URGENT PRAYER NEEDED!!

With only two days left till we are supposed to leave, we just found out that there is a quarantine at the orphanage because of MEASLES!!! We will have to put off the trip(and lose $4400 worth of tickets) if the orphanage says tomorrow that there is some sort of epidemic.

We are absolutely broken and devastated! Please pray that tomorrow brings good news for us.

We feel that from the beginning, Satan has been attacking us at every turn in this adoption...and we feel this may just be one more attempt...BUT GOD!!! HE is absolutely able to bring us through yet again!!!

Pray for Ava, that she is not affected by it...not sure about this...thought they were immunized, but...

Pray for travel as scheduled on SATURDAY!

Thank you so much for sticking with us through this craziness, we absolutely can't do it without your prayers!

Britt Nicole Walk on the water LYRICS!! HD Lost get found

An amazing song and challenge to all those on "the fence" about adopting or caring for orphans, especially those with special needs.

Whew!!! What A Week!

Oh my word! I am so tired! We had our yard sale last Friday and Saturday, and it was totally blessed by God! We sold another $250 worth of stuff AFTER the yard sale..WOO-HOO!!! And today I finally(nothing like waiting until the last minute:)) bought plane tickets... It's been a trying week of just pulling the money together a little at a time, but God has been faithful!

We will be flying from Detroit to Amsterdam(with 3 hour layover), then Amsterdam to Sofia. Same on the way back, but with only an hour and a half layover:)! Those of you who've been following our story know that I absolutely HATE, HATE, HATE flying...in fact it terrifies me more than anything else in the world! So, to have only two planes(instead of THREE) to fly in is HUGE for me:). And this time we're flying Delta/Bulgaria air both ways...Lufthansa is absolutely the BEST, but the layovers were a killer!

My house is almost in order, and I'm eerily calm....maybe it's just exhaustion! I've decided to be more nervous and keyed up NEXT week(nothing like planning your moments of insanity!) This week, I just want to finish my hallway and take my kids to the lake or do something fun that we've been putting off...no emergencies please!

We will be staying in an apartment again(It was VERY nice...and had a washer/dryer...if only I had remembered to ask how in the world to use it!;). I've promised myself that I will do more sightseeing this time(it is summer, after all), and try to enjoy Bulgaria a little more...we'll see.

In 11 days I will be taking my daughter out of an orphanage for the LAST time...an orphan NO MORE...PRAISE GOD! I can't tell you how it hurts to think of leaving the others behind...hang in there families, there are beautiful precious children there...waiting for YOU to come and get them! Don't give up! They are worth waiting for...worth fighting for...worth praying for...worth loving! PLEASE just hang ON!

Prayer Requests:

My friend Kelly leaves Monday to go get TWO precious girlies in Bulgaria and bring them home, pray for their safety and that all goes perfect for them!

Another bloggy friend, Khat and her hubby are in Ethiopia right now picking up their precious babies as well, pray that they stay healthy and safe on their trip, and get home quick!

Pray for Ava, that she is being well-prepared(as she can be)for us to come for her..that Jesus is keeping us in her memory and that she won't be scared to go with us. That she is healthy and happy...she turns three on Friday, and it is so sad to not be there to celebrate her birthday..but we'll do that when we get back.:)

Pray that the last little bit of funds will come in...we're at the end here and getting anxious about some things, but we know our God is faithful and will provide for what He has called us to do!

Oh, and pray I will just CALM DOWN and enjoy the plane trip to Bulgaria....preferrably without the use of prescription drugs;)!

Off and Flying...AGAIN:)!

We got word this morning that the embassy has agreed to issue the visa and we are back to traveling July 3-10th! WOOOO-HOOOO! We heard it first from our congressman's office, so let that be a reminder, if you start having troubles in your adoption with the "higher-ups", maybe your congressman can help:)! We are so grateful for all the people who have faithfully prayed for us and for the awesome, yet uncomfortable privilege of making phone calls and writing emails, and fighting for our daughter. Yet we are reminded, that God could have done it just fine without us! To HIM be all the glory and honor! We do nothing apart from HIM!

So, now we shift our focus to raising lots of cold hard CASH for this last trip in less than three weeks! AAAAAAHHHHH!

Also need to finish stripping wallpaper off the hall wall, priming and painting it... Have our yard sale/fundraiser(pray it's a huge success), and we could still use more stuff for that, by the way;).

Book flights, hotel?, clean, etc. etc. etc.

Move crib downstairs by our bed...

SO MUCH TO DO!!!!!

Keep praying bloggy friends, HE is FAITHFUL!

Friday

It's Friday of the most challenging week in our adoption journey. We have contacted Congressmen, the Department of State, USCIS, the National Visa Center, and the US Embassy in Sofia...we are exhausted, but satisfied knowing we have done ALL we can possibly do to bring our daughter home. It's up to the Visa Office and the Embassy in Sofia to "discuss" our case. Now, we wait....

Two words...AT REFERRAL..apparently these SHOULD be following your requested age range on your homestudy/I800A...or else it is "interpreted" by the embassy to mean age at COMPLETION of the adoption. Although, this is apparently NOT a rule that is written down anywhere...don't you think it should be??? We need the embassy and the USCIS on the same page here folks! It's causing a huge mess right now for families adopting from Bulgaria.

