Progress on Our Dossier

Mabuhay (welcome/hello)!

For those of you just joining us, thanks for taking interest in our adoption journey! We're making progress and we're so excited to share it with you!

Our "dossier" is the packet of information about our family that we submit to the Philippines to be considered for adoption in their country. We're so excited to say we've finally made it through the two-page list of required items and submitted our dossier to our adoption agency for their first review! Technically, our Dossier is not 100% finalized. The adoption agency will review everything and let us know if they think we need to include anything else or change anything. However, we should be mostly done, if not fully done with it. Then, once we receive our USCIS application approval, off the Dossier goes to the Philippines government!

Below are some pictures of the dossier paperwork – isn't that quite the stack?!?! We also snapped a shot of Ben prepping to send the box at USPS.😊 

To gather all the required documents, go through all the appointments, answer all the questions, get our pictures and videos together…well, it probably took 100+ hours for all of that to be completed. So, I can't quite describe how much love is in each of those items as we patiently await to be approved and matched with our amazing kiddos.

It was actually a bit difficult putting the dossier paperwork in the mail to our adoption agency. It was like letting go of a tiny piece of control we have over the process. What we have left is almost all in the hands of other people. But, as Ben reminded me just yesterday, ultimately, it's all in God's hands.

But, given how much love went into those items, it's also a bit like sending a piece of our love closer to our kiddos. Someday, those papers, pictures, and video will make it to the birth country of our kids. Our kids' social worker will see those items and get to know us better in order to help match us with the kids she's overseeing. How neat is that? Ok, well maybe it's only neat for this to-be momma, but I definitely find comfort in it.

This week, I'm asking for prayers for God's protection over our kiddos. I just pray that no matter what circumstances each of our children are encountering, that God would protect them in those situations. That they would be fully fed and clothed, with a warm bed to sleep in each night. I recognize the reality may be that my children aren't in a place of protection right now or maybe they already are in foster homes that fully care for them. Maybe one of them isn't even born yet. Regardless, I'm praying for their protection knowing God can fully protect them even in horrible circumstances. I know God is already protecting them in having already chosen them to join our family – albeit, we won't be perfect parents. But, even more, He already has provided the ultimate protection in sending His Son, Jesus, to die for each of them. Thank you, Lord, for your gracious protection and love for our children.