Early November Adoption Update
It’s amazing how the past month has flown by, and yet not very much has happened on the adoption front. During the first few weeks of October, we had our final visit with our home study social worker and completed our medical paperwork. Then, we moved into a bit of a waiting period while our adoption agency reviewed the home study from a number of different angles (for state certification, US Immigration, and Ukraine). We just got the news this week that the home study is in the final review stages and will likely be submitted for official approval in our state and then off to US Immigration. In the meantime, our family has had a chance to rest and wait before the next big paperwork push.
The upcoming submission of our US Immigration paperwork is also giving us a chance to estimate the timeline better; given the average processing times for this kind of form, it will likely be late February 2022 by the time we can send all of our official paperwork to Ukraine. This seems like a long time, but we know it will go by fast. And in the middle of that, we get to see our sweet girl again over Christmas!
Keeping In Touch
Over the past few weeks, we have had a couple of opportunities for a few short video calls with Margarita, which is a huge gift! Although we still have a sizable language barrier to overcome, it’s obvious to us that Margarita is happy to see each of us and get a glimpse into our mornings as we show her around the house and let each kiddo say “Hi”. We have also been sending letters in the mail every week, which we believe she is receiving. Sadly, our one attempt to send a package with a few small gifts was super expensive and the shipping company had problems with delivery – it still hasn’t been delivered, but we hope it will be soon.
Encouragement and Provision
All throughout this slower time of waiting, God continues to bring special people into our lives and bless us with encouragement, prayer, and financial provision. Christy participated in a fundraising auction on FaceBook and made some new friends with other adoptive moms. Just last weekend we were able to talk over Zoom with an old coworker of mine who adopted from Ukraine about ten years ago. He shared lots of helpful advice and stories of how God worked through all the waiting and delays, and we are super encouraged. Just this past week, Christy and I had a dinner date with a few couples in our church who are stepping into foster care. We are so grateful for a chance to compare notes on parent training, share our hopes and fears together, and discuss ideas for how our church can wisely and joyfully care for orphans.
Please Pray for Us
For all of you who are reading this blog and following our adoption journey: thank you! We are so grateful for your support and encouragement during this time. We need your prayers! Specifically, please pray that our home study would be completed soon, and for quick processing of the US Immigration paperwork after that. Also, please pray about all the details surrounding Margarita’s visit over Christmas, and that our time together would be a blessing. We need your continued prayers for financial provision, especially with upcoming US Immigration filing costs and the next round of adoption agency fees. Most of all, our prayer is that God would be glorified in all the details, and that we would trust Him more through all of this.
As always, if you’d like to contact us, please don’t hesitate to look us up on Instagram @mcjohnsonadoption or drop us an email.
