JOURNEY UPDATE--Immigration Approval!

It's been awhile since we've updated everyone on exactly where we are in the adoption process. Now is as good a time as any--mainly because we have NEWS!

One of the steps in our process is submitting the required applications and documentation to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). A while back we submitted USCIS Form I-600A, Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition (sounds very official, right?). We also submitted to USCIS a copy of our home study as supporting documentation for our I-600A. This was followed by a trip to Dallas (our nearest USCIS Support Center) to be biometrically fingerprinted. Check. Check. Check.

Well, after accomplishing these tasks, we recently received our approval from USCIS. This is GREAT news because it happened sooner than we expected. After communicating with our agency, we were able to get a projected date for receiving our referral--NOVEMBER 13.

Let me interpret--this means that around mid-November we will have a picture to go with the name we lift up to the Father each night in prayer as a family. We will have in our hands the info that will help us prepare our home for little Gideon. We will have the tangible documentation that is evidence of a real child that belongs in our home. This gives us a timetable to guide our wait!

ALSO, the date we were provided tells us that our Gideon is out there...somewhere...on the other side of the world. He has been born and he's waiting. He's OURS and his place is with us. He is meant to be in our family. Yes, his bottom belongs in our Empty Chair. We pray every night that God would bring him to us quickly--join us in that prayer!

Cookout Benefit Results: A month later!

We mentioned this on the family blog but we have traveled a LOT this summer. We have been through and to 9 states since the beginning of June. This has been detrimental to having an up-to-date adoption blog. It has NOT, however, been a hindrance to moving forward with the adoption process. We will provide an update on the process VERY soon. That is a promise; but first, some old business...

On July 12, some friends of ours in Shreveport hosted a Benefit Cookout/Pool Party/Silent Auction. This event was truly a blessing to our family. First, it was just REALLY fun. It was laid back and everyone was having a great time eating hot dogs and swimming (not at the same time)! Second, we were reminded (as we have been throughout this process) of the generosity of others. So many people donated items for the silent auction, bought T-shirts, and came out for the event. Also, it provided us a venue to talk to people about our adoption--one of the reasons that we don't have more pictures from that night is because we were talking to everyone and answering questions about little Gideon. Finally, we added $1,986 to the "Empty Chair" fund. We were and are excited. Thanks to everyone who helped to make this night meaningful for our family! Here are some pics:

Mary strung up some of our t-shirts and postcards with verses from Scripture that speak about adoption...such as......
The Welcome Wagon!Mary and Kristen Carothers

In the clubhouse where the silent auction items were displayed.

Empty Chair Benefit--TOMORROW!

Tomorrow Night is the night! Monday, July 12 is the cookout benefit that some friends of ours are hosting to help with our adoption expenses.

Everyone is invited to the Pool at Twelve Oaks in south Shreveport beginning at 6pm (ends at 8pm). Drop by for swimming, hotdogs ($5/person, max $20/family) and a silent auction. We'll also have Empty Chair t-shirts available for $20 each (Wear them if you have them!).

This event is a HUGE blessing for our family. We're excited about it and hope that you can make it there to help us bring Gideon home!

The next phase!

Like many of you, I'm sure, the summer has been a blur. It's funny trying to create a new summer routine even while said "routine" gets interrupted every 1-2 weeks with a trip of some sort. Toss in some of life's little surprises and you get some sporadic blog posting. All that being said, we would like to provide an update on where we are in the adoption process.

The main BIG piece of news is that our home study is FINISHED!! We received a notarized copy in the mail last week. This is really big news. Having our home study finished is the culmination of a months-long process. It feels as though we have cleared a big hurdle even though we have others to come. Now we will be able to apply for some grants and progress with our immigration paperwork. We have already moved onto finishing some of our educational requirements for our agency, filling out grant applications, and pulling together documents for our dossier.

The fundraising is moving along steadily. People continue to buy t-shirts here and there and we receive the occasional donation. Each time, we are blown away by the generosity of friends and even acquaintances. As mentioned in our last post, we have some friends who are hosting a benefit cookout for us next Monday. The word has been spreading and we are excited to see how God uses this event.

We pray often as a family for Gideon. We ask that you do the same.