We got our Letter of Approval (LOA) from China today. How nice. The originals are being faxed to Scott and I to sign stating we want to adopt Jiliang. Then, I will travel in approximately 6-8 weeks.
Unfortunately today, we also received a letter from USCIS stating that we did not include our fingerprint fee of $160, so that may hold things up. However, I was happy to dig out the cleared/cashed check by Detroit's USCIS office from July 14, 2009. How else would they have taken our fingerprints in August of 2009? I can only shake my head, and pray that this rat-race for paperwork and fees will come to and end very soon. It wouldn't be so bad if we had only gone through the USCIS and home study process one time, as adoptive families should. However, this is our third time applying and re-applying, due to the extended wait times. Every time around, something has gone wrong! In my opinion, it is all about perfect timing and God's Plan. I believe that EVERYTHING happens for a reason. Eventually, this will all be a distant memory. In the meantime, we are officially approved to be Jiliang's parents and that makes me so happy!!
I got the email at 9:40 p.m. and my early-bird husband was already in bed. :) Of course, I woke him up to tell him the good news first, but we'll see if he remembers it or not. Keep us in your thoughts and prayers for smooth sailing from here on out.
God Bless!
Jill :)
