I had told Brian that what I really wanted for my birthday was for our Favorable Determination Letter (FDL) to arrive. This gives us official approval to bring an orphan into the United States. We had been fingerprinted for the Department of Homeland Security on the 27th of January and expected the letter to arrive within two weeks. On February 21st we checked the website and from the information we could gather, it appeared as though it would be at least three more months before our approval would arrive. (It stated that they were currently processing applications dated on or before November 20th.) This could have been a problem because without this letter, we would be unable to accept a referral. (So basically, if our baby happened to be born in April or May and we didn't have this, we would have to pass up the referral and move down on the waiting list until this arrived.) Well, as Brian predicted, the very next day (after spending quite some time navigating the Citizenship and Immigration Services website), our FDL arrived in the mail - only two days after my birthday. We are now completely done with every last document and are just waiting for our little one to be born. We are currently #26 on the waiting list. There were no babies born this week, but we are told that there are a number of births expected in the next couple of months.
We found out this week that there have been some recent changes in the adoption process in Guatemala (and that these could completely change again tomorrow). But, basically, they are now requiring even more paperwork and approval steps which ultimately may impact the time it takes to process our adoption and bring our baby home. At this point, Brian and I feel that this part of the process is completely out of our hands and God will bring our daughter home in His perfect timing. We would absolutely LOVE for her to be home for Christmas, but this may not be a realistic expectation. We will continue to pray that our case goes through PGN efficiently and without any previews. (A preview is basically when a government official requests an additional copy of a document (for any given reason- smudges in the notary stamp, a signature that doesn't look quite right, a typo, etc.). Previews generally add 6-8 weeks to the process, and just because one document gets previewed does not mean that all the others are approved. They apparently stop reviewing each case when they find a document that they choose to preview. Once that document is resubmitted, they continue reviewing the remaining documents. At that time, they may find another document that they choose to have previewed, and then this adds another 6-8 weeks to the process.
In our weekly update from AGCI we received the following message as encouragement and wanted to share it in our update, as well. This is from a mother who is currently waiting for her child to "get through" PGN and come home...
"I want to share how a Beth Moore study has helped me during this time that we are in PGN. This week's study was from Genesis 22 where Abraham was tested by God. Here are Beth's comments that really hit me hard. They are taken from her workbook and video entitled, "The Patriarchs: Encountering the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."
1. Our tests have our names on them (v.1). The Hebrew word for tested means "to test, try, prove...Generally carries the idea of testing the quality of someone or something through stressful circumstances. We are not tested accidentally. Each test has a purpose. God never wills us to go through a difficult time. The end result is what He is focused on.
2. Our hardest tests involve our dearest loves.
3. We are not powerless in our tests. How we take them is entirely up to us. Abraham's only recorded words to God in the chapter: "Here I am" (Heb. 10:7).
4. Obedience is not the hardest part of our most trying tests. Keeping the faith can be hardest of all.
5. Like Abraham, we're likely to discover that the harder the test, the further reaching the ramifications (vv. 15-18).
As I reflect back over this lesson, I ask myself: Am I passing or failing this test of waiting for weeks on end for my case to exit out of PGN? Am I spending my time being sad and dwelling on the negative, or am I praising God for giving me the many blessings which have come from and will continue to come from this adoption?
Brian and I feel so very blessed by the many people we have met through this process, the love shown to us by our family and friends, and the assurance that God, not government officials, is in control of this entire process. That gives us hope, encouragement, and excitement for what the future holds.
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