AND.....

     In my last post I shared our first round of disappointing news concerning our appointment for fingerprinting with USCIS.  This is one of the last steps in line before putting together out dossier to be sent to Ghana, so we were definitely anxious to get it done... Well, I was what you would call anxious, & Ryan was more just wanting it to get done soon - and believe me, there's a difference between the two! :o)
     So our first appointment was literally scheduled the day & time of our Firstborn's scheduled surgery to remove his tonsils & adenoids.  It's a story that will only make this one longer, but we felt clear direction & peace that we needed to postpone that fingerprinting appointment for the surgery.  So over 2 weeks ago, I sent in our request for another appointment.  (I should mention that the fingerprinting office is similar to the DMV except that you can only be accepted if you have an appointment for that day & time - so it's really just that they give you an appointment & you have to go ...sans kids.  And we were pretty prepared for that in terms of babysitting, Ryan getting off work & making the 2 1/2 hour trip up to the USCIS office,,.)  On Wednesday I got our 2nd appointment & sure enough, it was scheduled for the a day, in a couple weeks, when Ryan was going to be traveling for work out-of-state.  Well, I was not wanting to wait another 3 weeks or more for another appointment time that may or may not work because of Ryan's travel or whatever else... And in the meantime, we kept hearing about adopting families in similar situations who literally showed up at their local USCIS office without an appointment & prepared to wait all day to get "fitted in" to the schedule.   So, we started looking at our weeks, wondering if it could be a possibility for us too.... After spending 1/2 a day on the phone to sitters &  the national USCIS hotline - it was decided - we would head up Thursday night so we could be at center when the doors opened at 8am on Friday.  Talk about rushing to get your things in order... and 3 kids things... one of whom is still technically recovering from surgery & in the midst of his hardest days... geez...
And this is where it gets to be another "Wow God" moment in our journey.  I had many people praying for us (thank you, thank you if you were one of them!!!)- specifically that we would find favor with the people there & our trip would not be in vain.  In the meantime, I was praying fervently for myself (nothing like being selfish, huh??) - that God's will would be done & He would prepare me for whatever that would mean (in other words, a "NO").
      So, at 8:03am, after a quick prayer together, we walked in to a long line at the center.  When we got to the front & explained our situation, we were met with a frowning receptionist who was not happy with us whatsoever.  "No one gets in without an appointment" "We are way too busy with all the people who actually have appointments."  "We only have 2 operators."
     AND then ....eventually... the little glimmer of hope... "Well, I'll talk to the immigration office when he gets in, but I'm not promising anything."  GREAT!  We'll take it!!!
     So we wait - maybe 5, 10 minutes & then in he walked.  And people, this was a man with authority!  Like he just oozed it... you know what I mean?  He was a tall, broad, black man with an impeccable suit on & even a top hat - I mean, this guy had it together!!  So he calls our name & right away, he basically shut us down - "Why can't you come to this appointment?"  I explained that Ryan would be in Atlanta.  "Well, there's an office in Atlanta; he can just go there."  Except that we had to drive nearly 3 hours to get there today & that would mean I would need to come up on my own.... "Well, it's the holidays & we are short operators & you know, Obama's new allowance for the children of immigrants in jail to stay to get an education is making us very busy."  (At this point imagine me just dramatically nodding, like, "Sure, I'm totally up on this new Obama-thing because never-mind that it's enough for me to keep up with ObamaCare & Fiscal Cliffs & Adoption Tax Credits - I'm also up on the immigrants who are in jail & on their children.....")  And this is where I just start pleading our case, in essence, begging with tears in my eyes- "Please, we have tried to reschedule" "Please, we drove all this way" "Please, we will do whatever it takes & are prepared to stay literally all day!"  (Ryan even was like, "When do you close?" "Okay, we can stay until then")
     AND then...eventually... another little glimmer of hope... "Well, why don't you go get breakfast right now.  It's just too busy right now but you can try to come back around 10 (it was 8:30am at that point).  I'm not promising anything but we will have an hour in there that is usually slower, but it's possible you will still need to wait until the end of the day."  Okay, then, you better believe we'll be back!!!
     AND then, a bigger glimmer of hope... "You know, you might want to try an IHOP that isn't too far away - I can tell you how to get there."
     At that point, I have to admit, I was actually feeling a bit hopeful - this guy softened enough to care about where we could go to eat???  It's quite possible he will care enough about getting us in at some point in the day... maybe...hopefully...prayerfully...
As we started driving I saw a Chick-fil-a not far down the road & Ryan said he'd rather just go there (I don't think either of our stomachs were ready for a big IHOP breakfast).  So, we headed to Chick-fil-a, got a little breakfast & sat down with our I-phones ready for a wait (incidently, you couldn't have a cell phone in the USCIS office so we decided at least we were waiting somewhere we could use a phone to help pass the time!)  And in that time I prayed for favor & mercy from all in that office......  And then I teared up as I thought of how humbling it is to plead your case before a man who has authority over such a big decision.....  And then I realized that I am SO VERY GLAD that my Savior has redeemed my life & made it possible for me to someday, on the day I leave this Earth, stand before the Ultimate Authority & not have to beg & plead my case of why I deserve eternity with Him, but simply say "Jesus".... Oh, I am a blessed woman indeed....
     So, a 1/2 hour passed by & Ryan just looked at me & said "I think we need to go back."  Ummmm... but it's only 9am...  "If we are going to be waiting, we should just be waiting there - even if it takes all day, even if we don't have a phone.  We don't want to miss the opportunity that might come up, no matter when it is..."   Ummmm...To be honest, this was one of those moments for me...the trust myself, the first-born, do-what-your-told-by-the-higher-ups, follow-the-rules kind-of girl OR trust my hubby, who is feeling convicted about something even if it isn't what we were told to do.  And I'm happy to say I choose my husband, mainly because I could tell he felt strongly about it, but in my head I just figured we'd be sitting there an hour before the "magic 10am time".  But you know what?  My husband wasn't being a rule-breaker; no way, my husband was following the Spirit's leading.  Because at that point we left the restaurant, drove to the office , walked back in & simply sat down.  On Ryan's command, we didn't announce we were there (like I suggested so that they would for sure notice us.).  We never got back in line (like I again stupidly suggested because perhaps, though the office is small, they won't realize we came back in??  HA!  Perhaps someone has a trust-issue she needs to keep resolving... Um, not naming names, but perhaps....).  So, we simply sat down to wait....
      AND within 10 minutes we were called back up to the desk & given a stern "We never want to see you here again without an appointment.  We do not do this without appointments, but the office said we can fit you in right now."  JOY!!!
     AND 20 minutes later we walked out of that building, our fingerprinting officially done!!!!  (And I left a comment on a comment card thanking all of them for helping in a part of our journey & our future son's journey- a journey to bring an orphan into a forever family who is so ready to love on him!)
    AND my mom texted me this "Thank You, God for Your faithful provision on behalf of our Grandson.  Just one more God story of his journey to our family."  (& thank you God for an amazing Grandma!!!)
     AND I promise no more blog posts that keep starting so many paragraphs with the word "AND"....
     (I seriously know my grammar teacher loves me... hmmmm, what was her name again??????)