Holding Pattern

We currently find ourselves in a holding pattern. We got a little bit of news this week. Our consultant emailed back and forth with the orphanage and with the adoption authority in India (CARA) to check on the status of our case as we have been in review since late June. She learned that, due to an oversight (not anyone's fault), a vital piece of paperwork did not reach the CARA review board. That issue has been resolved and everything is in place for our case to undergo its level 1 review and be forwarded on to the orphanage. This is very good news! The only disappointing part is that means we will now be waiting through the August review period (we've already been through June's and July's) which will not come until the last week of this month. We probably won't receive updated pictures or baby girl's referral information until the middle of next month.

However, this may be a blessing in disguise as we are still waiting to receive notice from USCIS that our I-800A (application for approval to adopt from a Hague Convention country) has been approved. We need this in order to send our dossier (read: lots and lots of paper) to get stamped by the MS Secretary of State which will authenticate our documents for approval in India. Then we send the dossier on to our agency and India and this picture of us in words and documents will make its way through the system. The dossier is due to India 15 days after we receive Cora's referral. So....extra time is a good thing. 

This waiting time can be very daunting. It sometimes feels like we have been placed in a stark white waiting room with no windows, one door, and no receptionist to bug for information. We can walk out if we choose, but we have no desire to. In discussing this with one of my rocks in this process, Jaya (Indian name meaning victory), we decided that if we are stuck in this waiting room with nothing to occupy our brains, but worry....we might as well paint the waiting room! We could make it more inviting and peaceful. And that is just what we plan to do!

 In the next weeks and months, look for a few "Painting the Waiting Room" posts and guest posts. We're going to dig into the positives of this waiting period, connect them to the truths of God's word and add a dash of sparkle to these bare white walls. If you are a waiting Mom (or Dad), adoptive, infertile, or otherwise and you want to add to the masterpiece: leave me a comment or shoot me an email about doing a guest post. Of course, Moms who are out of this waiting time are welcome, too!

I'll be posting the first installment in the next few days.

In the meantime, please continue to pray for our sweet Cora. Pray that she is safe. Pray for the arms that are holding her now while we can't be there. Pray that her days are full of smiles and love. Pray that this process continues smoothly. Pray that our fundraising efforts will continue to go well.

Thank you all for your continued prayers!