It's Done -- the fingerprinting, that is!

The fingerprinting is completed and went off without a hitch, almost. It was an interesting experience to say the least. We got to the application support center in downtown Brooklyn relative quickly. We had enough time to stop for a cup of coffee and a bagel. We were able to finish our bagels and still walk in 20 minutes before our scheduled appointment time. (The appointments actually mean nothing -- it's just a way of getting people to arrive scattered throughout the day.) We filled out forms (almost identical to the ones that we received with our appointment letter) and were given a number. That's when the almost glitch happened.

Since Edward is 18 he had to go with us and be fingerprinted. He's the one that almost ran into the problem. His name is legally Ralph Edward Snyder-Ritter, but goes by Edward. When we got his non-driver's license photo ID, he decided to have his name on it as R.E. Snyder-Ritter. They couldn't put R. Edward since the program the DMV uses wouldn't allow for middle names. That's where the problem arose. He had filled out his application as Ralph Edward Snyder-Ritter and since the ID and application didn't match, even though the ID was a photo ID, he was sent to the opposite side of the room that I had been sent to, to await a conflab with the manager. Fortunately the manager okayed everything and we were good to go (Edward said that the manager had that look of "this is not worth my time"). From there, we had no problems.

Now it's a matter of waiting for the fingerprints to be processed before we receive our permission to bring an orphan into the country. PTL!!

Fingerprinting Time

It's been quite a while since I've updated and with Christmas coming, I've been soooo busy I haven't gotten around to posting.

We received our finalized home study report in the mail on December 1. So, on December 3 we mailed the appropriate copy to USCIS (immigration). We had already sent in our application and the fee for the fingerprinting. I was ready for quite a wait for our fingerprinting appointments. The website that I had been checking for time frames was saying there was a 3 month wait. Okay, I was prepared for that. However, I wasn't prepared for the time frame that is taking place.

Let me explain. As I said, we mailed in our completed home study on December 3 and by Saturday, December 8, we had received our fingerprinting appointments -- less than 1 week later. And, the cherry on top of this sundae is that our appointments are for December 20!!!! The real answer to prayer is that the appointments are for the day after Edward's college finals are finished. He finishes on December 19 at 5:00 pm and our appointment is Thursday, the 20th, at 10:00 am. I have to admit that I was concerned that our appointments might conflict with his college class schedule in the spring, but God is good and arranged for that NOT to be the case.

Once the fingerprinting is completed and we are approved to bring an orphan into the country, it's just a matter of waiting for a referral from our agency. Please pray with us that the referral comes quickly and that we can travel during spring or summer next year. We are hoping to have our child(ren) here by Christmas 2008 at the latest. Please pray with us!!

This is an amazing journey that we are on and we so often see God's hand at work in this whole situation and our lives. We look forward to sharing pictures with you when we receive them!! :-)

Merry Christmas to you all. May you experience God's blessing this holiday season and in 2008!!