The Beginning of Chapter Two

We began the adoption process on February 14, 2011 when we sent our application to All God's Children International. Just a little over a month later, after signing contracts and sending in payments, we received this binder in the mail.

I remember ripping open the FedEx box in a flurry of excitement. Then I opened the binder. Y'all intimidated and overwhelmed don't begin to describe how I felt. I might as well have been reading Cantonese for all I understood. The thought "how will we ever do this?" flew through my mind more times than I can count. When I talked to our caseworker for the first time, I told her point blank how I was feeling, and she assured me it was normal.

We officially started working on our Dossier on March 17. We officially finished our Dossier on August 18. It may seem like a long time, but in reality it takes a while to gather and get all the documents you need. This unassuming little stack of papers contains some of the most important documents we've ever signed.

If you were to flip through it, you would most likely not find anything of any interest to you. There is no extremely confidential or life shattering information contained in that seemingly (and shockingly) thin stack of papers. But those papers are the key to our little girl. On Monday, we will send that stack of papers off to our adoption agency where they will be translated and sent on to Bulgaria.

Right now, I am feeling an overwhelming sense of relief and thankfulness. God has been extremely faithful throughout this process. Our home study went incredibly smoothly; our family doctor wasn't just helpful, he was encouraging (and is still encouraging us to this day); our USCIS appointment couldn't have been easier; the list goes on and on.

I want to thank all of you for your prayers and support throughout this part of the process. We now begin the wait, and to be honest, we really have no idea how long we will be waiting. As always, we hope and pray that it will be shorter than anticipated, but we are also dealing in the reality of international adoption. I ask you to continue to keep us in your thoughts in prayers as we will definitely need them in the months and years to come. Your prayers mean more than you will ever know.

And that ladies and gentlemen is the end of Chapter One.

1 Samuel 1:27 "For this child I prayed, and the LORD has granted me my petition which I asked of Him."