Last week we sent in our I-800A to the USCIS. In english that means we sent a form to the US government asking to be granted permission to adopt from Hong Kong. I sent in the application and the $720 application fee, yeah I know that is a whole lot of money for an application fee but that is another post entirely, and the $85 biometrics fee. The biometrics fee is so that we can get our fingerprints taken and they can prove we are not criminals. Well, I realized AFTER I sent the application that I should have sent a check for two biometrics fees instead of one, one for me and one for Glenn. OOPS! So, I frantically called and emailed the USCIS. They said that everything must be correct in order to process the application and that they would deny it and sent it back to me and I would have to refile. UGH! I was frustrated! All that needed to happen was for them to allow me to send another check for the additional biometrics fee, that isn’t too hard is it? According to them it is. So, I was really upset. I knew this would set our process back at least a month. It usually takes 2 weeks or so for them to process the application then they would have to sent it back to us, using snail mail, and then we would have to send it back to them and then the two-week processing  again. I asked our adoption agency if there was anything that could be done and they said “no, we would just have to wait it out”.

I was really upset at first but then I realized that I serve the God who moves mountains and He can move the US government. I prayed and prayed for a miracle. That somehow the person who processed our application would allow us to just send in the additional money without having to redo the whole application. Everyone said that was a nice idea, but that it was very unlikely to happen. I believed it could! I kept praying. This morning I checked my bank account that there was a lot less money in it than I thought, so I looked at the transactions. The two checks I sent to the USCIS were processed. I was surprised. I sent an email to our adoption agency and the USCIS asking what was going on. The USCIS sent me back an email saying that our application had been processed and we would receive a notice about the shortage of money and we could pay the additional funds at that time! That is exactly what I prayed for. God answered! Now, we just have to wait for the notice and pay the shortage of money and we should be back on track. What could have taken more than a month should only take about a week. That is something only God can do! He has moved the mountain of the US government red tape. I am so thankful. We were getting so discouraged about things with this adoption, they just seem to be going so slowly, but God has intervened. He wants our daughter home as much as we do and He is moving mountains to get her here. Thank you for all who believed and prayed with me, God has heard you and answered! Our adoption agency says it’s a miracle and I believe it!