Hoping it will Show

Realizing that we haven't blogged lately on the progress of the adoption paperchase, here is an update. We have gotten all the documents authenticated and are ready to send in our dossier..with the exception of the I-171H form. The I-171H is the form that we will receive from USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Service) given us approval to adopt internationally. This is a result of the I-600A form that we had to fill out and the fingerprinting that we had done at the Hammond CIS office. After we receive the coveted I-171H and have it authenticated, our dossier will be complete and we can then send it on. It is at the point that we send in our dossier that we are considered officially waiting for a referral. Let me explain a little bit about the whole process of authentication...Authentication is the process by which the documents that we have had notarized are examined by the Secretary of State for our state (Indiana) and deemed authentic (kind of like a double notarization). Our good friends the Whipples received their I-171H last week, Hurrah!! The wait for their I-171H was about 7 weeks from the time they were fingerprinted. We were fingerprinted on February 15th and are waiting...patiently waiting.
We have been reflecting much during this time that the paperchase has been coming to a close about how God has orchestrated things in our adoption journey thus far. Sunday the sermon was on Romans 16:25-27, the Romans Doxology. We have been studying in the book for Romans for 5 years now. Yes, you read right, 5 years. We truly believe in the thorough exegesis of scripture and strive to give God's word the study that it deserves. Our vocational pastor has been at our church for an amazing 19 years and we appreciate he biblical sound doctrine and teaching. The Roman doxology reads in part" Now to him who is able to strengthen you according to my gospel ....to bring about the obedience of faith to the only wise God be glory forevermore through Jesus Christ! Amen. " We realized that in this time of waiting for the I171H to arrive that it is not possible for us to rely on our own strength, or on our own human faults, but that we must be in total dependence on Christ who is able to strengthen us and to bring us to the obedience of faith in God, to whom we owe all the glory.