IT'S OFFICIAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'M OFFICIALLY MATCHED!!!!  I just got off the phone with my caseworker and I am going to need some serious prayers please!!!  I can't get into all of the details because some of it hasn't been made public yet but here's the skinny:

Miss M.'s CSR is en route to me as we speak.  I have to get the Official Referral notarized AND apostilled (IN COLUMBUS!) AND back to my agency, which is on the other side of the country, by Tuesday morning at the latest BECAUSE:

They need to assemble the official referral, combine it with my dossier and have it sent off to Ind*a by Thursday morning AT THE LATEST in order to get my NOC application submitted by the May 20th deadline.  Are you lost yet??

Holy cow do I have a ton of running around to do between now and Monday afternoon!

I really, really need prayers for these things PLEASE!!!

1) That I would be able to get all of the documents notarized and the apostilles done and sent by Monday afternoon.  My mom is going to make the 2 hour drive to Columbus to do a walk-in for the apostilles either Friday morning or Monday morning depending on when I get the package.  I should have it no later than 10:30 am Friday.  They are discussing right now whether or not they will email me a copy and have me get the copies done just to be able to submit by the deadline.  If this is the case, then my mom will drive up Friday morning and I can send them out so that they get the package Monday morning.

2)  I now owe a BIG chunk of money.  I just sent in $3k for the second set of agency fees so.... I'm trying to have faith.  I applied for a grant that would cover half of the fees.  They are supposed to be reviewing my case this month.  PLEASE PRAY THEY WILL SAY YES!!!


The best part?  I found out that they are indeed following the new time guidelines!!!  The bad part?  Remember when I said I didn't think I was far enough along to get caught up in the court closure for June?  Well, I'm farther along than I thought!  BUT, as soon as I get my NOC (if I don't get caught up, then it should be a 15 day turn around from the time they receive and process it - JUNE!) Sweet M. finds out that there's a mama WAITING FOR HER!!!  Yep, as soon as my NOC is issued, they will tell her there is a family who is adopting her and I get to send her a photo book!!

I'm so stinkin' excited there is no way that I will be able to sleep tonight!!

Last night, I was reading in Psalms and praying about everything.  I've been trying really hard to DAILY surrender my anxiety, doubt, unbelief, fear, all things negative, to Him and to remember that He is in control.  I stumbled upon Psalm 146 and it couldn't have been more perfect:

"Don't put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there....
But joyful are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God.  He made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them.  He keeps every promise forever.  He gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry.  
The Lord frees the prisoners.  
The Lord opens the eyes of the blind.  The Lord lifts up those who are weighted down.  The Lord love the godly.  
The Lord protect the foreigners among us.  
He cares for the orphans and the widows, but he frustrated the plans of the wicked.  
The Lord will reign forever."


I am continually amazed at how faithful the Lord has been through this process.  There are some really amazing, miraculous things that have occurred and I can't wait to share them but for now I can't :(  Let's just say though, He has his hand on this sweet little girl and the way He has navigated the paths so that hers and mine are going to FINALLY meet, well, it absolutely blows me away.

I have tears streaming down my face right now because I am OVERCOME with JOY!!!!  THANK YOU a million times for all of the support all of you have given me.  I really will never be able to express how vitally important it has been to me!

LOVE to all of you!!!