Home 5 months

Matthew and Michael have been home five months.  It really is incredible how far they both have come in just a short period of time. 

Look whose WALKING!

Michael!

Look whose pulling up to STAND!

Matthew!

Look whose HAPPY!

 

 

Look whose LOVED!!!

I-171H RECEIVED...The Golden Ticket!

We received our I-171H Friday, May 6.  That is what we in the adoption community call The Golden Ticket.  It is just a single piece of paper but it is priceless as it holds the lives of two little girls.  Without this one piece of paper, we could not bring home our girls.   I'm so thankful we have it now!!! 

I-171H, (personal info removed for the blog)

This has been a very busy couple of weeks.  We took all of the dossier documents that we had completed to Austin May 4th to be apostilled.  We had a nice trip, got to tour the capital again and arrived back home 19 hours later. Very long, yet quick, trip.

Texas Secretary of State building where we get our paperwork apostilled

Waiting inside the SOS building for apostilles to be finished

In session!  We got to watch a debate on the floor and how Texas laws are made!

Matthew and Michael's first trip to THEIR state capital.  Matthew is looking at the TEXAS sign on the floor of the rotunda in the center of the State Capital.

Cute Kids!!!

Peace officers' memorial just outside of the Capital

Texas State Capital building

45 documents apostilled for our dossier....DONE!

We sent in our I-600A application to USCIS on April 28.  This is an Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition to our government.  They receive it in Texas, process it, send it to MO for more processing, assign an officer to the case, process it some more, then either approve it, reject it or ask for more documentation.  If it is approved, USCIS gives you an I-171H form that officially says your are approved to adopt.  Seems easy enough...but the process is usually V.E.R.Y long taking many, many weeks to complete.  We do not have time on our side for several reasons so I was determined to get through the process in record time and we asked God to show us favor...He did!


The process can be expedited for medical reasons so we went to our Dr.  May 10th to see if he would write a letter for medical expedite for the girls...he did!  We sent that letter to USCIS that very day and then ran over to Congressman Randy Neugebauer's office the next day, May 11th, and spoke to his assistant, Jay, and Jay then called USCIS on our behalf to recommend a medical expedite as well.  Within 5 minutes of Mr. Neugebauer's office calling USCIS, we had an officer assigned to our case.  By noon the next day our I-600A was approved and I had the I-171H in my hands ready to be apostilled.  15 days!  God is good!


Now we just have to get the I-171H and one other document apostilled and we can send our entire dossier to the country our girls are in and wait for the travel date.  Jeff could be traveling in 6-8 weeks if all goes quickly!! 

Ways you can help...

We have had several people ask us how they can help with our expenses for the adoption.  There are several ways to help.


You can simply donate by clicking on the Reece's Rainbow "Donate" button at the top of the side bar.  All donations given through Reece's Rainbow are fully tax deductible and go directly to our adoption. RR gives us this money closer to our travel date.

If you want your donation to come directly to us for immediate expenses, please use our daughter Rachel's fundraiser, found a little lower in the side bar.  These donations are not tax deductible because they go directly to us and not through RR. 


**You can pray....prayer is a HUGE part of raising money.

**You can have a garage sale.


**You can have a bake sale........(Thank you, Dani, for doing this!!!!)


**You can host a 'give-away'.


**You can host a 1K/5K/10K fun run.

You can choose one of our needs below and raise money towards that specific need if that is what you are being called to do.  International adoption is about as expensive as a private domestic adoption.  It usually costs about $25-30,000 to adopt two children from the country we are adopting from.   

We do not pay anything for the children themselves.  We do not pay anything to the government of their country.  ALL expenses all go towards actual adoption costs like paperwork processing, mailings, airfare, hotel accommodations abroad, food, transportation while in-country, facilitation/translations fees, etc.   

Every penny raised is a HUGE blessing.  Tell me which need you are going to cover and I'll mark that need as MET!  Of course, you can also remain anonymous if you wish.

Thank you all so much for your willingness and eagerness to help us rescue our daughters!!!!! 


Our Adoption Needs:


1. $ 200 Homestudy update
2. $ 200 Apostilles
3. $ 300 Medical fees for the girls in-country
4. $ 475 Car Transportation in-country
5. $ 500 postage fees
6. $ 600 Train Transportation in-country
7. $ 700 Food, in-country
8. $ 720 I-600 Fee, in-country
9. $ 800 hotel/apartment in-country
10. $ 808 Visa Application for the girls, in-country
11. $ 890 USCIS fees
12. $ 1,300Passports for the girls, in-country
13. $ 2,335 Initial RR fees
14. $ 10,000 Airfare
15. $ 11,000 facilitation fees, in-country

Total:  $30,468


Some people may wonder WHY are Jeff and I going to all this expense to adopt two little girls in Eastern Europe when there are thousands of children right here in America we could adopt for free through CPS.  There's only one answer to that question:


GOD! 


We have to go where He is calling us this time and He is calling us to this particular country for these particular children.  They are our daughters, and we have to to get them out of there and bring them home.  

Thank you all so much for helping us!