Don't Get Me Started...

I have had it up to here (visualize me making a strong gesture marking a place WAY above my head) with USCIS aka Homeland Security.  I'm tired of waiting for an approval that should've only taken...well, a couple of days but averages are all over the place from 35-75 days.  We are on day 63 in our wait to get approval from our government to bring an adopted child from a Hague Convention country into the US (at least that's what I understand it to be).  

This approval is absolutely necessary for our paperwork to progress, but its driving me bananas!!!  The form we filled out and sent in way back in October is the same one we're waiting to get an approval on now...still.  Of course, it started out as my math error and shorting them 15.00 which resulted in a two week delay and then Carl's job loss and gain and a homestudy update and now since 11/9/11 we've been waiting.  We found out we hadn't even been assigned an officer until last Friday, the 6th of January.  I just cannot believe how pathetic this system is.  I mean, come on, we were checked out by our state government, by the FBI and now we've been waiting longest of all on homeland security.  I now can see why we had the tragedy of 9-11 more clearly  There is ZERO communication between our government agencies.  Ugh!!!!  I've been beginning to see some approvals come through for other families who sent their paperwork to homeland security after we did so now I'm really starting to get irked.  Our officer responded to my email this morning saying that our file would be reviewed today and if she didn't need any further information it would be approved and we would receive it in 1-3 business days.  I'm not holding my breath, but that hasn't stopped me checking my emails constantly to see if a Fed Ex tracking notice has come through today.  Even if we needed to provide them with more information about one thing or another, it won't be long now and we will be approved.  I guess I just needed to get a little  frustration off my chest.  

IF  WHEN we finally get our approval, known as the 797, in our hands we will make a copy of the document, sign it, get it notarized and FedEx Express it to Pierre to be certified (verification of the notary/document ) at the office of the Secretary of State, then it will be FedEx Expressed back to us using our prepaid envelope.  As soon as that document gets back into our hands we will turn around and put it in another envelope with a big check to send to a courier in Washington, DC who will hand deliver our document to the Secretary of State's office to be authenticated and then on to the Embassy of China to be authenticated.  Then, that super important final document we need before we can send all of our things to China will arrive back in our hands and we will immediately take it, along with a couple pounds of paper (or the equivalent of 6 months of blood, sweat and tears), to the Fed Ex drop to be sent to the Holt China Program headquarters in Eugene, OR before being sent to CH*NA!!!

That is all the further I can wrap my head around at this point, but after we get our Dossier (the equivalent of 6 months of blood, sweat and tears) to Ch*na there are some exciting steps that will take place.  We'll still have a long wait until we travel, but things will at least be moving.  I'm tired of waiting on my government.  Its ridiculous!

Now that I've gotten all my grumpies out, I would really appreciate if you would pray for a speedy approval of our 797.  It should've been mailed today, but doesn't look like it was.  Embracing this wait has become increasingly difficult.  Trusting God's timing is hard.  Really hard.  Shopping for my girl while I wait has gotten...really easy.  Well, actually its gotten about as ridiculous as homeland security :)  Bring on the 797!!!