Immigration Approved - Finalizing Dossier...Can Someone Pinch Us?

This week has been EXTREMELY crazy, let's just say really, really, really. Both Patty and Kevin's work has been busy, Dane has been really excitable, 3 birthday parties, several committee and sub-committee meetings, 3 days of on-site for Patty, AND....

THE USCIS APPROVAL!!!!  Kevin and I now have the seal of approval from the US Government to bring our child into the US and they will be a US Citizen when we arrive in the US Embassy in Addis Abba!  Can you say exciting?

Our agency called today and asked where we were at.  I said, we just have a couple of documents to get notarized and then we should be ready to go.  She said we have another few weeks before the process will be delayed by the rainy season this summer, so we are a go, finalizing the dossier tomorrow and then we are 2 weeks or less before our papers will be in Ethiopia.  (Anyone else thinks it's neat that this will be approximately Valentine's Day?)

Example of Dane's craziness: An entire box of Costco Band-aids, I don't think I have ever made a rule about Bandaids before, but in case you are wondering, Band-aids require having blood on your person in the Hendrickson household.  Dane has been having growing pains and they have been really painful for him (going from size 3 to size 7-8 in 9 months  can be rough on a guy), so we have let him put Band-aids on where it hurts...until this week.  He took the entire box and I am still finding wrappers around the house.

But he's sooo cute...Especially with 4 layers of Bandaids on his forehead.

We will update the blog when we have the dossier completed and the paperwork is in Olympia!

Blessings!

Martin Luther King Jr Day 2011

Somehow I think next year's Martin Luther King Jr. Day will have a different presence.  I feel like I will plan for it better.  I feel like we will have a plan to go to the peace walk downtown.

He's made such a difference in my life, knowing how he stood up for what was right at the risk of his life, his family and definitely his comfort.  In a country where being a Christian is less and less popular, it's so good to know that Dr. King's life is still celebrating, even by people who do not know how much his faith played into what they respect about him so much.

If you have ever been to Atlanta and been to the King Center, you have seen the history of such an amazing man. Every time I go to Atlanta I try to make it to the National Park Services King Center and walk the path of peace and stand in the church he pastored and listen to his wonderful words of wisdom. What he stood for and what I stand for are one and the same, "It's all about love." Live his legacy today and love your neighbor, love your family and love the Lord your God.

 

9 Tolls and Time for the Straightaway

Things have been a little crazy since the post right around Christmas.  Of course, lots of snow and shoveling and more, but now we are on to the flooding stage.  And we really should put gutters on our house so our basement doesn't flood, but we didn't get to that this year, so if we aren't shoveling snow, we are shoveling water.  Next year Gadget, next year. :)  (Tolls 1 & 2)

Adoption Update: We are working on getting our last few documents ready for our dossier and we hear the INS Approval is almost ready if not already on it's way.

Right before Christmas Patty's, Mom's doctor found a tumor on Mom and found out she had to have surgery.  We found out about this right before Christmas, and then Patty's Dad broke his leg and it's taken a while for it to get better.  Mom's surgery was on the 12th and she's still in the hospital.  Dad has to stay completely off his leg for another month, so no work for him.  (Tolls 3 & 4)

Christmas was also hard emotionally knowing that our kiddo is somewhere without us, his/her family, it felt quite incomplete and just like something was out of place.  We pray that next Christmas our family can celebrate together! (Toll 5)

Dane had his first cavities filled December 30th, and we is scheduled to have the rest of the work done January 31st.  Not something we are proud of, but it's reality, and it also has taken a toll too. (Toll 6)

Patty was sent out of town for work to Portland and it took a toll with a canceled flight, a rescheduled 4AM wake up for 6AM flight,  12 hour work days and Dane's attitude going South with the disruption in schedule.  We are working to put some more structure in place to help get back to the normal swing of things, so hopefully that will even out soon. (Toll 7)

Patty has been fighting with headaches since the week before Christmas, they seem to be getting better, but 100% stress related.  (Toll 8)

The dogs have been eating something that has created quite the mess in our basement. (Toll 9)

So with all of these tolls, we are hoping that soon we will be over the bridge and onto a straightaway for a while.

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I love ya, Tomorrow You're Only a Day Away!

Last week Kevin and I had our fingerprints done at the Federal Building.  In the process, we found out the name on my paperwork for the fingerprints was wrong, but they let me take the tests anyway and I spent some quality time waiting for another Federal employee to tell me they couldn't do anything about it, and then I went home and called the INS and they said it was not big deal.

So yesterday we got a call from the INS, and apparently it is a big deal, as she couldn't find the records.  It was quite hilarious listening to us go back and forth and I kept spelling my last name correct and she kept spelling my first name incorrect and it really should have been the other way around. :)

Anyhow, she said that she was going through the final runs and this was her last item and she planned to approve the file TOMORROW!

