Short and sweet tonight.
First, the good news.
We got our written orders! YES!!! We don't know for sure, but this should also mean the social services agency in India applied for her passport. If that is the case, we could already be a few days into the passport process. There were internet problems on the India side so the written orders were actually given a few days ago. We are just learning of them this evening. The passport process is supposed to take 2-4 weeks. I will believe that when I see it. Once the passport is completed, we can contact the consulate in India to schedule the necessary dates. Once that is done, we can arrange our travel. In theory, this could take place in the next 4-6 weeks. Again, I will believe it when I see it.
Now, the bad news.
Those stinking fingerprints I have mentioned repeatedly expire February 2, 2011. We have gotten our homestudy updated but that update contains the old dates of our original Ohio and FBI fingerprints along with our child abuse background checks. Our agency has requested that we begin pursuing those updates as well. It is possible that USCIS will approve the federal fingerprint extension without these updates. If so, we can move on as planned. If they require these updates before approving the extension, everything comes to a screeching halt until those updates are returned. We heard word recently that the child abuse background checks which usually take less than 30 days are currently running about 3 months. That could mean that India would be ready for us to travel in perhaps 6 weeks, but that the US will not allow that travel to take place for 3-4 months. That would be crushing.
We have a simple, but clear prayer request.
That CIS will approve our fingerprint extension without needing the extra updates. If the updates are needed, that they would be processed quickly.
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Friday, December 24, 2010
One year ago today
I feel like there should be some grand announcement related to this day. Strangely, there is not. On December 22, 2010 Maren received a call stating that our adoption agency wanted to send us a referral. They told Maren a little about the girl, then three years old. It sounded very promising and we asked for more information. The next day, we were emailed additional information related to her with the promise the following day of a video arriving in the mail. December 24, 2010 that video arrived. As if our hearts weren't captured enough by the still pictures, the video positively melted them. Thus, today marks one year since we officially began to adopt this very special girl.
It has been quite a year. The arrival of the referral came over a year earlier than we expected. At the same time, the courts in India are taking way longer than we expected. Their own Supreme Court had previously issued a ruling that adoptions should be processed within two months. Thus, when our hearing was first presented in May 2010, we should have been home with her by August at the latest. Well, here we are, one year from first "meeting" her. We still do not have written orders from the court. We missed her 4th birthday when that shouldn't have happened. We missed Thanksgiving with her when that shouldn't have happened. We now miss Christmas with her this year as well. We are disappointed but not disheartened. We are sad but not sullen. We are irritated but not incensed.
She has gifts under our tree. We eagerly await her arrival. In the meantime, we celebrate the arrival of another very special child. Had Jesus not considered equality with God something to be grasped, had he not taken the form of man, had he not first adopted us as sons and daughters, we would have no hope for our daughter's adoption to our family. Thank you Jesus. Merry Christmas.
It has been quite a year. The arrival of the referral came over a year earlier than we expected. At the same time, the courts in India are taking way longer than we expected. Their own Supreme Court had previously issued a ruling that adoptions should be processed within two months. Thus, when our hearing was first presented in May 2010, we should have been home with her by August at the latest. Well, here we are, one year from first "meeting" her. We still do not have written orders from the court. We missed her 4th birthday when that shouldn't have happened. We missed Thanksgiving with her when that shouldn't have happened. We now miss Christmas with her this year as well. We are disappointed but not disheartened. We are sad but not sullen. We are irritated but not incensed.
She has gifts under our tree. We eagerly await her arrival. In the meantime, we celebrate the arrival of another very special child. Had Jesus not considered equality with God something to be grasped, had he not taken the form of man, had he not first adopted us as sons and daughters, we would have no hope for our daughter's adoption to our family. Thank you Jesus. Merry Christmas.
Friday, December 10, 2010
He can still pound salt
After I wrote yesterday's posting in which I made reference to Satan pounding salt to express my frustration that we are experiencing another delay and additional cost, I spent a good part of the day unsettled about the comment. It feels like a Holy Spirit type of unsettling. I suspect what this means is that this delay and the additional work actually aren't the result of Satan's attempts to throw obstacles in our way, but may very well be the result of God placing or allowing these things to occur now and at this part of the process. I have been experiencing a great sense of peace when thinking about it this way which further adds credibility that I shouldn't view this negatively. Perhaps we will never know the reason for the delay and extra work. That is OK. It is OK that we have to go through it as well. The pure frustration from last night has switched noticeably to a sense of contentment today. I can dig that.
When Reality Gives an Optimist a Swift Kick in the Pants...OR...Confessions of a Former Pessimist
Wasn't it Rocky and Bullwinkle that gave titles like that? I can't remember.
Aggravatingly, but not surprisingly, we got another call from our social worker in Eugene, Oregon today. He had some contact with the folks in India and learned that some Clerk of Courts is unexplainedly sitting on a document that moves the judge's order from a verbal order to a written order. It is really a basic step, but it is not getting completed. Anyway, our social worker is no longer comfortable with allowing us to forgo updating our USCIS fingerprints. The extension is free but the required home study update, the three OTHER sets of fingerprints (breathe Greg...breathe...you're not breathing Greg...it's just fingerprints Greg), and the required health physicals are not free. Many emotions have existed during this adoption process. I am having a pretty pure sense of frustration through this. The additional work on our part should not be necessary. The additional cost should not be necessary. We don't gain anything from it. It doesn't advance us any further than we are today. Errrrrrgh. Satan can go pound salt for all I care. We are going to see this thing through.
