He's got this....

Big Sigh.

We are praying super, big, God-sized prayers this week at our house! We completed (with the help of friends who wrote recommendation letters, notarized, etc) our dossier this week and turned it in to our agency!!! Basically, the dossier is a combination of all the paperwork we have been working on the past six months. Each piece had to be notarized then sealed at the county level and authenticated again at the state level (hence, our trip to Nashville Monday). So, after making 1.2347 billion copies and compiling the originals in order to go, we were done. I sat in the car driving home from FedExOffice after making all those copies and kept noticing that pile of paperwork. I couldn't help but cry. One time I nearly had to pull over. It feels so surreal and so.. out of my hands. My personality doesn't always thrive on "out of my hands" mode (ahem, yes, I am type A). However, as I cried in the car I couldn't help but be overwhelmed with the assurance that those papers have always been and will continue to be under the tight, precise control of our Heavenly Father, the One who already knows our sweet daughter and every hair on her head. I prayed through my tears that I would continually lean into Him with the wholehearted confidence that those papers in His hands are far better cared for than in mine. I even said aloud to remind myself, "He's got this. He SO has got this." And I believe that. I tend to be task oriented... working hard on something until it is complete. Now that my part of this process is complete, I know there will be days that come that the waiting will be tiresome and the "no news" will be frustrating. However, He has confirmed over and over again throughout this process that details aren't difficult for Him and timing is His specialty. He's got this.

What's next?

When I dropped our dossier off Tuesday I talked with our social worker about what's next. And timing. Of course it is like being a labor nurse when patients would ask me, "how much longer?" To which I usually replied, "if I could answer that I would be a millionaire." There are certainly average time lines to pull from and there exceptions both early and late to every one of those. But, here is what we know:
Our paperwork was sent overnight Tuesday night to Grand Rapids to the Bethany Christian home office. From there, they will review it and make sure it is all in order. Yes, having 3 or 4 sets of eyes reviewing it is necessary... after looking at it as long as we have it all looks the same. Once they confirm it is ready they will send it to the US Consulate in Washington DC for federal authentication. From there it is sent back to Grand Rapids and the Friday following them receiving it they will send it to Ethiopia (they only ship to Ethiopia on Fridays). Once it arrives in Ethiopia it will be translated and sent to wait until we receive and accept a referral. We should get word when it goes off to the Consulate and when Grand Rapids sends it to Ethiopia. The average wait time for a referral of an older child is 3-6 mo. Of course, there are exceptions to the rule, like a couple whose paperwork went to Grand Rapids and when it was just at the Consulate a week later they got a referral because the Grand Rapids office is in touch with the orphanages in Ethiopia they get referrals from. So, once Grand Rapids knows our dossier is in process they are looking for a match for us (a female from 2-5 years). We are praying big, God-sized prayers for a quick referral and for favor in the waiting. He's got this. He SO has got this.

Even if the wait grows long, we stand confidant that He has the little girl already chosen for our family and He knows exactly when she will be declared a McKeehan. Once we accept a referral the average wait time to go to court (our first trip to Ethiopia where Mark and I will meet her and she will legally become our daughter) is 12-15 weeks. We will go to Ethiopia for 10 days and spend a couple of hours each day with her on that trip. Then, we will come home and wait for an Embassy appointment which is (again, on average) 6-8 weeks from the court trip. If there is going to be a delay in the process due to the recent changes in Ethiopian government it would be between the court and Embassy trips. However, so far, the MOWA letters have stayed about on track! Once we go back to Ethiopia for the Embassy trip we will be able to get our daughter the first day and keep her with us from then on! That, too, will last about 10 days then we will come home and introduce her to all of you!

It seems so simple to type out. As you can see, the paperwork being done is just one piece (though a huge one!) to this puzzle. The emotional part of this is something I don't think I could've ever been prepared for. The closer I feel like we are getting, the farther away Ethiopia feels. I am not sure why, it just feels so close, yet so far. Please continue to pray for us as we wait. We are asking for supernatural comfort, for discernment and judgement on the part of those making decisions regarding referral, for efficiency and accuracy of those working on our paperwork/mailing, and for our daughter to somehow know she is thought of, fought for, and loved unconditionally. Just when I get overwhelmed I am reminded that Isaiah teaches us to wait on the Lord for renewed strength. I've blogged about it before, but it tends to get so easy to wait for the next form, next signature, next money, next step. But, none of those renew our strength and all of them are limited in supply. Waiting on the Limitless One renews our strength. I'm so glad I know Him. And I am so glad

He's got this....