I-800 Approval!!

We heard from our case worker today that our I-800 was approved!  This is what we've been waiting for!!  This is the last big piece of the puzzle that needed to happen before we can travel to Maria.  It was approved on January 20th.  It takes about two weeks for the approval to arrive in Bogota, and after the U.S. Embassy receives it they issue what's called an Article 5.  Once that is issued we will receive our travel date!  Our case worker estimates that we'll be able to travel the weekend of February 13th!!  So that means that we'll most likely be traveling in three weeks!  We can't wait!! 

It's been such an amazing day!  This news was the icing on the cake.  (And a huge answer to prayer!)  I've been so up and down emotionally this week.  My poor mother-in-law and sister-in-law got to witness me feeling completely overwhelmed at the start of the week.  It slowly got better as the week progressed.  And then today was such a wonderful day!

After I took Carlos to school I went to the chiropractor's.  While I was being adjusted, the doctor was asking me questions about our adoption.  As I was sharing what's been going on, her assistant came in and overheard part of our conversation.  It turns out that she and her husband have recently decided to adopt.  She was eager to talk with me, and I was eager to share with her!  I love talking about adoption, and could do it all day long.  She gave me her contact information and so I'll be able to share with her what I've learned and experienced over the past five years.  What an honor to be able to walk along side of her as she and her husband start to navigate the sea of adoption.  It's a blessing to be able to do that!

I then drove to a new friend's house.  She and her husband adopted their daughter from Colombia a year and a half ago.  We met them in November and had dinner with them in January.  They are letting us borrow their space bags for our travels, and so I went to go and pick them up.  I so enjoyed my time talking with her and playing with their beautiful, busy, adorably sweet two year old daughter!  She and Maria are two months apart in age and were at Los Pisingos for six months together as infants.  We're really excited for them to be able to be playmates now in Michigan!

I then had a really nice conversation with my brother-in-law Tony on the phone.  He is my sister's husband.  They live in Los Angeles, and I love them and miss them very much!

A few months ago I received an email from a woman who's son has the same rare diagnosis as Maria.  She and her family live in Zeeland (about thirty minutes outside of Grand Rapids).  She heard about us from her sister who goes to church with Kevin's parents.  (I love how God connects people in all sorts of ways!  And this connection was definitely from Him!)  She wanted to let us know that her son is fifteen now, and doing great, and she would be happy to share his story with us, and encourage us in whatever way she can.  We set a date for this afternoon, and I was there for three and a half hours!  We discovered so many similarities between us.  And their story of what God has done in their lives with their son is AMAZING!  Truly miraculous beginnings.  And now their son is fifteen, and in some ways a very typical teenage boy, but she also was very open with me about the things that are difficult for him.  She was full of information and insight and resources, and just shared it all with me.  She was very real, and I just soaked it all in.  It was an absolute blessing to meet with her, and I'm so thankful that God connected us.  As we navigate the road ahead with Maria, I'll be able to talk with someone who's been where we're headed, and who's still on the journey.  What a gift!

And so I end my very full and rich day...serene.

I'll start the mad scramble tomorrow! :)