One Piece of Paper

I never new one piece of paper could be so important, until I began adoptwaiting. They don’t start off talking about it. They kind of ease you in to it. They tell you, you will create a dossier. Since you have never heard of a dossier before you are thinking a dossier that sounds easy. The thing they forgot to mention is that gathering a dossier is like trying to pick up paper in wind storm when everyone else’s trash is blowing all around as well.

A good example of this is when one of my friends who was writing one of the two recommendation letters we needed. She is at the bank hoping to get it notarized but she realizes that it does not have all the words the notary was suppose to write. Because it is important to note that not only are there detailed instructions on every piece of paper you need, there are detailed instructions for what the notary is suppose to write and how they are suppose to sign. It is also important that the notary does not expire within 6 months of when the document was signed. Right, then you need to get it state sealed. So the state the recommendation letter and notary originated from need to be sent to the Secretary of State of the state the letter and notary came from and they verify the notary. They put an official piece of paper on it all and it is State sealed. Repeat 25 more times.

In the midst of what I have heard referred to as the great paper chase, you apply with immigration to obtain your I-171 form. Once you apply they mail you appointments to go and get fingerprinted. Even though you have already been fingerprinted you get to go again. Once they have your fingerprints they are able to process your I-171 form. This form takes the longest to get so it is usually the last piece of paper needed when gathering your dossier.

When ours came in the mail, I am not sure what we thought it would say or what it would like. While we were waiting for it, everyday had the hope that today will be the day it comes in the mail. Then when it is not in the mail there is a bit of disappointment. So when it came this past Thursday, we were surprised and unsure. Is this it? Does it say on it I-am-the-most-important-piece-of-paper-that-you-have-been-waiting for? Ours did not. My husband called me at work and read it to me. We were unsure. Is this it? I asked him to send me a picture because I wanted to see it. Maybe if we were both looking at we could figure it out. 13 phone calls later, my ever-patient husband was able to send a photo I could print off and read. That is when we both saw it I-171. This is it. This is the paper we have been waiting for just under 3 months to receive.

Now our dossier is complete. We met with our social worker on Saturday to give it to her. She reviewed every piece of paper. She pointed out one that had been done wrong. Being at Starbucks about an hour from our house how could we print a new one? Starbucks to the rescue, they let me use their computer to pull up my email and he printed another copy of the page we needed. Then she saw our I-171 verification form, not to be confused with our I-171form, the verification form had been notarized. She asked me why did I do that? I told her we thought we needed to. She was on the verge of saying it was not going to work when she realized that we signed and dated it the same day our I-171 form had been approved. She said how lucky we had been, I corrected her, and I said it was providential. Only God could orchestrate that we have our verification form signed, dated and notarized on the exact date our I-171 form was approved. Just writing that reminds me of my previous post about trusting God and how can I not trust a God who is the God of such details?