He's Roaring Like a Lion

Friends,

First, a huge thank you to everyone who prayed for A Sea of Hope's Quarter Auction last night. The quarter auction was a ginormous success in so many ways.

Second, a huge thank you to everyone who came out and supported the event, as well as those who were not able to make it but supported it through donations and encouragement prior to the event. I believe most people had a great time, whether they won or not. ;) It was a pure joy to see so many people sharing fellowship and laughs!

And thank you to all the volunteers who helped sign-in, raffle, donated food and prizes, kitchen help, etc. It was a long night but you rocked it!!! THANK YOU!!!

To those people who organized it over the past 4 months, I know you have worked long hours and the appreciation I have for you is immense. I love you all so much. You are so dear to me and as I lay awake in the night because I absolutely could NOT fall asleep due to the joy and awe I had towards God, you were on my mind and I thanked Him for bringing you into my life.

Most of you know my kids are HUGE Newsboys fans. In our family, we have all been singing the new song, entitled, "God's Not Dead" and I would like to share the words that I have been singing all night:

Let heaven roar and fire fall
Come shake the ground
With the sounds of revival

My God's not dead
He's surely alive
He's living on the inside
Roaring like a lion

Our God is NOT dead. Do we know this? Yes, but oh, was I seeing Him "roar" last night! Friends, He wants to shine, He deserves glory, and I want to "shake the ground with the sounds of revival" for Him! We serve a mighty God and we serve a compassionate God. Over the past week, I kept saying how I just want to get my hands on Jeremiah and love him. I love that dear boy with all my heart but God loves him more than I could ever love him. He wants a family for him, He wants a home for him and He alone is providing the means for him to be an orphan no more! Our God is not dead and He is alive and working for all of us!

Okay, so I know some of you are eager for the stats so here you go! Be prepared because they are HUGE!!!

200 + people
10 vendors
167 prizes
200 + hot dogs sold

and the preliminary totals raised for Jeremiah's adoption......

Over $6250

Are you as amazed as I am??? Praise God with me!!! I am already looking forward to next year's A Sea of Hope Quarter Auction. Please pray with me for the next orphan (s) to benefit from this amazing fundraiser. We may not know who it is but God does! And He is not dead, He is surely alive!!!

With a grateful heart,
Susie

JOY!

What an awesome few weeks we have had! First, we received our I600A approval from the United States Citizen and Immigration Services (USCIS) and second, our dossier (huge load of paperwork) was translated and is at the Haitian Embassy in Chicago. Hopefully our dossier will be in processed in Haiti in the next two months. YAY-YAY!

Many of you have asked about the adoption process in Haiti. Every country is different so I want to share the timeline we are anticipating:

Homestudy - 1-3 months
Dossier Completion - 1-3 months
USCIS Approval - approximately 45 days
Dossier Translation at Haitian Embassy - 2 weeks
Dossier Processed in Haiti - 4-6 weeks
Dossier is sent to Haitian Court (IBESR) - 2-8 months
First Travel Trip to Haiti - varies
Paperwork to Parquet (adoption becomes legal) - 2-3 months
Adoption Review - 1-3 months
Adoption File to USCIS for Approval - 3 weeks
Wait for Visa Appointment - 3 weeks
PICK UP TRIP!!!!!!!!!

The highlighted steps are what we have completed.

Praise God! It looks like a terribly long process but I am prepared for the wait as best as I can be. I know it may seem strange because I have never met Jeremiah face to face, but some days I miss him so much. I hold our little boy, who is about 6 months younger than Jeremiah, and I have such an intense love for him and I wonder if someone is loving Jeremiah with the same intensity. I laugh with my daughters, and I pray someone is laughing with Jeremiah often.

Two years seems like a long wait but I'll keep highlighting each step we go through with praises to God and joyful anticipation of our forever day with Jeremiah!

It sounds so repetitive, but again, I thank you all for joining us on our family's journey. Every word of encouragement, every donation and every prayer is so deeply appreciated.

Love and joy,
Susie