So, where does the confession come in? Well, I used to be a pessimist. (Right about now my wife is probably saying "Used to be...snort". She's wrong. I am big-time different from how I used to be.) I used to be a pretty big pessimist. Nothing was going to go right in my view. If things did go right, it was only to mask the larger thing going wrong...or so I thought. I spent years of very conscious effort to turn this around. This is not to say that I don't still have times where I don't expect things to work out. Actually, earlier this week when our social worker said he was confident we would get back before February 2, I very realistically pointed out the time frames involved. Realistically (not pessimistically) the time frames were awful tight, and I was not convinced it was wise to hold off on getting a home study update.
The confession is not that I used to be a pessimist. The confession is that when I used to be a pessimist, I often secretly loved it when an optimist got proven wrong...even if I meant that I also lost out in the deal. Pretty pathetic, huh? Well, I have no feelings of winning or superiority now that my optimist friend in Oregon had to change his tune. I am not even bothered by his initial optimism. Honestly, it was fun for a day or two. But now it is time to get back to business. It has been a few months since we juggled paperwork. Maybe it will be fun. Maybe Satan can go pound salt.
Aggravatingly, but not surprisingly, we got another call from our social worker in Eugene, Oregon today. He had some contact with the folks in India and learned that some Clerk of Courts is unexplainedly sitting on a document that moves the judge's order from a verbal order to a written order. It is really a basic step, but it is not getting completed. Anyway, our social worker is no longer comfortable with allowing us to forgo updating our USCIS fingerprints. The extension is free but the required home study update, the three OTHER sets of fingerprints (breathe Greg...breathe...you're not breathing Greg...it's just fingerprints Greg), and the required health physicals are not free. Many emotions have existed during this adoption process. I am having a pretty pure sense of frustration through this. The additional work on our part should not be necessary. The additional cost should not be necessary. We don't gain anything from it. It doesn't advance us any further than we are today. Errrrrrgh. Satan can go pound salt for all I care. We are going to see this thing through.
So, where does the confession come in? Well, I used to be a pessimist. (Right about now my wife is probably saying "Used to be...snort". She's wrong. I am big-time different from how I used to be.) I used to be a pretty big pessimist. Nothing was going to go right in my view. If things did go right, it was only to mask the larger thing going wrong...or so I thought. I spent years of very conscious effort to turn this around. This is not to say that I don't still have times where I don't expect things to work out. Actually, earlier this week when our social worker said he was confident we would get back before February 2, I very realistically pointed out the time frames involved. Realistically (not pessimistically) the time frames were awful tight, and I was not convinced it was wise to hold off on getting a home study update.
The confession is not that I used to be a pessimist. The confession is that when I used to be a pessimist, I often secretly loved it when an optimist got proven wrong...even if I meant that I also lost out in the deal. Pretty pathetic, huh? Well, I have no feelings of winning or superiority now that my optimist friend in Oregon had to change his tune. I am not even bothered by his initial optimism. Honestly, it was fun for a day or two. But now it is time to get back to business. It has been a few months since we juggled paperwork. Maybe it will be fun. Maybe Satan can go pound salt.
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
It's Easy to be an Optimist if it's Somebody Else's Life
The title kind of sounds like a Bluegrass song, doesn't it? I will probably lose sleep tonight coming up with the lyrics for it. I already have a bit done. What do you think so far?
Ohhh, it's easy to be an optimist when it's somebody else's life.
No need to sweat or hope or pray when it's somebody else's life.
"No worries sir, no worries ma'am, no way you will be late.
You will be there and back again by the end of the critical date.
There is no need to feel the angst, the kind that you call strife."
Ohhh, it's easy to be an optimist when it's---some---body---else's---liiiife.
Oh yeah, gonna lose some sleep tonight. Anyway, we got some encouraging news from our social worker in Eugene. He has been to India more than 50 times and knows the people and procedures there very well. He believes strongly that we will be leaving and back home again within the month of January 2011. This is quite critical because our fingerprints expire February 2nd, 2011. (Must...restrain...from complaining about FINGERPRINTS yet...again............beeeee strong....errgggh...pant pant pant....). Anyway, if we cannot get back into the states before February 2nd, well, honestly I don't know what will happen. But I am sure it is bad. Trying to redo the federal fingerprints is also a pain in the backside because it would necessitate a homestudy update. We stink at paperwork. So, we are really hoping the India traveler optimist is correct about our travel timing. But, you know, it is easy to be an optimist when it is somebody else's life.
Ohhh, it's easy to be an optimist when it's somebody else's life.
No need to sweat or hope or pray when it's somebody else's life.
"No worries sir, no worries ma'am, no way you will be late.
You will be there and back again by the end of the critical date.
There is no need to feel the angst, the kind that you call strife."
Ohhh, it's easy to be an optimist when it's---some---body---else's---liiiife.
Oh yeah, gonna lose some sleep tonight. Anyway, we got some encouraging news from our social worker in Eugene. He has been to India more than 50 times and knows the people and procedures there very well. He believes strongly that we will be leaving and back home again within the month of January 2011. This is quite critical because our fingerprints expire February 2nd, 2011. (Must...restrain...from complaining about FINGERPRINTS yet...again............beeeee strong....errgggh...pant pant pant....). Anyway, if we cannot get back into the states before February 2nd, well, honestly I don't know what will happen. But I am sure it is bad. Trying to redo the federal fingerprints is also a pain in the backside because it would necessitate a homestudy update. We stink at paperwork. So, we are really hoping the India traveler optimist is correct about our travel timing. But, you know, it is easy to be an optimist when it is somebody else's life.
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