I-600A Form - In the Mail!!!

Today we mailed the I-600A form to the USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services).  The form is mailed to "The Lockbox" (whatever that is) in Dallas, TX.  In case you're wondering what the I-600A form is, I'll give you the clear guidance straight from the USCIS website.  Listed under the "purpose" of the form, it says (and I'm not making this up):

For adjudicating the qualifications of the applicant(s) as prospective adoptive parents

 I don't think they could have been any clearer on the purpose of the form.  The government has it's way of ensuring even a simple thing, such as a form "purpose," is confusing.  In everyday English, the form serves as a pre-approval to adoptive parents to bring an adopted child from a specific foreign country back to the US.  A copy of the home study and, of course, money accompany the I-600A.  Then we will get an appointment to be fingerprinted by the FBI.

Once we get approved by the FBI, they will signal their approval by sending us the form called:

• I-171H - Notice of Favorable Determination Concerning Application for Advance Processing of an Orphan Petition

I don't know what happens after that. I guess I'll have to consult the clear guidance given on the USCIS website.

On other fronts, the septic tank work is done! I don't think they spared a single blade of grass in the backyard. That's OK though, it's done!

Home Study and Dossier - In The Mail!!!

It's officially in the mail!  Months of document searching, copying, notarizing, and signing came to an end today when Heather dropped off our home study and dossier at FedEx headed for AGCI in Oregon.  This ends a big chapter in our journey toward adoption. 

What is a home study and what is a dossier, you ask?  Good question (as our friends at AGCI say).

A home study is completed by a licensed social worker that reviews your lives in detail to determine if you and your family are fit for adoption.  Everything that you are is laid bare in sterile black and white as if to say this is it, this is all you are.  They look at your personality, your income, your debt level, your marriage, your kids, your house, your neighborhood, your childhood, and so on.  This is done through a series of interviews together as spouses, meeting separately, and - the way they find out how things really work in our house - meeting separately with our kids.  It also documents our many hours of training.  Then everything is summarized in a document that states whether or not we are fit for adoption.  The standards must be pretty low, because we passed!

The dossier is a series of documents verifying a number of things.  Here is our dossier checklist:

1.   Two Power of Attorney Forms (one must be state certified)

2.   Application Letter

3.   2 Passport photos each parent

4.   Photographs of the family

5.   Photographs of the family’s home

6.   Home Study of family

7.   Employment Verification (father)

8.   Employment Verification (mother)

9.   Financial Statement

10. Birth Certificate for father

11. Birth Certificate for mother

12. Certificate of Marriage

13. Medical Form for father

14. Medical Form for mother

15. Criminal Check for father

16. Criminal Check for mother

17. Two Letters of Recommendation

18. Post-Adoption Commitment Letter

19. Two Complete Copies

20. Applicable Fees (See Fee Schedule)

Needless to say, we are extremely glad to end this chapter and move on to the next.  Each day we are one day closer.  It's seeming more and more real all the time.

Thanks for everyone's prayer and support.  This is not a journey that we take on our own - it's too hard and too difficult.  We certainly feel everyone alongside us.  God has led the way, and we are thankful for that.  

New Septic System and an Old Apple Tree

Installing a new septic system is really, really cool if you're a kid. To have a backhoe and men working all day in your backyard is quite fascinating. They dig holes and even create huge piles of dirt for you to play in. It really makes for a great week. If you're an adult, most of the above doesn't quite trigger the same reaction. In fact, as an adult, you generally view each of the above as negatives rather than positives. Men digging with backhoes piling up dirt in your backyard does not create the same sense of glee that Eddie Joe and the Big Fella are experiencing right now as they play outside. That's a clear difference between kids and adults. They enjoy change, we don't.

The only thing as good as playing in the dirt is climbing the favorite apple tree.  It's the most popular tree in the neighborhood.

Here's a picture of Sunshine, T-bird, and Rye Bread climbing that same tree about five years ago....

Thanks for planting that tree Dennis!  Not only does it produce great apples, it produces happy kids!

Home Study Done!!!

Email from Cindy today:

Hi Russ and Heather,

Your home study is now completed and is ready to be mailed.  I will drop it off by the post office on my way home.  This has been a long haul.  Thank you for being patient.

Cindy

Thank you Cindy!  We're getting closer to seeing the sunrise in Africa!  God is good.

A-maze-ing News

We have been struggling to get the child abuse background check info back from Georgia.  It has been locked up in the hollows of government bureaucracy.  It has seemed that the supposed person working on our child abuse check is located in some parallel universe existing in a completely different time and space continuum.  Similar to something from Star Trek.  And to go beyond that, it has seemed that there have been purposeful barricades erected in order to prevent any outsider from reaching anyone on the inside that has any actual, meaningful knowledge or ability to change the course of the required paperwork.  A seemingly endless maze through which we've been walking, not knowing whether there was really any cheese at the end or not.

