Sunday, September 16, 2012

USCIS Approval!

On Friday 9-14-12 my daughter Erica called me and said "mom aren't you waiting for something from USCIS?"  I said "yes." Erica said "well there is an envelope here, do you want me to open it?"  I say "YES!!!" "WAIT!!!!" "what color is the paper showing through the plastic window?"  Erica says "blue sorta, it has lines on it" So I am thinking well, blue with lines is different then the pink paper I received saying they did not accept my home study last time. At the same time I am thinking blue hmmmm, I thought the paper is suppose to be yellow or golden. Hence forth the name  "The Golden Ticket." I say "go ahead open it." Erica opens it and says "what am I looking for?" I am thinking to myself, how am I suppose to know?  I say "I don't know just read me what it says." She is kinda mumbling as she is reading the busy work, then she says the most wonderful word I have heard in a long time..............."APPROVED"  "Approved?" She says it again "APPROVED"









I begin feeling like I am going to faint. 






Not good as I am driving to pick up Jessica from school. I say "YES! YES! YES! thank you, good bye I will be home shortly" For the next 5 minutes I am literally shouting "Thank you Jesus!" "Praise you Father" "You are the one true King!" I am laughing, shouting, jumping around in my seat, lifting my hands hand and just having an amazing worship the Lord moment.








I know people that are sitting next to me at the stop lights (I think I hit every red light to the school) are thinking maybe she needs ..............


If they only knew!


 YES! YES! YES! I am approved! Just writing about it again makes me want to start the whole process over again! Thank you Father, you are so awesome!

So my Golden Ticket.............




was really Blue!

Man, Praise Him He is so good! Remember I posted last week weather or not I should send in my Dossier paperwork and all of the $$$$$$? I am so happy to report that I did send it in and it is now sitting on my SW desk waiting for her return to work tomorrow. She had been on vacation and then went to  China for work. Now everything is just sitting there waiting for her to open it and begin the next step! Ohhhhhh I am so happy. 

My sister in law Diane returned home last night from China. Jessica, Erica and I went over and meet Kylie and Bobby. Beautiful. How cool was it when Kylie and Bobby ran up to us and knew us by name? Thank you Skype! Yesterday, I spent about 6 hours preparing three complete meals for their family so they can begin easing back in to a family routine. I will post more pictures later of Kylie and Bobby. I want them to get settled in a little. I will also post more pictures of Blossom. By the way Blossom is so picin cute.  I watched the videos Diane took of Blossom and Blossom is totally in love with her uncle Keith who was doing the video. Blossom kept turning  her head again and again to look at uncle Keith and she was just talking away to him and smiling. I told you Blossom uncle Keith is a softy. 


 here is Blossom just talking away to uncle Keith.





























Monday, September 10, 2012

Got a few minutes?

So many things to share and catch up on. So here we go.

August 22-12. This was the day I spent packing up the car and sending my son Matthew off to College. I tried very hard to prepare for this day but how can you? I tried every last trick in the book to squeeze in extra time before he left but when the day came to move him, it felt like there was not enough time. I am so proud of Matthew, as he has made the decision to become a missionary. Even though I know this career choice will only put more distance between us, I can not say he is wrong. He has decided to follow what the Lord has told each of us to do: Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit. When we dedicate our children to the Lord when they are small infants we have no way of knowing where that child's path will go as they grow. When Matthew was dedicated and anointed with oil and my husband Bob and I prayed over this small baby that we would raise him to follow our Lord Jesus Christ. That we would show Christ love to him through our actions and teach him about Jesus. When we prayed Lord this is your child and we give him to you to do in him as you please. I could not have even imagined that this would be the direction the Lord would have one of my children follow. So, as I sit here even now,  crying  I mean tearing up. I shed tears that  sting of one child moving far from my home. Far enough that I can not see him at the ring of the phone. I also cry tear up with a feeling of being proud. I am proud that Matthew has made this choice. Proud that he is only 18 and is willing to eventually (4 years from now) leave his country and serve the Lord where he does not speak the language, will have no family, and basically will not be welcomed by most people. All to fulfill his part in the Lords plan for his life. Yes, I am a proud ma ma. I love you Matthew.


Going away dinner with family and friends. Sweet Tomatoes.



Traveling to Sacramento. Traffic, Traffic, Traffic!


