We have been busy bees since my last post. My Mom, the munchkin and I went to Austin to get dossier documents certified. I had 11 documents and was meticulous in preparing them... only to get there and have one rejected. Apparently it and its twin copy got swapped at some point and we couldn't tell the difference. No one in normal society would have been able to see it, but that lady got out here little looking glass like she was examining diamonds and rejected it. Tried to say she could see pixels... I think she was nuts... she even let me look and I didn't see any pixels. Apparently I am not an expert like she is. I could have cried... but God knew this was gonna happen and he placed a wonderful courier in the room who handed me her card and was very compassionate. So we took a side trip to Ikea... and then headed home. We replaced and mailed our lone document to the courier who was very quick and thorough and even saw us through what could have been a later consulate rejection. Texas decided to change the gold seal for a black and white one, and due to other rejections and a lot of backlash from people they quickly changed back. So she actually went to the office twice for us for one fee....(Btw her name is Pam Wendell 512-308-6377 with Authentex Solutions)
This last week, David had a chance to go to Houston to do some training, and I took the opportunity to hand carry our dossier to the Chinese consulate. We arrived on Monday two hours before the website said they closed, hoping to drop off that day to guarantee we could pickup ourselves. While walking across the street to the consulate, I slipped on grass covered mud on the sidewalk. Leaving a chunk of my skin behind, I was also holding Ariana's hand and she got a scraped knee (:( lost some Mom points for that one). So I checked her out then picked myself up... muddy and bloody and hobbled across the street, hoping they had a first aid kit. Tried the front door, then decided maybe we needed to go to the visa door, it too was locked. We spent the next fifteen minutes trying to call or figure out why they were not open. What we realized is, authentications must be done during Visa hours... which ended at 3... we arrived at about 3:10. So after 5 hours in the car, a chewed up foot, and locked doors... we went backed to the car, bandaged our wounds as much as possible with water and napkins. That's when we realized Ariana was mad... very mad. Why? Because her knee was scraped... She was looking at us like we had planned it out, she had not cried, or complained when it happen (it was minor and small). Idk if she was waiting for my bloody foot to dry up or what, but the drama came out it full force in the car. She couldn't move it, or set it down on her seat, and her Dad had accidentally touched it hooking the car seat. OH THE DRAMA... theeeennnnn when we checked into the hotel we found out our main source of entertainment for the week was green... no swimming for us.
All was well though, Target provided toys and entertainment, the scratches are healing, the dossier is authenticated and in our hands, and we enjoyed Houston. Got in a trip to the Aquarium and the zoo, and Ariana didn't stay mad too long....oh and the pool opened on Friday so we got to swim a little.
The last and hardest thing I wanted to talk about is "viewing files". This to me is the hardest, emotional and stressful part of adopting. Some may think I over think it, or analyze them too long, but each of these kids are a gift from God. Each one planned and molded by the hands of our Father. I feel like I need to research and be overly thorough in making sure we couldn't make it work, because they deserve it. So I go through a rough process emotionally every time, and usually end up feeling like all the reasons to say "no" are selfish. Then their are those files that you can get a sneak peek at but never get the chance to be their parent because someone else got to them first. We are waiting on a match with our daughter, and it seems everyone else is too. There are so many boys... so many... so if you are starting your process, consider one of these amazing little guys. Our son is amazing... and if we had not opened our hearts to boys, we would never have been matched with him.
We have received 2 grants since our last post, and they made a large dent in the massive number we still owe. We cling to our faith that God is going to meet this need. He has provided ever time we needed a fee, and we are facing a large sum in a short amount of time. 4-6 months and about 30 thousand still to go, including travel cost. We ware applying for a few more small grants. So please keep praying for us, and we are open to any ideas you may have. This is a crazy rough journey, but I feel blessed to be walking it... tired right now, but blessed all the same.
Love.
Kathy
