TA is HERE!!!

Wow! I never thought the day would come. It took 6 1/2 weeks from the day our LOA was received at the agency. That's 46 long days. It is probably the longest wait on record from LOA to TA. Not the record I was looking to break.

Anyway, now we have one more agonizing wait to endure. Hopefully this one will only be 24 hours long- the wait for the consulate appointment or CA. Our agency is requesting that we have a CA for the week of my birthday- September 22. That would be the BEST birthday gift ever. I am trusting God and if it is in His will for us to be with Ellie on her 2nd birthday, then we will get that appointment. If it is not in His will, then I surely do not want to go.

This wait has been so hard. When I began our paperwork back in mid December, I began to pray that we would be united with Ellie by her birthday on September 20. After hustling to get our paperwork completed in only 2 and 1/2 months and being DTC on 3/4/08, I certainly believed we would easily make it to Ellie before her birthday. Maybe that is when I took my eyes off of God and began to just trust in "the process". I looked at the "average" wait times and assummed we would have Ellie in July- long before she turned 2. Well, then there was the 33 day wait to be logged in- very rarely does that happen! Then one document was left out of our dossier by our agency, and I was not made aware of it until the CCAA contacted them asking for it ASAP. Finally, the record 6 1/2 week wait from LOA to TA. That's pretty much double the average wait. Through all of that, I have been angry, disappointed, and frustrated. I have been sad knowing I would certainly miss her 2nd birthday. In the last few weeks, I finally got my eyes back on Jesus and surrendered this adoption to Him where it should have been all along!
I have had some sweet fellowship with Jesus these past few weeks. It reminds me of the weeks waiting for TA and CA with Lilly. I guess He knew I needed to have my faith strengthened once again. I may have a few more gray hairs and an extra wrinkle or two, but I know I am spiritually stronger as a result of this time. The valley was long and deep, but it made the view from the mountain even more beautiful.

I'm already praying for God to sustain me if tomorrow we hear that our CA is not until October or dare I even say Nov. And I know He will! Thanks for praying. I'll post as soon as we hear our CA dates.