Ours and God's!
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| Charlotte, Connor, Jacob, Shaoey, and Grace |
This adoption has stretched me more than any of them. This journey has had more twists and turns and ups and downs....
Up--Finally after 3 long years of praying, we found our TingTing's file!
Down--thought it would take 5-6 MORE months before we could bring her home.
Up--We received our LOA in record time and thought we'd bring her home in less than 3 months.
Down--we found out our USCIS approval had expired and that we would have to redo our homestudy and resubmit our I800A... No idea when we'll bring her home.
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| Zigzagging and wandering...pretty much sums this last week up! |
I admit, I have had a difficult time keeping my eyes on Him and not getting discouraged. But this week my eyes are finally opening to see His hand in this, how He is still in control and directing things.
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| The stingray kept following Connor's thumb, almost as if he wanted him to scratch him. |
We did 2 sets of fingerprints last week for our FBI clearances. On Friday, I went to ship them off to have our clearance done, but I was so frustrated to find the shipping place closed for Good Friday. So I decided to go to the actual FedEx center. I was frustrated there to find that I couldn't send a prepaid mailer back to our social worker. (This will be important in a moment!) So I took my fingerprints and paperwork and dejectedly headed home.
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| I felt like I was going batty... |
"My plans" were to head out first thing Monday morning and drop off the paperwork at my
favorite shipping place. Before leaving I decided to make sure I could still drop off my state clearance form at the Louisiana State Police. The wonderful angel on the phone told me yes and then OFFERED this tidbit--you need to submit fingerprints with it and it needs to be a money order! Ok, then... Good thing I hadn't sent off those 2 sets of prints on Friday and that I called. I snagged a set of mine and Troy's from our FBI packet and went to the post office for the money order. The funny (haha, not weird) guy that works there gave me the tidbit that doing express would be a waste of money, that priority 2 day was what I needed. I decided to run downtown and do another set of prints before heading to BR. Ummm, I found out they don't do prints on Mondays, but they did inform me that our city police do them (later found out it's a much nicer experience there!).
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| Add in a few tears and that's about what I looked like leaving the sheriff's office. |
I gave up on that and headed to the LSP headquarters, dropped off fingerprints and application, treated everyone to PF Chang's (except me. I ordered the lettuce wraps because all my friends rave about them. They forgot to tell me the mushrooms were diced and there were LOTS of them. EWWWW!) We went to the zoo and had a great afternoon. I left in what I thought would be enough time to get back in town to do fingerprints and go to the shipping place. Didn't work--missed it by about 10 minutes.
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| He moved about as fast as I felt this paperwork was moving... |
Tuesday's plan--TOP priority---get the FBI prints done and sent off!! I decided to call the fingerprint company in IL to find out how they send them back so they'd get here ASAP. Well, imagine my surprise when they said I couldn't do the same day service because we don't live there, BUT for the regular (read cheapest) route, we send them in and within about 36 hours they will send us an email link to the approval and then mail the hard copy snail mail--no need for a prepaid mailer! What a sense of humor He has. Quick call to social worker who okays it and we're good to go! Off we go to get fingerprinted and ship it--they are finally on their way to IL.
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| Victorious! |
I have to admit, I sort of "knew" this is about how it would play out. You know when your Monday morning
devotion
reads like this:
"Approach this day with awareness of who is boss. As you make your plans for the day, remember that it is I who orchestrate the events of your life. On the days when things go smoothly, according to your plans, you may be unaware of My sovereign Presence. On days when your plans are thwarted, be on the lookout for Me! I may be doing something important in your life, something quite different from what you expected. It is essential at all times to stay in communication with Me, accepting My way as better than yours. Don't try to figure out what is happening. Simply trust Me and thank Me in advance for the good that will come out of it all.
As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts."
...that your day is going to be a wild one.
Holding on tight to His promises, doing my best to keep my eyes on Him, and remembering to thank Him in ALL things (not for all things). It IS possible to praise Him even in the dark times.
Enjoy a few more zoo pics--
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| Like Jacob's hat? Totally unplanned too! |
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| Shaoey asked if the bird had a mohawk...she brings such laughter and joy to our family! |
