1 Month Down!

We have been waiting 1 month for our referral call!

Only 6-8 more months to go!

Please pray for:  

* Our baby and her birth mother--their health and safety.
* The finances to be provided---waiting to hear about the grants that we have applied for.
* Patience and peace for Kara.  I am struggling with anxiety at night.
* Our agency (AW) and all parties involved in Ethiopia regarding ALL adoption details.


Hope all is well for you and your families.

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you;
And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you.
When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned,
Nor shall the flame scorch you.
For I am the LORD your God,
The Holy One of Israel, your Savior;
I gave Egypt for your ransom,
Ethiopia and Seba in your place.
Since you were precious in My sight,
You have been honored,
And I have loved you;
Therefore I will give men for you,
And people for your life.
Fear not, for I am with you;
I will bring your descendants from the east,
And gather you from the west;
I will say to the north, 'Give them up!'
And to the south, 'Do not keep them back!'
Bring My sons from afar,
And My daughters from the ends of the earth--
Isaiah 43: 2-6

Where is our Dossier? WE ARE IN ET!!!

Just for fun!  Let's follow our Dossier to ET!

I will post when it has moved.  (The following is from Duni, our coordinator.)

Dear Families,
Your authenticated dossier has been mailed to Ethiopia today!

As you track your dossier, please keep a couple of things in mind. First of all, do not be worried if the package makes stops in European or other countries for long periods of time. This is normal, and I've seen this happen often. Also, when the FedEx office in Ethiopia receives packages for our in-country staff representative, they call him to pick up the package rather than deliver it to his office. Often times the FedEx report will say “wrong address”, we are not sure why this happens, because the package has yet to be shipped to a wrong address when it says this, so please do not be alarmed by this, it is something that we have spoken to FedEx about multiple times. Because the FedEx office is not in close proximity to our staff member's office, it often takes him a few days to pick up the package. If you see notes that the package has arrived in Ethiopia but not been picked up, this is why.

Ship date
Jun 13, 2008
Reference
VA/ET_Tucker dossier
Destination
BOLE SUB-CITY, ADDIS ABABA ET 
Priority Box
Weight
13.8 lbs.--BIG BABY!!!

Jun 13, 2008
2:17 PM
Package data transmitted to FedEx

Jun 16, 2008
4:21 PM
Picked up
HERNDON, VA
9:30 PM
Left FedEx origin facility  

Jun 17, 2008
12:15 AM
Arrived at FedEx location
MEMPHIS, TN
2:12 AM
Departed FedEx location
MEMPHIS, TN
11:38 PM
In transit
FRANKFURT DE
11:38 PM
Arrived at FedEx location
FRANKFURT DE

Jun 19, 2008
12:45 AM
In transit
ADDIS ABABA ET
Package available for clearance
7:30 AM
Int'l shipment release
ADDIS ABABA ET

Relaxation, Anniversary & DTE Date!!!

The family and I returned yesterday from a much needed vacation.  Away from schedules, work, laundry, cooking, etc...

We spent 4 glorious days in Destin, Florida relaxing and baking on the beach!  (Yes, we did use sunscreen!)

We celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary and it was wonderful!  

While in Destin, we received our official DTE date!!!  (This is so crucial in the adoption world!) DTE-Dossier (all our paperwork) to Ethiopia.  

We can start the count NOW!  7-9 months when we should receive the CALL about our precious baby girl.  This time frame can change.  Hopefully, if will not change to a further wait time.

It is because of the Lord's mercy and loving-kindness that we are not consumed, because His [tender] compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great and abundant is Your stability and faithfulness.
Lamentations 3: 22-23

Good... no GREAT news!

WOW!

This has been an exciting week in our adoption world!

On Monday, I headed out to Austin to get our Dossier state certified.

I drove the entire way! Pretty good for someone who does not like the freeway...at all!

My good friend drove with me! We had a blast on our drive!



After certifying the documents we ate lunch at a Moroccan place and then went in search of a FedEx!

I was literally shaking with excitement as I was copying the last crucial papers. I was so excited that I left my credit card in the machine in Austin (did not realize until I was home).