Sign in front of the school

New home in the dorm. Matthew 6 feet, ceiling is 8 feet, top of mattress 6 feet off the floor, hmmmm..... hope there is no sudden need to sit up in a hurry!


Love that boy! I know, let go mom people might be watching! Thanks for humoring me son.


And the apron string has been cut!

 OK now lets move on to the next order of events..........

Some of you may know that my first round of immigration paperwork was put on hold at the end of July. The USCIS worker read my home study as to once I had Blossom (Annabelle) home I would be supporting 5 people. They concluded that I did not meet the income requirement and put my case on hold for 45 days. AUUGGGGGGG!!!!! They wanted an addendum made to the home study. When I tried to contact my SW, I found out she was on vacation and would not be back for a a week or so. ERRRRRRR!!!!!! When I did get a hold of her and I explained everything, I was asked to refill out paperwork explaining everything again. I tried to explain all of this in the first home study. Erica supports herself, Nathan lives out of the house and Matthew would be leaving to attend collage in the summer. So I would only be supporting myself, Jessica and Blossom (Annabelle) when I brought her home. But the home study states how everything was in the home at the time the study was done. I guess they were not allowed to project the future in the study? Finally, after 37 days my addendum was completed and I received it in the mail on Friday, August 31- 12 PTL!





I am so happy and put it in the mail Saturday, Sept 1 -12. Wouldn't you know it it was a three day weekend so the return information to USCIS would not reach them until Tuesday, Sept 4 - 12. Now I again sit and wait for my Golden Ticket. A letter saying "YES you may bring your daughter Blossom (Annabelle ) home." I can only pray that it will not take the standard two to three week wait. So I am left with a choice, to wait and see if I get approval then send in my dossier paperwork or go ahead and send in my dossier documents along with a lot of $$$$ in hopes that once I get approval my dossier paperwork will already be either sitting on my SW desk waiting or maybe even started and just waiting for that one little final piece of paper work. Think, Think, Think........... Choices, Choices, Choices...........  so I decide I am sending everything off in the mail tomorrow in hopes that I will get a head start. Well, I have to tell you, I already know my SW at the adoption agency is on VACATION!!!! She wont be back until Sept 17. Believe it or not, during this whole process I have had my home study SW out on vacation twice and now the adoption agency SW out on vacation. LOL.  


I can prove I have been born, married, lost a dear spouse, have two jobs, I want to adopt Blossom (Annabelle), have a guardian, I have the ability to support Blossom (Annabelle), been to the Doctor, that I am single, that my family has a life and we have pics to prove it!, I am not a criminal or ever have been, that my dogs have been vaccinated, my children are great students, more reference letters then I know what to do with, three of us want to go to China to bring Blossom (Annabelle) home, and I give consent for all of these documents to be translated. Whew! If this does not prove who I am and what I am seeking then nothing will. I have nothing left to show. So off it will go along with all of these...........



6 very important checks to get all of the above paperwork authenticated and translated for China!



As you know my sister in law Diane and her DH Keith, DS Nicolas and DD Lilly are in China adopting two more blessings. I introduced Kylie in an earlier post. I would like to introduce Bobby. He is 8 years old. What a handsome little boy. Here are some pictures of the kids.





Both of the children are adjusting to their new family. I love doing SKYPE. When Kylie hears the computer chiming that we are calling she will run to the computer. When she sees me and her new cousins she starts laughing and saying Hi aunt Pam, Hi Jessica, Hi Erica! She now knows us by our faces! Both children are writing their names in English. And both are beginning to speak English already! Man, I wish I was there with them picking up Blossom (Annabelle)! Yes, I am a little Jealous but trying hard not to be. I know it is not becoming but it is hard if you know what I mean. When you see this face and you desperately want to give it a kiss and hug her it is hard. Soon hopefully.


Enjoying the blossoms on the trees


Getting out and about with my friend


 Now you are all caught up on the business around the Bean home. Please keep praying that this will move along at light speed. My hopes and prayers of bringing Blossom (Annabelle) home by her 7th birthday (Dec 20 ) or Christmas is quickly fading away. It is still not impossible but highly unlikely unless the Lord moves mountains to do so. In his time not mine. Trying hard to be patient and wait upon the Lord. Also prayer that my sister in law and her family will have safe travel back to the US on Saturday, Sept 15.

Galatians 6:9 Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.