Christmas came early in the Smith household this year!
Today, we got the e-mail we have been waiting for since last Christmas.
WE HAVE OFFICIALLY BEEN APPROVED!!!
(For those of you who may not know, this is the point of the international adoption process where the country you're adopting from says, "yes, you may adopt from our country" or "no, you may not adopt from our country." So...it's a pretty big deal.)
To say we are in shock would be a severe understatement. We've grown rather accustomed to either getting news of further delay or no news at all. With recent developments, we were trying desperately to accept the fact that there is NO timeline and that it would be many months at best before we heard anything.
This is the first time we've felt that we can be truly excited. We can relax. We can breathe. We can paint, and think of names, and dream of holding our kids. Finally we know that we get to be parents! Something our hearts have desperately longed for will now be a reality.
I wish we could clearly articulate have evident God has been in all of this. There are no words to describe His faithfulness. If only you knew all that He's done throughout the process!!! He is truly amazing and has provided exactly what we have needed every step of the way.
So what's next? Well, now we're waiting on a referral. Then they'll send us an e-mail with lab results and a picture of each of our kids!!! And once we accept the referral, we'll start making travel arrangements! The timing of all of this is anyone's guess...and frankly, we're quite okay with that now that we've been approved.
There are still many in our Rwanda adoption family ahead of us in number that have not yet received their approval. To all of you, please know how much we long for you to get your letter soon. We're not sure why we found out first, but we sincerely hope and pray that they will stick to the numbers in the end and that you'll get your kids in God's perfect timing. God is more than able.
It's so exciting to know that this news is just one more step in this amazing adventure that God has led us on. We are so thankful for all of you! This process has been so difficult at times and your prayers and encouragement have meant so much to us. We can't wait until the day when all of you get to meet our kids!
21 comments
Comment by dr smith on December 10, 2010 at 7:31 PM
I shall call him Squishy and he shall be mine and he shall be my Squishy. Come on, Squishy Come on, little Squishy.
(ok, Squishy is a lousy name...let's go with Nemo instead)
Comment by Carrie on December 10, 2010 at 8:03 PM
Congratulations!! All the best as you await your referrals - hope they come quickly.
Comment by Catherine on December 10, 2010 at 8:33 PM
Congrats! So excited for you, and can't wait to hear of your referrals! :)
Comment by Courtney on December 10, 2010 at 9:21 PM
yay!!! so excited for you all!
Comment by Andy Beltz on December 10, 2010 at 9:47 PM
How wonderful! We will keep praying.
Comment by Unknown on December 10, 2010 at 10:03 PM
Congrats!!!
Comment by Sheri ID on December 10, 2010 at 11:54 PM
Jeremiah and Erin-
Yippee!! Praise God! We cannot tell you how excited for you we are! It would take a lot to have us more excited than we are for you. We are so happy to have heard our dossier is being reviewed that we can't imagine how awesome it must feel to be approved. We are celebrating with you in spirit this weekend! Can't wait to hear you have your referrals! Praying for your 2 little ones too. Congrats.
-Sheri Lichty
AW Family
Comment by Anna on December 11, 2010 at 1:18 AM
Congratulations!!!! Keep preying for you!!!! Good luck with the next step!
Comment by Vicki on December 11, 2010 at 1:46 AM
Rejoicing with you!!!! So great to hear of families being united.
Blessings!!
Vicki #122 :)
Comment by Allie on December 11, 2010 at 9:02 AM
Hooray!!!
Comment by Karrie on December 11, 2010 at 9:33 AM
I just got teary eyed (I know hard to imagine) when I saw the stockings hanging. I just love what that symbolizes for you!! Words cannot accurately express how excited and happy I am for you guys. But...I did pray that you would have a travel time before Christmas..I know call me greedy...but God can do anything. We are praying daily and nightly for your kids...have been since the beginning...now we are just going to keep praying that it is an easy transition...specifically that it feels like to them and to you that you have always been together...that it just feels "right"...and why shouldn't it...God has had you fitting together in His plans all along.
Love you guys and CANNOT wait to meet those babies!!!! I checked..I do fit in the big suitcase! :-) Just in case you were wondering!
Comment by THE SMITH FAMILY on December 11, 2010 at 9:00 PM
Thank you all for your words of encouragement! We are so excited! And grateful for such incredible support!
Comment by Vanderpool days on December 11, 2010 at 11:39 PM
Praise God! What a wonderful Christmas NEXT year will be! Praying for quick referrals and travel,
Sarah Vanderpool
#126
Comment by jordan on December 12, 2010 at 12:30 AM
Im really glad for you guys...you both deserve this so much. Im excited to see God's plan come together. Im grateful for having had the opportunity to see some of the process as it unfolded and your collective faith throughout the setbacks has been a huge encouragement. I love you guys!
Comment by Kimberly on December 12, 2010 at 5:45 PM
Thrilled for you! Our friends know their paperwork is being looked at. You all might be traveling buddies! Thanking God with you and looking forward to hearing more great news.
Comment by Girl meets Kitchen on December 12, 2010 at 5:57 PM
What an amazing early Christmas present!
Comment by Morgan Wheeler on December 15, 2010 at 11:13 AM
I was just wondering the other day how this whole process was going...and I was pleasantly surprised!! So excited for the two of you. =) I love you and miss you both and cannot wait to hear more.
Merry Christmas!!
Comment by Shannon on December 27, 2010 at 11:28 PM
Yeah!! So happy and excited for you two! :-)
Comment by josh on December 28, 2010 at 3:14 AM
Hi Jeremiah & Erin,
Many congrats on your approval from MIGEPROF! I've been reading your blog for a while from a distance and praying for your adoption. Our dossier arrived in country about 6 months after yours, but it's always exciting and emotional to hear of progress toward your (and our) babies coming home.
Blessings!
Josh (#84)
Comment by Anonymous on January 10, 2011 at 4:30 PM
We are so very happy for you both! You are included in our prayers as we thank God for what HE is doing in all of our lives while we wait for our children! We would LOVE to travel with you - it would be so fun!! Congratulations :)
Adrienne Stengel
Comment by Laura on January 12, 2011 at 3:39 PM
Hi! I just found your blog as I was searching for others who'd been approved! Praising God with you! What sweet joy! We were approved as well (1/5) and are still on a high of sorts. We look forward to hearing about your referral soon :o)
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