APPROVED!

Yesterday afternoon we received our I-797C form in the mail from The Department of Homeland Security / USCIS (Customs and Immigration). The name of the form is "NOTICE OF FAVORABLE DISPOSITION CONCERNING APPLICATION FOR ADVANCE PROCESSING OF ORPHAN PETITION." Whew!

We read it through several times and had to send an email to Christi, our family coordinator at AWAA to interpret its legal-ese for us. WE'RE APPROVED!! The US government officially recognized that we "are able to furnish proper care to an orphan or orphans as defined in section 101(b)(I)(F) of the Immigration and Nationality Act." The exciting part of all this is that a copy of this form was forwarded to the US Embasy in San Salvador. El Salvador now has us on their radar!

That means that we are one very important step closer to adopting our child. I'll go on Monday to Hartford to have this form apostilled along with two or 3 others that need updating. Then I will send them to AWAA and from there they can all go to El Salvador to be translated and submitted! Then can come approval by El Salvador, Referral, Travel and FAMILY!

Praise God from whom all blessing flow!
WOO HOO!

Here is a copy of our I-797C Approval!

Pre-Parental Counseling #1

Yesterday we met with Pastor Josh and Rochelle to talk with them about Parenting for the first time. We've asked them to sit with us periodically to discuss what they have learned about parenting, raising children who love the Lord, growing personally in our Faith, and keeping our marriage strong as we prepare to become parents.

During our first meeting we discussed:

• Parenting a sinner--we are all sinners and need to parent in the light of God's grace and forgiveness
• Letting go of our pre-conceived expectations for our child's life and letting them be who God created them to be
• Being consistent in rules and discipline
• Communicating carefully as parents
• Giving a child the time and attention he/she craves before expecting him/her to be content to play independently
• Super Nanny--parents have the ability and responsability to make changes when one strategy is not working
• Parenting books--sometimes a helpful resource, but it's important to rely on our own parental instincts when making decisions about our family

We hope to meet with them several more times to glean as much wisdom from them as we can. We will also be seeking advice and wisdom from many other wise and experienced parents as we "wait" for our child to come home to us.

The World For Our Little One

One thing we want to show the world through our special and multicultural family is that the world is God's and we are His. Every human on this globe is created by Him as a unique part of His plan for the World. His plan is to adopt each of us into His family by His grace and through His son, Jesus Christ. The whole diverse world is part of His plan. We want our family to be a living testimony of the way that God brings us (who were far from Him) into his family--to be His heirs (Romans 8:12-17). As a symbol of the way His love encompases every corner of the Earth, we have decided to paint a mural on the wall of our child's bedroom wall--a colorful map of the world.



Kim's friend Karen has agreed to work with us this summer, using paintbrush and paint, to give the world to our first child. She is a 4th grade teacher at Kim's school and is also a muralist.

PORTRAITS, MURALS & MORE...

KAREN MCHUGH

KARENMCHUGH4@AOL.COM

Message From AWAA

We received this message today from Christi, our Family Coordinator. Some good news, and some more work to do. A couple documents need to be fixed up, but the good news is that the agency is processing us along with the others who submitted their dossiers prior to May 31. This is a blessing because families who submit after May 31 will have to pay a new International Program Fee. Since they granted us an extension, we will not have to pay this new fee.

Hi Kim,
In reviewing your dossier there were a few things that need to be amended.
1. The psychologist's license CCOO had a scratch-out. Unfortunantly you'll need to redo this.
2. The power of attorney dates do not match up. It shows that it was completed and notarized on the 21st but then the date for your signatures is the 22nd.
Let me know if you need me to send the originals to you. Otherwise if you want to just complete those 2 pages and send it to me with your I171H you'll be all set.
In regard to the request of the extension, I had already granted that to your family so you all are counted as before the 31st deadline.
God bless,

Christi Hicks
Assistant Eastern Europe Program Director
Latin America Program Director

America World Adoption
6723 Whittier Avenue, Suite 202
McLean, VA 22101
Toll Free: 888-ONE-CHILD ext. 124
Direct Line: (703) 891-3145
Fax: (703) 356-8973
www.spirit-of-adoption.org

(KJV) Romans 8:15 For ye have not received
the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have
received the Spirit of Adoption, whereby we
cry, Abba, Father.

Click here for more information on AWAA's new El Salvador Program, Ethiopia Program, or Kazakhstan Program.
This message may contain confidential and/or privileged information. If you are not the addressee or authorized to receive this for the addressee, you must not use, copy, disclose or take any action based on this message or any information herein. If you have received this message in error, please advise the sender immediately by reply e-mail and delete this message. Thank you for your cooperation.

Fullton Family Album

Here are some of the pictures we included with our Fullton Family Album that will be submitted with our dossier to El Salvador.

Expectant Mother and Father














Enjoying time together














Our child's future bedroom














Our home

Almost Official

On June 1, we copied and organized all of the documents for our dossier. We squeezed them all into a FedEx box and sent them off to AWAA's office in McLean, Virgina. The stack was over 2'' tall and just barely fit into the box.

DOSSIER DOCUMENTS:
A: Copy of Passport Photo pages for husband and wife
B: Birth Certificates
C: Marriage Certificate
D: General Physical Examination
E: Copy of Physician’s license
F: Police Department Record
G: Proof of Income (Employment Letters)
H: Photo Copy of USCIS I-171H (Keep the original)
I: Home Study
J: Copy of agency license and social worker license
K: Copy of America World’s License
L: Psychological Evaluation
M: Copy of Psychologist’s license
N: Letter regarding psychologist
O: Power of Attorney
P: Agency Post-Placement Commitment
Q: Agency Recommendation
R: Guardianship Statement
S: Photo Album
T: (2) Two copies of every page of A-S & U on this sheet**
U: Letters about medications (placed after Physician’s license in dossier)

We sent all these in except for letter H. We went on June 2nd to have our fingerprints taken. Those need to be processed by the FBI and then the Dept. of Homeland Security can approve our application and USCIS can pre-approve our child for a US visa. Once that document arrives, we can have it certified and our documentation will be complete. It will be reviewed by AWAA, sent to El Salvador for translation, and then submitted to the Salvadoran "Oficina Para Adopciones" who will eventually approve us and send us a referral--our child!

One more big step closer.