breathe in, breathe out

I am on the verge of crazy! We had our last meeting with New Beginnings ***insert hearts around that name*** yesterday and reviewed the rough, rough draft of our homestudy. The next step is for our social worker to make the adjustments that we went over and send it to our adoption agency for approval before creating the official, final copy. The final copy then goes to USCIS for approval to bring an orphan into the country and then it's all off to Ethiopia and we can sit back and wait (a good 6 months or so) to be matched with a child.

So I'm going crazy in a good, superly excited way because I can't believe we're this close to being on the official waiting list, but I'm also going crazy in a bad, overly anxious way. I have known all along that there is potential to be denied by USCIS because of our denial by That Other Agency, so I've been nervous about that but hopeful and prayerful that all will go well. Well......today we got a notice of intent to deny from USCIS! The letter says we have 30 days to show them why they shouldn't deny us. I immediately called our social worker and family coordinator to let them know of the urgency to get our final home study to USCIS within 30 days and they assured me that that will be no problem....but, oh, it's all I can do to not have a complete break down right now. I'm speed reciting in my head "be anxious for nothing..., be anxious for nothing..." Pray with us that USCIS will be favorable toward us and they will have no hesitation in issuing us the beloved I-171h when they review our new home study.

And on a related note, we don't have the money needed to be able to send our dossier to Ethiopia, BUT we have a couple coming on Saturday to look at our RV with the intent to purchase (they live 2 1/2 hours away) and that sale will give us exactly what we need for this next payment. Please also pray that the sale goes through!!!


"...but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."