In the meanwhile, I, Patty, have been shipped out of town to our home office to work on a special project with little or no lead time, and I am going home tomorrow!  Tomorrow is going to be great and it's only a day away!

Patty's Passport is Back!!!

Mail contents from 12/24/10:

• Partners International child card update,
• DM2 - Make your own Christmas Party present ($100)
• Patty's new and improved US Passport!

So, when I made copies of my passport in November to be notarized as true copy documents, I made the mistake of sending off my passport before I took it to get notarized...which does not work, because the notary is notarizing the copy saying "this matches to the real document that is IN FRONT OF ME."  Anyhow, lessons learned, right?  We found a way around it, but I have been holding out hope that the passport would come quickly, and it has!  The funny thing is that I saw the mail and wondered "What is the US Government sending me today?" without a thought that this was my passport.  It only took 3 weeks!!!  And it was a WONDERFUL Christmas Eve present!

PS - Update on my last minute Christmas shopping. I learned via email those little boys LOVED their new clothes and their Mom was very appreciative.

 

 

 

Mail from 12/24/10

FreeCycle - The Awakening

Not sure who else uses FreeCycle but the idea is that people won't throw things away that others can use, thus recycling, and everything is 100% free.  I like toparticipate by giving things away and once I got something for free (needed baby food jars WITH lids for a craft project) that I needed!!  Anyhow, the deal is if you have something you want, then you posted it, if you have something you don't want you post it, then you coordinate an exchange with other people that want or don't want it.  The person keeping the item is generally required to pick up the item, however, if they post they do not have transportation, then the person donating the item knows this ahead of time.  I have done both: dropped off items and I have put items on my porch for people before and it works out really well.

I saw last week a person post they needed clothing items for their boys, ages 4 and 10.  This was the only information given.  So I emailed her back and asked her what sizes her 4 year old wore and what items specifically he needed.  Her response was "he's small and he needs everything."  So then I got together 2 of everything of the clothing I had just taken downstairs, 2 shirts, 2 pairs of socks, 2 pants, 2 coats, etc. etc. etc. and realized I needed a shoe size and emailed her back, his size was bigger than Dane's so I wasn't able to help with that.  Anyhow, I asked her if she wanted directions and she said "I thought you could drop it off."  So now, my impatience is growing because she wants something for free, doesn't tell me the size or what exactly she needs, she wants to make it hard to give it to her and now she wants me to spend 45 minutes to transport it to her...rrrrrrr...So Monday I tell her I can, but it won't be until the end of the week because my work schedule is insane and I don't want to go to her neighborhood alone after it's dark.  Tuesday, she emails and asks when I will be there.  I email back and let her know it will be Thursday or Friday.

So Thursday I can't make it and I go there on Friday after work and I email first to let her know what time I will be there and let her know I will leave it on the porch.  As I am driving there I pray for my attitude, because it's raunchy.  And then I kind of forget why I am cranky and get lost, but find my way humming along to Christmas music.  And I pull up to her house.  It's a VERY run down house with a very, very rickety ramp up to the house.  She's in a wheel chair excited and waiting for me.  I can see how her sons clothing is about 3 inches too short on him and why she was so anxious.  She told me how it would take her about 5 hours and missing a day of work to pickup the items and how much she appreciated my time and gifts.  I give her a big hug and ask her to email me if the clothes don't fit.

I got back into the truck and had overwhelming compassion for this widow and her children and prayed for them and their situation and asked for forgiveness for being so selfish that I couldn't have made time for her before this.

I went and picked up Dane and after he went to bed I was reading a book about reaching people where they are, and the thing that hit me the most is "reaching people will cost, it will cost, time, money, convenience, comfort and more, but this is what we have been called to do."  Ouch, and I remembered, this is exactly why I joined FreeCycle to help other people that have needs and are willing to ask for help. Wake up call!


And finally, I learned what I sound like when I pray generically.  "Dear God, I want something.  Please read my mind.  Patty."  and how frustrating that is.  By praying specifically He can recognize my specific request, and I can recognize that it's Him that delivers.

So I thought I was done Christmas shopping, but I've got two more boys to shop for.

A Moment of Love

Today Dane had a dentist appointment that he was very good for and as a reward, he got to go to Jump-n-Party before returning to school.  It turned out we were the only ones there for a half an hour and Dane was having a great time.  Then he came over to me and he gave me a hug and said, "I wish my brother or sister was here with me now so they could have fun too.  We would be having so much fun.  I love him/her. I hope they get to eat their dinner tonight." Of course I told him I wish they were too, and how nice and kind that was to think of his sibling, and then let him run off to play while I balled like a baby.  I am so thankful for Dane's kind heart, and even though he really wanted to play with other kids this morning, I feel it was God's grace for us to have that moment.  Love you Dane Dane.  Love you Dane Dane's little brother or sister.