We tried to get the contact information from our social worker, but she was reluctant to have us push also, not wanting to apply too much pressure for fear our request might go to the bottom of the pile.  Understandable concern.  But we nonetheless started to walk through the maze - an attempt to find the single person in Georgia who is handling our child abuse background check.

First we found out that these checks are done by the Department of Health and Services (DHS) in Georgia.  To give you an idea of just how big this department is, their website (which mysteriously lists no meaningful phone numbers) states that 25% of all children in the state of Georgia have a file with the DHS!  What a web they have created.  They do have a place on their website where you can submit an email.  I did that and received a prompt, generic email reply that said they may be able to answer my email in 5-7 business days!  Arghh!  The other option I pursued was the generic 1-800-GEORGIA (I'm not making this up) phone number on the Georgia.gov web page.  After navigating through a number of menus and entertaining "on hold" music, I reached a person who directed me to various phone numbers and departments all of which had one of two results:  (1) no answer after ringing many, many times, or (2) the person who answered the phone had no ability to answer my question and would then forward my call to another location where result #1 would happen.  The deflector system to prevent any intruder from getting to meaningful information was fully in place and operational.  Their shields were up.  However, after going through office after office, I finally got to the Department of Family and Child Services (DFCS) office in Richmond County (the county where we lived when we were in Augusta, GA).  I had partially penetrated the bureaucracy!  I could hear the "red alert" sirens in the background.

After a number of calls to the Richmond County DFCS, I was now down to three ladies that I was told would have the answer to my question.  After many calls to these three ladies with no answers, I was finally directed to another lady, Miss Bryant (must be spoken in a southern drawl).  I called and left a voice mail with her and was shocked when she called me back.  I explained, for what seemed the one hundredth time, my situation and asked her if she could help me or send me to the right person who could help me.  I was once again shocked when she said she was the right person!  She took my information, which included my social worker's information, and told me she would get back with me.  Within ten minutes, she called back, said our record was clean, and said she had contacted our social worker!  Jenkies.....done!  Their shields were down, I had completed my mission, I had successfully reached another time and space continuum.  It was like I was Luke Skywalker shooting that last laser that goes in through the mysterious ventilation hole and destroys the death star.  I thanked her endlessly letting her know that today she had made a difference in the life of an orphan girl waiting to be adopted.  I told her that she probably doesn't get thanked very often but today she was getting thanked.  She was very appreciative, though she will probably get demoted for giving an outsider meaningful and productive information in a prompt manner - clearly violating her department rules of engagement.

So now we only await the official letter from her that our social worker will receive and put in our file.  Then Cindy can complete, notarize, and mail our home study to us.  Maybe by next week.

God directed us through a frustratingly endless maze - all in His time, under His control.  He will continue to lead and direct us in through the next maze we encounter, whatever that may be (I'm certain they are currently rebuilding the death star to be bigger and better!).  Although we put enormous effort forth to work through the mazes, He is the one that holds the key to it all.  Thank you God!

Day-O-Fun

Anderson had a day-o-fun today. He has been planning a baseball game for today the entire week. Every day he has asked how many days until Saturday - because he knows I am off work and that we can do something fun.

The planning has included every detail: who would be on each team, batting order, who pitches, how many runs it takes to win, who is bringing the snacks, what the snacks are going to be, what are team names are, etc.  Each night he has wanted to discuss the details to make sure we weren't missing anything.  When sports are involved, his mind is in full gear....his mother can attest to the fact that it is not that way with schoolwork!

He ended up having his favorite Saturday breakfast (waffles - he went with three this morning) and his favorite lunch (tacos) and will have his favorite supper tonight (pizza). He's living large. No, it's not his birthday or any other special day, just a day he has planned and planned and planned and has been very excited about.  Don and George Stokely did a great job of going along with the whole deal.  They are great big brothers.

We headed off to Cardinal Park at about 1:00. We had bats, gloves, baseballs, snacks, drinks, baseball tee (for Big Mac), and camera. The teams were Don and George Stokely against Anderson, Big Mac, and me. We were supposed to play to 15 (Anderson's rule).  Anderson's team won - he was the official scorekeeper.  We had a great time and have included a few pics to show the funness that was had by all.

 Waffles!

Taco!

Big Mac - Ready to play

Here's the players

 Anderson - ready for the big swing

Big Mac - giving it a powerful swing

 Snack time after the big game
(choice of chocolate covered granola bar or fruit snack and a bottle of Propel)

Time for play at Cardinal Park - aka, "the red park" - Big Mac's favorite!

What a day!

Adoption Video

Another moving video of a family bringing FOUR kids home from Ethiopia - yes, FOUR.  This is the family that adopted a boy from Ethiopia several years ago which inspired Lucy Lane's family to adopt her (included in an earlier post).  You can see the Lucy Lane video by clicking here and their blog by clicking here.

Enjoy the video of the Mihnovich's. Be warned - you will be moved!



I also want to congratulate the Gitlins as they have a court date in Ethiopia and will likely not have to make the two trips - just beat the deadline - God is good.  You can catch up with them at their blog.