Immigration sent us an appointment for fingerprints at our local US Immigration office, which we have already completed. Now we wait with anticipation of an approval letter from Immigration. With this in hand, we will be able to take a lot of requested paperwork for our Moldova Dossier (official term in adoption world for "lots of paper") to the notary public. George and I will visit the notary public to sign fourteen documents. We will then report to the County Clerk of Davidson County for the "verification of notarization" (another layer of making stuff official). Finally, we will take the documents to the Secretary of State's office for apostilles (official stamp for paperwork to be accepted by a country other than the US). The whole packet will be sent FedEx to International Family Services for final review before sending to Moldova.
Immigration Approval and Dossier Submission...
Once in the hands of Moldova, we will wait to be matched with the little person God made to be part of our family. They tell us this could be in as little as a month, in that Moldova only recently reopened to international adoption. They had closed in order to get in alignment with the governing rules of the Hague Convention, which established guidelines for international adoption. That said, we could still be waiting for little Hampton at this time next year. God has perfect timing, and we will put our trust in Him...just hoping He doesn't make us wait too long!
The Referral...
When we do receive a referral, we will have time to prayerfully consider if we believe this match is in God's will. We checked the "boy" box for a little guy between two to three years old. We also said we are open to a sibling group of up to three children (so substitute "them" in place of "him" if you feel so led...). Elliot and Gavin like to talk about their "brotherS in Moldova." Moldova does not make children eligible for international adoption until they have been on the adoption list within the country's borders for the first two years (hence the reason he will be at least nearing his second birthday). It was also important to us that we keep our current birth order, so we are seeking to adopt a child younger than Gavin (3 years old). Once accepted, we will have about three weeks to plan our travel to Moldova for the first of two trips for both George and Danielle.
Travel to Moldova...
On the first trip, George and Danielle will meet the little one, spend time with him and file petition to adopt. This will be between 10 to 14 days. We will return to the United States without our little Moldova babe to wait approximately one month. When we return to Moldova, we will go to court, apply for a Visa for our babe, and bring him home in approximately 10 days. Upon reaching American soil, the first stamp from an Immigration officer makes our Moldovan babe an official American babe. And the next chapter begins.
For now, we are just waiting...
For now, we are just waiting...
"I waited patiently for the Lord; He turned to me and heard my cry."
Psalm 40:1
Psalm 40:1
What a privilege to be even a small part of the redemption of your chosen children! You are beautiful, Danielle...and your family is a reflection of our Father's heart! I was just thinking of you when I got your email.....LOVE how HE works!! Can't wait to see you in September!
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