Thank you to each of you who have been praying with us and to you who have given financial gifts to help us adopt Maren. God has been so good to us! Looking back on what He has done so far gives us hope for the future. We know He has led us us and we rejoice!
We received our translated adoption papers on December 21 while we were visiting my mom in Pennsylvania. After we returned to Nebraska we dove in and started working on them. First, we mailed them to the secretary of state in Nebraska to be certified. Certification is when the state verifies the authenticity of the notary public who confirmed our documents. Most of our documents went to Lincoln. However, because we were married in Pennsylvania our marriage license had to be certified by the secretary of state in Pennsylvania. We still have not received our marriage license back from Harrisburg. So, that is a prayer request if the Lord brings it to mind.
There is another step after state certification which is authentication by TECO (Taipei Economic and Cultural Office). TECO also authenticates our papers. They check the notaries of the English and the Chinese translations. They make sure that the translations read accurately. Some of our papers are being authenticated in Kansas City. However, our marriage license will have to go through the TECO office in New York City because we were married in Pennsylvania.
Soon we will mail our documents which have been authenticated by our states and TECO back to His Hands Taiwan. His Hands Taiwan will then file for a court date. Usually it will take somewhere between 2-8 weeks after filing to receive a court date. Please pray for us. Our desire is for a quick date. Please pray for God's best for us. We recognize that His time table may not be the same one that we would want.
Pray about what judge our case will be assigned to. Also, please pray for the social worker in Taiwan who will work on our case. We desire favor from the Lord and that these people will act decisively on our behalf.
Pray that none of our documents will be lost or misplaced as they travel in and out of many offices around the world. Pray that AIT (The American Institute in Taiwan) will process our paperwork effeciently.
Also, please pray for Holly and Trena, the 2 ladies who administrate His Hands. They volunteer their time and they have families of their own. They are wonderful women who love Jesus and have made themselves available to the LORD. I know when they started praying a few years ago they had no idea what the LORD was planning for them. We want the LORD to bless them and provide everything they need and more than they could ask or imagine.
Also, pray for Mary Joy, Glenda, Xiao Mei, and Jenna. All of these lovely ladies work in the House of Hope where Maren lives to care for the babies. What a huge, important, tiring job. We are so grateful to them for watching over Maren. Pray that God will keep them healthy, make their sleep sweet, and give them grace and love for each baby as they tend to their needs.
Pray for our baby's sweet mom and grandma. They are in mourning. Most of all pray that one day we will all stand in heaven together. Pray that they will hope in the day when Jesus will wipe away every tear from our eyes.
Maren is a fussy baby. Pray that the LORD will help her to rest. I worry that she will frustrate the nannies because she can be difficult and sleepless. I wish I could be there! Pray that she will come to know Jesus. Pray that the LORD will help her to bond to us when we finally meet. Pray for us too that God will continue to get us ready. And, that we will be full of His peace as we wait on His perfect timing to be united as a family. We are so eager and our emotions are intensified right now.
Thank you for walking through life with us.
We are pilgrims on a journey, we are brothers on the road. We are here to help each other, walk the mile and bear the load.
When we stand with God in heaven, we will share such harmony.
Full of all we've known together of Christ's love and agony.
(The Servant Song)
0 COMMENTS: