Wow - how is it been 4 months since the last update?! Our education that was scheduled for May in-person was cancelled and moved to a virtual format which unfortunately wasn't ready for us to begin until mid-July. We completed the education at record speed & with great enthusiasm as we were so relieved to be moving forward albeit slowly. The delay of a couple months isn't something we can't overcome but it has created some additional challenges with our timeline. 

Good news - Our home visit to FINALLY complete the home study process (which we began back in December, believe it or not!) will be taking place this upcoming Thursday. This is a huge milestone for our process & it's such a relief to have it scheduled.

Challenges - We were given a deadline of 10/6 to submit our dossier documents to Colombia via our adoption agency. Due to COVID, some pieces required for the dossier (Psych Evals, Home Study report) have been delayed significantly because they require in-person meetings and pandemic restrictions limited our ability to move those pieces forward on time. After our home visit this next week, it will take about a month or so for the report to be written then submitted & approved by our adoption agency. That will trigger the next step which is to file an I-800A form with US Government. Leadtimes for I-800A are approx 8-12 weeks so our October dossier deadline is no longer achievable since dossier cannot be compiled & submitted prior to I-800A approval. We don't yet know what exactly missing this deadline will mean but please keep this journey in your prayers. So many obstacles and unexpected twists and turns.

Our takeaway from this season - Our God is in charge & He knows exactly where our child is. He foresaw every challenge and bump we would face. Each delay may seem to us like another obstacle between us & our child but it all aligns with God's plan & His timing. We have felt surprising peace despite so many changes in the process. We know He knows every moment what He is doing & is working for the good of His people. 

Prayer requests:

• Home visit goes well & home study report can be written & approved quickly
• We get approval to move forward with in-person psychological evaluations next month
• We are able to send our I-800A paperwork in next month. 
• Our child. So many children that are adopted come from hard places with horrific trauma, neglect, and/or abuse. We have no idea what our child is facing today. It is heartbreaking to know they could be hurting and we can't be there for them. Our great relief is knowing that Christ walks behind and before them through whatever they may be enduring.

The submission of our I-800A triggers a flurry of next steps so stay tuned for another update. 

Psalm 27:14  Wait for the Lord; be strong, and let your heart take courage; wait for the Lord!
Galatians 6:9  And let us not grow weary of doing good, for in due season we will reap, if we do not give up.