5/01/09 - Our I 171-H Form Is Here!!!!!

Amy went to the mailbox this Friday only to discover a letter from the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services. Now we have received two letters from them in the past. Both were disappointing, telling us what was wrong with the wording of our home study, and both address's were hand written. This envelope looked more official - Mike's name could be read through the envelope opening and there was no hand writing. Amy walked into the room where Mike was doing homework and told him we had received something from USCIS. We prayed before opening the envelope and then proceeded to spend about 5 minutes looking through it to figure out what it was!! The second page held the word congratulations, but we were expecting to see the letters and numbers "I 171-H" emblazoned across the top of the page!! After a moment, Amy noticed in the lower left hand corner in the teeny, tiniest font - I 171-H form. This is what we have been waiting for since February - the form that gives us federal approval to adopt internationally!!!!! Peels of excitement and dancing around the house followed!!!

Amy pointing at the I 171-H letters - the camera couldn't focus close enough to get a picture of them - they are that small!

NEXT STEPS: Redoing several pieces of paperwork, getting them notarized, traveling to Chicago to get them certified, praying with our small group over what will be our completed "dossier," Fed Exing it to our international agency in Virginia where they will authenticate it in Washington DC and send it to Ethiopia!! Then we will officially be in line for a referral!!

PRAISE AND PRAYER: This is answer to months of prayer! And praise God for the peace Amy has felt over God's timing in the past two week - He would bring this form to our mailbox not one day sooner than His appointed time. And He will have us DTE (Date to Ethiopia) not one day sooner than His plans. And the two children He is preparing for us will be referred to us on the day He established before He created the world. Please pray that we are able to do all we need to by Friday, May 15th and will be at Fed Ex that afternoon!