Well, we have finally gotten to the point where we have finished all of the paperwork for our dossier (which is all of the required documents for Honduras)! It has been a slightly frustrating few days since we completed our home study. Once we received our paperwork from Homeland Security clearing us to adopt internationally (a big step that was finished sooner than expected! Praise God!), we thought we had everything pretty much finished to where we could get the Secretary of the State of Mississippi to "apostille" our paperwork (which pretty much means they had to notarize the notaries. I know it sounds redundant.......because it is; but it's part of the process). However, we found out that we had to have certain documents apostilled in two other states, which took an overnight mail shipment and a flight to Austin, TX to complete. We finished that and had been having issues with getting one document notarized the proper way, but we got it done and are praying that it will be sufficient. We then received an email stating that Honduras wanted two identical sets of photos instead of just one (basically a scrap book that shows pictures of us, our family, and where we live). So, we got up with Ashley, who did our other one and did an awesome job! We asked her if she could do it ASAP, and she knocked it out in one day! So thankful for her help on that! The last thing that came up was the Secretary of the State of Missisippi informed us that some of our documents had to have a certain wording on them or she would not be able to apostille them. So, we had to take those documents and get them notarized........again. Amanda looked at me one night when I had gotten particularly frustrated and said, "This adoption stuff ain't for the faint of heart." Ha! She was right. There are so many forces of evil that are fighting against us; and they will continue to do so. Satan wants us to give up. He does not want a child to be brought into a loving, godly home. There is a child/ren that God has picked out for us. He has called us to this and He will be faithful to provide. We rest in the great I Am. Jesus fights for us, our child/ren, and for the people who will be impacted by this adoption. "If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31b!
So, after journeying through the few setbacks we were able to finally get everything together. We mailed everything off to our adoption agency Friday (November 25, 2011). They will have to process it and double check everything to make sure it's exactly how the Honduran government wants it, and they then send it off to Honduras.
Once it gets to Honduras they have to translate and process the documents through their departments. This is an official statement from our family coordinator at America World Adoption Agency about that process, "It is currently taking two weeks, minimally, for dossiers to be fully translated and legalized after they arrive in Honduras. It may, occasionally, take longer if the individual who is reviewing the translations for legalization is absent from the office. There is quite a review process that the dossier goes through at IHNFA (the governmental body in Honduras that specifically deals with processing requests for adoption) before it is assigned a number so it will be up to 1 or 1 ½ months before each family receives an assigned number." During that time if there is any paperwork that needs to be redone that is when we would have to do it; so it could take longer if problems arise. We will pray that everything goes smoothly, but that God's will and timing be done.
That's pretty much where we are right now. Kind of in another in-between place where we have done all that we can do besides wait for more progress. So much of this journey is out of our control, which causes us to take comfort in the Holy Spirit and to trust in God. One truth that has been helping me get through the moments of fear and uncertainty is something that Dr. Russell Moore wrote about in "Adopted for Life". He spoke of the part of the adoption journey before we have our child/ren. Instead of looking at it like it's a chore to be done, we need to look at it for what it is. Service for the King. All we are doing is stepping out in faith. Our reasons for adopting should not be primarily to have children of our own, or as charity, or for any other reason than the gospel. Our primary goal is to share the gospel of Jesus, and to make disciples of all nations. We also desire to raise a child in the ways of the Lord so that they may be a man or woman after God's own heart. We believe that our obedience to the call of adoption is a small step in that direction. Glory to God for the work He has done and the work He has yet to do!
In Christ,
Clint
Love God. Love others.
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