agency won't allow any families to be in China for several weeks in January. Things virtually shut down there (including government offices, of course) so there's little reason to try to complete an adoption during that time.
So, if we're not ready to travel by January 6th (which we won't be), then we'll definitely travel sometime after February 2nd.
These are real dates!
It really looks like we'll be traveling in February!
That's like 60 days from now!
Amazing.
And...we got a new video the other day of our boy. Man, oh man. To think that'll his little body will be in our arms is...well...I don't know. I'm at a loss. No words.
Thanks for hanging in there with us! The time has almost arrived.
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