So...the Portilla *paper* baby was priority overnighted to McLean, VA on Monday. It was received on Tuesday and our agency has been doing the last leg of the certification and authentication process.



So what happens next?

OH MY!---Our DTE (dossier to Ethiopia) date will be next Friday, June 13, 2008.

Our 16th Wedding Anniversary. I can't think of a better present.

We *officially* start the WFR (waiting for referral) phase now. As of date, 7-9 months is the expected time for a healthy infant girl 0-12 months. January-March 2009 we should receive "the call."

What I am thankful for:

Safe travel of our documents to VA.
God's continued faithfulness.
That I am at peace with the wait.

Please pray for:

Continued peace in this next phase.
Our baby who is probably growing inside her birth mommy. Also, the birth mom's health and safety.
Continued referrals from the two orphanages in Ethiopia.

Thanks for sharing in our JOY!

I heart the US Postal Service!

Our 1-171 form came in today's mail! WOW!!!!!

We are beyond thrilled. After much jumping up and down and screaming we...

Headed to Dairy Queen for some celebration ice cream. It was delicious!

What a GREAT day!

We now will travel to Austin to get our huge amounts of paperwork state certified. It will then be overnighted to our agency where it will be authenticated and translated and head off to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

We are hoping to be DTE (dossier to Ethiopia) by June 13, 2008.

The next phase is 7-9 months long, waiting for a referral for our precious baby girl.

What you can pray for:

* Save travel to Austin
* All our documents are in perfect order thus preventing delays
* Our DTE date will be established quickly
* Continued patience and trust in our Lord! Mommy has been a little week in this area!

Thankful for:

* QUICK delivery of our I-171--10 days from our fingerprinting appointment! WOW!
* The funds needed for this phase were provided in FULL--miracle of God!
* Finding Joy in this Journey. It is my *goal* to find joy daily in our journey to Ava.
* God blessing me with some AMAZING friends who continue to listen to every detail of the process-- Thanks for being there and lifting me up--I love you guys!

Words cannot express how full our hearts are today!  This is a long process but we are so blessed in knowing that God has great plans for our family!

Guess what we did today (actually Yesterday)!

This is what a happy mommy and daddy look like!

Guess what we did today!

WE GOT FINGERPRINTED!!!! It was so exciting.

After a day of phone tag with my "friend" at the USCIS, I finally spoke to her on Tuesday morning at 8:30 am. She was so nice and so helpful. She received our overnight package and promised to work on our case over the next week. She asked for my email address and contact phone number. Within 30 minutes--we had the documents in hand to go and get fingerprinted.

What an amazing turnaround!

I never dreamed (but really hoped) that we would get this important step done so quickly!

What happens next:

* We need to receive the I-171 form that allows us to travel with an orphan (should receive within 2-4 weeks)
* Drive to Austin--get everything authenticated.
* Fedex our package to AW in Virginia. Hopefully, our papers will be in ET sometime in July. It may be later or quicker!

What can you pray for:

* Quick delivery of the I-171 
* FUNDS--we need $3200 to send in with our paperwork to AW. We know God will supply all our needs.

Praising God for:

* His faithfullness and peace.  It is hard to remember sometimes but he IS in control of every detail.
* We are finding Joy in the Journey. This is a difficult and lengthy process but we are so encouraged by all that has happened so far.

Thank you to all our family and friends that continue to pray for us.

**USCIS Update**

I had my appointment with USCIS on Monday morning.  After going through security and standing at a tiny window to ask my questions--I left with a name and phone number of someone within the Orphan Dept!  I immediately called and spoke with this VIP and hopefully we will have our fingerprinting appointment scheduled sometime this week or next.  

What can you pray for:

* Favor with my contact at USCIS in getting a *quick* fingerprinting appointment.
* That our paperwork will not sit on someone's desk being ignored.
* For the I-171 to be processed in a timely manner.
* Lastly, that God would supply all our needs financially.

This is such an exciting journey.  Tulio and I have seen the hand of God in every single step of this process.  What an amazing story we will get the honoring of sharing with our precious baby girl!

Always be joyful.  Never stop praying.  1 Thessalonians 5:16-17