Obviously, our defense is that our adoption is FINAL! Our paperwork went through 4 groups of people, I800A, I800, National Visa Center, and the provisional visa interview(which was held by the SAME guy!!!)...and this was never an issue...until NOW????? Come on!

We DID hear from our agency that we have a week or so before we lose our July 3rd travel date...

Did I mention that if we have to do the update he's requesting it will take months!


Did I mention our yard sale/fundraiser got rained out!! SIIIIGGHHH!

So, here are our prayer needs right now...

*That God sends SOMEONE with a soft heart to intervene on our behalf with the embassy and visa office as they "make a decision"...pray they will make one in the best interest of the child! Not the best interest of the embassy!

*The guy at the embassy that started this little party is off on vacation next week, pray his constituant will be tender and willing to "interpret" it differently:)..

*I would really like some news Monday if possible, I know that may seem too specific and ...demanding, but time really is slipping away from us.

*Pray that we will trust in His provision for the travel, it will cost about $5000 total...ummmm, we're not there yet!!! We know it'll come at exactly the right time though..and if you feel like "chipping in", just click that little button at the top left side:).

*Pray for Ava...she has a family now and doesn't even know it..and we have a daughter who is in an orphanage(unacceptable)...pray she is safe, happy, and healthy, and that Jesus is preparing her heart for us to come and get her!!! SOON!!

Around and Around We Go

So..USCIS said to contact the State Department. Which I did..I talked to someone in charge of adoptions from Bulgaria and she is confused too. She said this usually does not happen in Hague cases...she's "heard" of it happening in others. She will contact the US Embassy in Bulgaria and ask what their reasoning is. She says maybe they messed up somewhere(which we know they didn't) or it has something to do with the age of our children, or her special need(Perfectly healthy-blind in one eye)..yeah, why didn't they state that as the cause for this?

The US Embassy apparently may have their own "policy" concerning age of the child..USCIS and Bulgarian law say that the child must be under(at) your approved(in your I800A) age..for example Ava was 28 months AT referral, which satisfies USCIS and Bulgarian requirements, but the embassy may have different rules..maybe they say she has to be under 2 1/2 when the adoption is COMPLETE...THIS IS TOTALLY INSANE!! How do they get to have different rules???

Contacted our Congressmen today as well...pray he can help... If this guy at the embassy gets to change the rules(wish I had known his were different), we'll be out $1000 on paperwork(have to have an updated HS and Supplement 3 form AND fingerprints) and about 3 weeks of time to get those done...or more..who knows? Which would mean no travel on July 3rd.

Did I mention that when you get your I800 approval and it is forwarded to the embassy in Bulgaria, then the official there approves it with an "Article 5" letter, which basically gives PERMISSION to obtain the visa..you know, the thing he won't let us have now..apparently he's changed his mind. Shouldn't that be against the law? He issued the Article 5 letter..we've been to court..she's OURS..PERIOD! We followed every law and were approved for this child.

I'm screaming inside today....praying with everything I have that this will not be allowed..PLEASE pray with me!

NOT TRAVELING....

At this moment everything is stalled...the US Embassy in Bulgaria is refusing to issue a visa appt for Ava because she is now over the age we requested. So, they want an updated homestudy and new immigration form, Supplement 3, reflecting her age now...contacted USCIS, waiting for a reply...this could take three days or three weeks..probably not traveling July 3rd...

THIS IS WAR! Satan is our enemy and he has made every attempt to stop us from bringing our daughter home! Please pray with us that these attacks will cease, and we will be able to travel that week anyway! I won't go down without a fight!

Pray that USCIS will either intercede for us with the embassy, or make it a very quick fix..accepting scanned copies until originals can be mailed, etc...our "girl" with USCIS has been fantastic with us in the past, so pray she's NOT on vacation this week! Also pray our home study agency is able to do this tomorrow as well..no vacations for her either!!:)

Pray that finances will come in through our yard sale this weekend, etc...this will cost an extra $340-$840 depending on what USCIS will accept...NOT in the plan people!

Thanks in advance for your prayers!

Travel Dates!

WOOO-HOOO! We have "tentative" travel dates of July 3-10th!! That's only 4 weeks away!!

NOW reality sets in...we have 4 weeks to come up with the rest of the money needed for travel, etc...GO GOD!! Can't wait to see Him provide!

Another reality...my kitchen is almost done, but it's taking FOREVER!! Yeah, I won't be painting for another ten years that's for sure! Then to my hall...OH MY WORD..there's 35 year old plaster under there!!!!! So, when I should be planning my trip, picking out toddler clothes, and basking in the glow of new "motherhood" again...I'm up to my eyeballs in paint and wallpaper and plaster....

We have decided to stay at the Princess Hotel in Sofia instead of the apt. this time. It has a pool! Plus, I felt a little isolated in the apt.. We should be able to walk to some popular attractions this time, so I'll be letting you know what happens with all that..remember I'm a terrible traveler..I may be zonked out in the room all week!:)

What else....Oh yeah, my new idea for exhaustion is to also take flights that only have 1 stop...the 4-6 hour layovers, and changing planes twice was horrible!

All for now..PLEASE pray for our family as we plan the finances, etc....we don't want this to be a stressful time, and we're just resting in God's provision.

Pray for Ava as well, that she will be calm and "ready" for her new Mommy and Daddy to bring her home.


*EDIT: Will NOT be staying at the Princess..just found out it's owned by the Italian Mafia!!