God is BIGGER...

150 pieces!!  That's $37,500 for our adoption that we have received in the last 3 months! 

We are unbelievably blessed, and cannot thank each of you enough.  The outpouring from family, friends, and strangers has been humbling.

Here's an update on where we are to date:

• USCIS (US immigration services) asked for an updated homestudy because the wording wasn't correct on the first one.  Our incredible social worker rewrote it for us one evening and sent it out the next day!  We're grateful for her!  Now that they have it, it should be only a matter of time before we receive the 171-H which is the missing part of our Dossier.  (Please pray our documents travel to the top of the pile and we receive our document by the end of this week - I'm praying in faith!! God is BIGGER...than the pile)
• When we receive the 171-H, we will send it, along with the updates that Russia needed to our in country personnel.  Once she is able to translate the new documents she will travel to Vladimir to obtain a court date for us.  The court date will most likely be within about 2 weeks of when she travels to the Adoption Center for us.  
• Then we will quickly book flights, and get a few more things together...and travel to Russia for the court date. (God is BIGGER...and more in control than I can be...thankfully He knows all)

In Russia both parents are required to be at the court hearing.  From there, one or both of them may leave for the 10-day waiting period.  After 10-days one parent (at least) must apply for the child's passport.  It will take about 2 weeks to receive it. During this time parents can choose to fly home, but it's so expensive that I (Jessi) will at least stay in the country.  Once we receive the child's passport we will be able to pick her up from the orphanage and travel to Moscow.  It will take about 3 days in Moscow to obtain her medical report and Visa so that she is allowed to travel with us to the US.  Then we'll leave for home!!

Our prayer is that all of this will happen quickly!!  We're so ready for her to be home.  Even as I type this Barry is in her room hammering away.  He's putting the quarter-round up and in a bit I'll help him carry all of the furniture back into the room. 

On a slightly different note, our house has very little damage from the storms on Wednesday night.  We are very fortunate!  Thanks for the prayers. (God is BIGGER...than storms)

Soon we'll try to post pictures of Sveta's room.  Remember, we're not posting pictures of her fully until she's home just as a precaution.  The "puzzle" picture is her database picture, so we think that's safe.  Thanks for prayers!  I'll try to be better at posting more often since I only have 4 more days of school left - YAY!!

Jessi

Hurry Up...and wait!!

Sorry it has been so long since we've posted anything on the blog.  Many people have said to me, "you need to update us..." The problem has been that until Friday there wasn't any news with the process.

Recently we sent our second Dossier to Russia without the 171-H form that we need from the US government. This was in hopes that it could be translated and be waiting for the form.  I received word on Friday that we are going to have to redo some of our documents for the Dossier.  One thing we need is a marriage certificate - but the state of Indiana only gives marriage licenses. Interesting for us.  We also found out that our medicals expire at the beginning of July (the ones in Russia).  So...here are our big prayer requests right now::

1. That the USCIS would issue our 171-H and we would get is SOON!!
2. That we can finalize the other Dossier documents and can send those off to Russia also.
3. That this process can be "completed" by the time our medicals expire so that we: a. don't have to pay to have them redone & b. can bring our girl home soon.

We miss her.  We want her to be home. We are ready - thanks to a ton of incredible people who gave us a "Sveta Shower" last Sunday.  She's got toys, clothes, and everything else a 3-year-old could want waiting for her.  Her room is ready.  Her mama and papa are ready.  Please pray that we can bring her home soon, and that we are all prepared for the transition of being together as a family.

I'll try to write more when I have more of my brain about me...it's been a LONG weekend.

In Him,
Jessi

P.S. - The next time I blog, I'll update the picture - I don't have the info with me right now, nor do I have the pictures.  So, look for that soon.