The Unexpected Email

There is so much about the adoption process that I was not prepared for.  The amount of love we would have for our child we have never met.  The longing.  The missing.  The heartache.  The joys.  The waiting.  The waiting.  Oh and the waiting.  The people that would come into our lives that bless us at just the right time in a way that only God could plan.  The addiction to checking emails waiting for the next update, picture, approval.  And the miracles!

We received our approval from the USCIS last week (yay!).  From there we were to wait for a letter in the mail from NVC (National Visa Center) and then wait an additional 6 weeks (give or take) for our paper work to reach Congo.  This morning I woke up and, as any abscessed adoptive waiting parent does, immediately checked my email.  In my inbox I received word from Kinshasa (the capital of DRC) that our paperwork has been received and that an investigation process will begin.  Six or more weeks EARLY!  We didn't even know it had been sent to DRC yet!!

Waiting for our little man takes its toll and so this past week I prayed that if this was not going to happen.  If Mr. U was not going to be able to come and physically be apart of our family that he would let us know.  It seems as though He has done quite the opposite.

We have seen God's hand at work throughout this wait and are so thankful and blessed each and every time.  The next step is for our facilitator to try and have a scheduled interview between the embassy in Kashasa and those that love U.  That is no easy task with lots of variables that must line up but our prayer is that they line up and quickly. In the meantime, we will begin working on our next set of documents to send out.

The final exit letters needed for children to leave DRC are still at a stand still.  They say it could take a year but of course we are praying that it will be MUCH MUCH faster.

A attends a little social playgroup each week.  At the end of each session she is allowed to pick out one "treasure" (a tiny little toy from a treasure chest).  This week they let the kids pick 2 toys as a special treat.  A came out with 3 little toys.  I told her she had to pick one to put back and without skipping a beat she said, "but mommy I got one for U."  A LOVES spiders (clearly not a love she got from me!!!) and she picked out one plastic spider for her and one plastic spider for U.  I never thought my child's first toy would be a spider but how could I say no to that.  :)