Answers:)

Our wait for the paperwork from the INS was expected to take 6-9 weeks, give or take some. But, when the 13th week rolled around, we started getting nervous, wondering if it had been lost in the mail or in the shuffle of credit card applications. I called Mary to let her know. I thank the Lord for prompting me to call when I did. As we have said before, we have prayed for a peace that passes all understanding.

When I talked to Mary on Wednesday, she was surprised that we hadn't received our paperwork. We initially assumed that the paper bog was increasing and that it was just taking longer. But, a "quick" call to the INS answered some of our questions. Drew tried to contact the INS a few weeks ago, but was unable to get any information, so when Mary offered to communicate to them for us, I was excited that we may have some answers soon:)

Mary has been trying to contact the INS to try to expedite paperwork for a family who is adopting a sibling from Guatemala for the child they have already brought home. The birthmother wants to move to Mexico, and they want to travel as soon as possible to secure the child in their home. Mary said that when she recieved the call from them regarding this family that she would ask about our paperwork as well. Considering it had been a few weeks since she first tried to call, and followed with several more tries, I assumed it would be a while before we heard from her. At least we had a venue for some answers, just to know if it was on its way. However, yesterday, when I came home from school, there was a message on our answering machine from Mary. They called her back!!! She had answers for us! Our fingerprints HAVE been processed, but they didn't have our Home Study (HS). When we went to Nashville in February, we were told that they would look at our HS, stamp it and make note that we were approved for adoption, then give it back. But, somewhere along the way, the HS was lost in the mix. Soooooo, Mary is overnighting the HS to the INS and hopefully we will see the final link in our mailbox soon. Keep praying for all the pieces to come together, for the family waiting to recieve their child from Guatemala, and for Salem.

Thanks for joining our journey to find Salem:)