God Has Responded...Again!
I don't think that I can accurately put into words the total feeling of relief, joy, thankfulness, gratitude, appreciation, and utter excitement of today's events. I began my morning with emailing my Representative, the CCAI, my home study and placing agency, the immigration attorney, and calling my Senator's office to let them know that our asset verification package arrived at the USCIS office yesterday morning. I wanted to let them know so that they could begin again to ask for our case status since our "new" information was in their possession.
Around 2:00 in the afternoon, I got a call from one of my Senator's office. When I saw the number on the caller ID, I ran into the bathroom - my new office - it is the quietest room in this house. The case worker said, "Mrs. Gross?" "This is she," I say. "This is XXXXX at Senator McConnell's office. I emailed immigration regarding your status and I just got an email from the field officer saying that your case had been approved and notification was sent in the mail yesterday." Hands are beginning to shake, stomach is making its way up my throat and I say, "Whoa, whoa, whoa...who is this?" Yeah, I was sounding really professional with my "whoas". She repeated her name. I said, "are you saying that we got our approval?" She read me the email message and said, "if you don't have it in the next couple of days, call me and I will walk down there and get it myself." Have you ever had an emotional dam to break? Well I have and I had another one to break today. I began to cry, nearly sobbing. She congratulated me and I hung up the phone. Tears are rolling, I begin to scream and jumping up and down. I think I may have pulled a muscle in my thigh, but that's okay. Parker came running into the room asking, "why are you crying? Momma, what are you doing? Momma, why are you doing that?" He got excited too when I told him that we got good news about Elli.
As soon as I get through with my happy dance, I call Rodney. Of course he doesn't answer! So I leave a message and call my cousin. She was the first one that I got to "tell". She has been an awesome support for me. I know that they have prayed, brain stormed, and were willing to do whatever to help us get this done....Thank you! Next, I started calling mine and Rodney's family. Everyone was really excited because we have been praying for this mountain to be removed since June. It wasn't on my time table, God knows, but he has responded!
I don't ever want to deny giving God the glory for what he has and is doing in my life. He has given me a life far better than one I could have planned on my own. He has provided and made ways for my family that no one else could have done. He has moved on people's hearts to help us, to fight for us and to pray for us. I praise God for this work, but I want to thank all of you who have supported us and prayed that our approval would come soon. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
So, if you are like the rest of my family...what's next? When the approval comes in the mail, I make a copy, have that copy notarized along with my other dossier documents, county certified and then they will go to Frankfort for the state level certification. I hope it comes tomorrow so that I can get this done tomorrow and in the mail to Frankfort by Saturday. Then Anna will have her surgery on Tuesday and I hope that it will be back to me by Thursday. Then it will be going to Washington, D.C. for Secretary of State certification and Chinese Embassy authentication. Following all the signatures, seals and stamps the documents will go to our placing agency where it will be translated and sent to China. When it arrives in China, we will wait for the LID (log in date). After the LID, somewhere around 80 days (sometimes more, sometimes less) we should receive a LOA/SC (letter of acceptance/seeking confirmation) asking us if we want to continue to proceed with the adoption. We check YES, sign and return to China. After the LOA/SC gets back to China they usually issue a TA (travel approval) in about 2 to 3 weeks. After the TA has been received, our placing agency will schedule our CA (consulate appointment) and that determines our travel dates and the day that WE WILL MEET ELLI!!!!
Can you see the light at the end of this insanely long and twisted tunnel? Because I think I see a flicker ahead! With averages, we could be traveling in mid-January. Yeah, go back and read my previous posts where I say that January looked near impossible...what's impossible? I am just loving today, what can I say?!?
So incredibly thrilled and sending the biggest hug ever to my sweet Elli,
Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna
Around 2:00 in the afternoon, I got a call from one of my Senator's office. When I saw the number on the caller ID, I ran into the bathroom - my new office - it is the quietest room in this house. The case worker said, "Mrs. Gross?" "This is she," I say. "This is XXXXX at Senator McConnell's office. I emailed immigration regarding your status and I just got an email from the field officer saying that your case had been approved and notification was sent in the mail yesterday." Hands are beginning to shake, stomach is making its way up my throat and I say, "Whoa, whoa, whoa...who is this?" Yeah, I was sounding really professional with my "whoas". She repeated her name. I said, "are you saying that we got our approval?" She read me the email message and said, "if you don't have it in the next couple of days, call me and I will walk down there and get it myself." Have you ever had an emotional dam to break? Well I have and I had another one to break today. I began to cry, nearly sobbing. She congratulated me and I hung up the phone. Tears are rolling, I begin to scream and jumping up and down. I think I may have pulled a muscle in my thigh, but that's okay. Parker came running into the room asking, "why are you crying? Momma, what are you doing? Momma, why are you doing that?" He got excited too when I told him that we got good news about Elli.
As soon as I get through with my happy dance, I call Rodney. Of course he doesn't answer! So I leave a message and call my cousin. She was the first one that I got to "tell". She has been an awesome support for me. I know that they have prayed, brain stormed, and were willing to do whatever to help us get this done....Thank you! Next, I started calling mine and Rodney's family. Everyone was really excited because we have been praying for this mountain to be removed since June. It wasn't on my time table, God knows, but he has responded!
I don't ever want to deny giving God the glory for what he has and is doing in my life. He has given me a life far better than one I could have planned on my own. He has provided and made ways for my family that no one else could have done. He has moved on people's hearts to help us, to fight for us and to pray for us. I praise God for this work, but I want to thank all of you who have supported us and prayed that our approval would come soon. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
So, if you are like the rest of my family...what's next? When the approval comes in the mail, I make a copy, have that copy notarized along with my other dossier documents, county certified and then they will go to Frankfort for the state level certification. I hope it comes tomorrow so that I can get this done tomorrow and in the mail to Frankfort by Saturday. Then Anna will have her surgery on Tuesday and I hope that it will be back to me by Thursday. Then it will be going to Washington, D.C. for Secretary of State certification and Chinese Embassy authentication. Following all the signatures, seals and stamps the documents will go to our placing agency where it will be translated and sent to China. When it arrives in China, we will wait for the LID (log in date). After the LID, somewhere around 80 days (sometimes more, sometimes less) we should receive a LOA/SC (letter of acceptance/seeking confirmation) asking us if we want to continue to proceed with the adoption. We check YES, sign and return to China. After the LOA/SC gets back to China they usually issue a TA (travel approval) in about 2 to 3 weeks. After the TA has been received, our placing agency will schedule our CA (consulate appointment) and that determines our travel dates and the day that WE WILL MEET ELLI!!!!
Can you see the light at the end of this insanely long and twisted tunnel? Because I think I see a flicker ahead! With averages, we could be traveling in mid-January. Yeah, go back and read my previous posts where I say that January looked near impossible...what's impossible? I am just loving today, what can I say?!?
So incredibly thrilled and sending the biggest hug ever to my sweet Elli,
Rodney, Marcy, Carter, Jacob, Parker & Anna
