Official "Request for Evidence"

It was mid-November when we sent the I-800a form to the USCIS, mid-December when we were ordered to be fingerprinted at their facilities in Detroit, then in mid-January we received a pink slip in the mail.  Not sure why they use that color...but the form is called the "Request for Evidence" letter.  This means that after looking over our entire home study report they had some questions or things that needed clarification/proof.  Our letter contained two requests: 1) A paragraph added to our home study explaining HOW we are preparing to adopt a child with the various special needs we are considering, and 2) an explanation as to WHERE we were living during the 2 years we both traveled overseas, because each place we lived would require a Child Abuse Registries check.

The first was easy enough, I send our case worker a list of some of the practical things we've been doing to prepare.  For example, researching the hospitals in our area and their specializations, as well as watching several online workshops focused on various special needs and how the children are treated medically after international adoptions.

The second request made me nervous because Curt and I both traveled, separately, to over 30 countries each during the 2 years after high school.  We were doing volunteer work with a missions organization.  I couldn't imagine even TRYING to get background checks for all of those places!  So I sent an explanation and prayed they would accept the fact that we were never in one place for more than a week or two.

Today, 3 weeks later, my breath caught in my chest when I saw the USCIS envelope in the mail.  I was afraid to open it.  It felt like our entire adoption was hinging on ONE small detail.  I finally gathered up the courage and tore into that thing....and much to my delight I read the words "APPROVAL NOTICE".  I was so happy I started jumping and yelling, which made Curt come running because he thought the house was on fire or someone was hurt.  :-)  Nope, just great news!

That means ALL of our papers are ready for the notarization, state certification, and Chinese consulate seal, then we can send them off to China!  Those steps may take several weeks still, but this is one HUGE step in the right direction!!

Celebrate with us and do a happy dance!  :-)

P.S. For the past 10 days we have had a visitor from China!!  I can't wait to share about this experience in my next post.  But first, I get to enjoy her for one more day!