One Step Closer ...

Hi Everyone,

We just wanted to update you as to where we are in the process of getting Emmanuella home as of right now.  We received our provisional visa application approval in Saturday's mail!  That was a huge step to have done and it was processed only 2 weeks after we submitted it.  There was a spelling error on our adoption order so we weren't sure they would accept it - amazingly, they did and they did not request any other evidence of our case at this point!  Now we wait for them (the US Citizenship & Immigration Service) to notify us that they have forwarded our case information to the US Embassy in Ghana.  Once we receive that notification I can email the US Embassy in Ghana and request that the Bethany workers in Ghana pick up her "visa packet".  When the US Embassy replies back saying it can be picked up they will go and pick up that paperwork.  After it is picked up, Emmanuella will need to have a physical to make sure she is healthy and can be admitted to the US.  I can also then request our visa interview date.  Once they give me the visa interview date we will book tickets to go back!  If we pass the visa interview we can bring her home a few days later when her visa prints.  There is a possibility that we would not pass interview and we would have to leave her there while the US Embassy wants to check into her case further.  (they would be confirming her orphan status)

Some of the families have only waited a week for their notification and we know there is another family that has been waiting almost 2 weeks already.  Please join us in flooding the heavens with prayers for the quick processing of Emmanuella's paperwork.  We would just LOVE to get this special girl home with us yet this summer while it is still warm and the kids are off of school!  We are so ready for her to join our family but really feel like it will still take an act of God to make it happen quickly.

This is suddenly becoming very real to us and my mind is constantly racing with both random thoughts and thoughts of what I need to do to get things prepared for another child.  (another chair at the table, another dresser for the girl's room, clothes for her, hair supplies and products that are completely foreign to me, what will she eat here?, she'll need a backpack, and a bike! what will I pack in her cold lunch? will I go to school with her at first?, socks ... she'll need socks because she is going to be cold here, I need to get gifts and things for E to do for our next trip since it could be soon, etc. - I feel like I can't even put a thought together sometimes!)  I spoke with the principal at school today and they are just amazing there.  She already had several things in place and just reassured me that the resources will be there if we need them.  We are so blessed to have such a great public school system in our community!

With the money raised from our t-shirt sales we plan to bring along supplies for the school that Emmanuella is attending.  I have 2 wonderful Kindergarten teacher friends (one who will be Emmanuella's teacher!) who have volunteered to bring me to the popular "teacher stores" to help pick things out.  While we will for sure bring pencils, erasers & sharpeners (that was about all we saw in the rooms in her school!) they will help me pick out other learning tools that they can hopefully use there.  They really have close to nothing at her school so it will be fun to bring things for them that could be useful teaching tools.

We were able to Skype with Emmanuella for a few seconds on Tuesday morning.  While our connection was awful, we could see she had gotten her hair braided and we could hear her say a few things.  The kids were able to at least say "hi" to her before we lost her.  We sent her a video message on Skype so hopefully she could at least view that from us.  It was great to see her again, oh how we miss her.

Right now we can specifically be praying for the USCIS to forward her information to the US Embassy in Ghana and that Ghana will quickly process my requests for packet pickup and then the interview date.  If all of those things come together it's even possible we could travel in August.

Thank you all for praying for and supporting us!  We'll keep you posted as we find out more.

Robin