The tricky Travel approval!

Many of you saw on face book that we received ANOTHER miracle of a quick TA! Last Friday I received an email saying that our TA was on the way from China. Boy were we excited! That is an understatement, really you can ask my children about the hollering in the car after we left the barber shop..That was at 9 days. Average is a week and half to 3 weeks for TA. The tricky part was that it wasn't at the agency yet and to get even trickier the agency is now closed for the remainder of the week until next Monday.. December 30th. We had been praying hard for TA to arrive at Lifeline today. From the time it arrives we request the first available Consulate Appointment, the last thing you do in Guanghzou before you come home, your whole trip is built around this date. The agency then felt like a Gotcha day of 1/13 was a strong possibility and still does although they'll never say anything is final, well, until it is.. It takes 1-2 days to get a confirmed CA so we were hoping the TA would come today and then although they would be closed they could communicate via email about the CA date and we could book tickets and be ready to go on 1/10!!! Well... sadly no TA came today.. Odds are it would've come tomorrow but they're closed.. TA comes via DHL delivery and those are being held until Monday. So... what do we do now.. well after I worked through the disappointment I felt a peace, a peace that passes all understanding.. You see, I really have NO reason to question God's goodness at this point. Nope.not.one.reason. God doesn't see dates on a calender. It doesn't matter to him that Lifeline is closed for the rest of the week and that our TA is sitting somewhere waiting on us. God is already working behind the scenes to secure a super fast CA appointment, to super naturally save a CA appt for us the week of 1/20 ( they'll be filling fast before Chinese New Year) and those tickets that could be sky high  booking a mere likely 7 days before we leave the country, nope, they will come under our budget of $7K. Honestly when I feel down and worried I look back on what God has done over the past 11 months. Our adoption start to Finnish with Molly in our arms on 1/13 will only be 11 1/2 months. Ya'll that is super fast for an International Adoption. I look back at what happened with our Article 5 and what he did there, I look at our fast TA and how God knew I was pleading with him for news prior to Christmas and he blessed us with that. I am claiming now that God is already getting everything in order for us to leave on 1/10, a super fast confirmed CA, a CA the week of 1/20 and our tickets to come in within our budget of $7K. Please join us this Christmas in praising him for all he has already done and will do to work this all out so we're holding our baby on 1/13. I CAN NOT believe we are nearly finished. At this point it's pack, buy tickets, get cash in order and go get her! We'd like to thank you all for your amazing support this year in helping us bring Molly home. We could not have done this without your prayers and help. Hopefully this time next week we'll be getting ready to have a confirmed CA and buy those plane tickets!!! God is able indeed!

The Christmas miracle!

We were blown away a week ago Thursday! We were working all week to get our Supplement 3 completed and to secure our new 800 approval to move forward with our article 5 on Monday. At 230 in the am Thursday an email came through saying our article 5 was ready to be picked up?! I thought for sure this was a mistake, more like a mass email that went out to several. After some emailing with our agency we were told it indeed was NOT a mistake and we were picked up! WOW!! The article 5 process is a two week process and we had just jumped forward 2 week and 2 days! Now we were in the Travel approval wait. Typical TA wait is 1.5-3 weeks although some in our agency had gotten TA in 7 days last week.. Once we get TA we will request our first available and then book tickets and hopefully head out soon! ( after Christmas for sure) We are really feeling hopeful that our TA will come this week and we would be able to get a 1/6 Gotcha day or more likely 1/13.. Would you please join us in praying for this TA to come tomorrow or Friday? It can come by phone anytime from 1030-530 our time, Alabama is an hour behind us and they work 9-430... I'm a cleaning, organizing crazy person right now. I am keeping my car spotless and you should see the bags for goodwill tomorrow. Do you think I can re paint my cabinets and my bedroom before we leave?! Nesting is in full.swing.. A lot of people have asked what exactly happened with the article 5? The truth is we don't know... Maybe they just held everything and when the new info came they just pushed it through quickly? Maybe they used the medical expedite and that helped or maybe and most likely this was a God thing and he loves Molly more then we ever could and wants her home asap also.. We are beyond thankful for the ability to catch up and please, please join us in praying this TA in over the next 2 days.. God IS able!!

Heres where we stand and PRAY

Once again we are back in the final stretch. Lord whiling for the last time this time. As you know, or if you don't know, please read the post before this, we were delayed. Hopefully, prayerfully, this delay will be over on Monday and we can get back in the article 5 process. Our supplement 3 is in the building and we just need the new 800 approval, new GUZ # and new PDF and we'll be back in business! The article 5 process normally takes 2 weeks and then we begin our Travel Approval wait. These are coming anywhere between 1-3 weeks, one came in today at 7 days!! This is great news. We also will submit a medical expedite letter for Molly and PRAY it works.. This "could" move us through the article 5 and TA process more quickly but there is no guarantee. Our agency feels we have a 50-50 chance of it working.. Once we get TA we will take the first available CA, consulate appointment and board a plane possibly in just a few days and be outa here! Things get tricky though.. real tricky.. because of a holiday called Chinese New Year .... The country literally shuts down for 14 days. Ya'll I'm going to be honest. If we don't get in before Chinese New Year you possibly will have to come and pick me up off of the floor- I do trust God's time is the right time, I do trust that God is in control. BUT, God's plan is not for Molly to continue to sit in the orphanage without us, his plan was not for her to orphaned in the first place! It's just not.. I know he's holding her in his hands and protecting her but we're done- This momma is ready to have her home. And with Chinese New Year upon us we need your prayers. We need you to pray specifically for;

-Article 5 drop off on 12/16 and pickup on 12/30

-we also need you to pray her medical expedite works

- and that we get a super fast TA

-Indeed that the Lord would hold her in his mighty hands and protect her until we can get there..

Dates could work like this;

Without the expedite-

1 week TA we leave on 1/10 get her on 1/13 and home on 1/24

2 week TA we leave on 1/17 get her on 1/20 and home on 1/31

3 week TA pushes us into CNY:( which means we wouldn't leave until mid to late February..

with the expedite it's any ones guess..

Please join with us as we pray these things. You all have been so, so supportive of us and we are so thankful! God has been faithful and I know he's working over time behind the scenes to get her home timely.. Bless you all in this advent season as we seek our Lord..

xo,

 Brittan