Friday, August 19, 2011

The Ladybug moved, again!

Our Little Ladybug ticker has moved again. We have received another $100 in donations to our Family Support Page! I don't know if that's one or several donations, but I THANK YOU, whoever you are.

God is DEFINITELY working and moving mountains lately! This week I have seen pictures of children that are just horrible, shocking and absolutely WRONG! Some of those pictures actually turned out to be GOD answering some of my very own prayers for one particular child. As awful as they are, God is making it good. And I know I can rest in the knowledge that God's got this all in His hands! While my heart was shattered this week, I am excitedly encouraged at what He's doing. I'll share more later.... it's just hard to find the words.

TTFN,
Carrie

Monday, August 15, 2011

Prayers for this week...

Would you please join us in prayer for the remaining things we need to finish our dossier (dos-ee-ay)?  We are down to the final few documents we need to complete it. Some of these require appointments and having other people to complete forms on our behalf. Pray that we will be able to complete these items very soon.

Then we will await the Immigration approval. I called today and we have not yet been assigned an officer to process our application. Please pray that it will be assigned and processed quickly.

Also, pray that Shawna and Lindsay will be able to remain at their Baby House until we can get there in the coming weeks. Because of their age, they are very close to being transferred to a mental institution this fall. The thought of this gives me chills and turns my stomach. We are racing the clock to to get there as quickly as possible BEFORE that happens.

Please pray for the funds and help we need. Pray that God will touch the hearts of those he's calling to help us in this mission. God teaches us throughout the Bible to care for and defend the orphan and the widow.  Not everyone or every family is called to adopt or take in a child, but everyone can help support those who do adopt. That support can take many forms - financial gifts, help, prayer support, childcare, meals, and even encouraging words.

If you feel a tug on your heart to give, you can click on Shawna & Linday's picture to make a tax-deductibe contribution through Reece's Rainbow. There are other ways you can help listed under the "Current Fundraisers" tab at the top of the blog.

One of the books we read for our homeschool study this past year was the biography of George Muller in Bristol, England. I am in awe of the faith he had to believe God to provide for every penny he needed for his mission work. George prayed, believed and God ALWAYS provided! He built and operated orphan houses that served several thousand children over many years. He was a church pastor and directed a mission organization, as well. Never once did he ever ask anyone to give, but he prayed for what he needed and always had exactly that, even if that was only for the day at hand.

We, too, are trusting, praying and believing that God will provide the finances necessary so we can bring these girls into a loving, safe, healthy and forever home. It's not about us, or what we are doing, but it's ALL about God and saying YES to His call and walking obediently in what He asked us to do. We are nothing special, but only trying to do what is right and simply making a difference in the lives of one or two children who would otherwise have no hope.

Thank you for following along with us on this journey.


TTFN,
Carrie

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

All printed!

We were able to walk into the USCIS office yesterday afternoon and we gave our fingerprints to Big Brother!

Now we need that little form letter back that says:

"APPROVED!" 

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Fingerprints again!

Oh, goody! I just got some fantastic letters in the mail yesterday.... our fingerprinting appointments!

As part of our US Immigration and Visa processing, we will have to have fingerprints taken to make sure we're not some mean, old bad guys running from the law or showcased on America's Most Wanted. HA! Anyone who knows us knows that couldn't be further from the truth! We already had to leave prints and prove we aren't criminals at the State level, but the Feds and Homeland Security will need to be assured that we're on the up-and-up, too.

The next step after our fingerprinting will be to have an Immigration Officer review our homestudy and application for approval. Then USCIS will send us a form letter (I-171H) stating that we are pre-approved to adopt an orphan from another country. This is an important step in getting the travel visas from the US Embassy that allow the children to travel and enter the US with us.

Please pray that this processing and approval will go quickly without having to call and pester someone for it.

In the international adoption world, this little one-page form letter is lovingly known as your
"GOLDEN TICKET". When we get that letter in the mail, we can cue Grandpa Joe and Charlie Puckett and start dancing and singing!


It may be only a matter of a few weeks away!

TTFN!
Carrie