I’m So Excited…I’m So Scared…

Growing up we were both huge fans of the show Saved by the Bell. There are a ton of iconic moments from the show, but the one that likely tops most peoples list is…

This pretty much sums up how we feel right now because we received word from our agency, Lifeline, that our dossier is on it’s way to Colombia! All the hours of paperwork, the miles of driving for notary and apostille signatures (had to go to Nashville for two signatures), the fundraising, and the waiting were all building up to that packet of paperwork being put on a plane. So we are DEFINITELY excited as it has been a long process to say the least. With that said, we are also a little scared.

To shed some light on this, once our dossier arrives in Colombia our agency representative will review it and translate it into Spanish and then send it to FANA which is the group home our daughter(s) will come from. Once it arrives at FANA they will review it and ultimately approve our dossier (this process may include some back and forth if they have questions regarding our application). This process may take up to three months, but from what we have seen, approvals have been granted anywhere from a month to six weeks. Once we are approved then we will enter the matching phase of our adoption.

Yes, that means that once we have an approved dossier we will be ushered through a 1 to 18 month (hopefully it won’t take 18 months!) process of deciding which child(ren) will become a part of the Echols clan. If that ain’t scary, then we don’t know what is! We are grateful and humbled to be at this step in the process and we are resting in God’s sovereignty that He will give us wisdom in the most important of decisions.

How Can You Be Praying For Us

• Please pray that we are approved quickly and that there not be any back and forth with FANA/the Colombian government regarding our dossier.
• Please pray for God’s wisdom as we enter the matching phase of the process.
• Please pray for God’s perfect timing because there are easier times of the year to travel for us as a family. If our travel falls during a more difficult time, we will need a lot of favor from our places of employment to be able to complete our process.
• Please pray for favor as we apply for grants and seek to finalize our funding for our adoption.
• Finally, and as always, pray for the little life/lives that God has ordained for us to parent. Everyday we feel the weight of not being with her/them and we are yearning to be joined with her/them soon.

We truly appreciate your prayers and support. We will let you know once our dossier has been approved!

P.S. Here is our updated timeline of our process. So happy to finally be able to write the last point on the list!!!

• 11/13/18 – We submitted our pre-application to Lifeline
• 11/20/18 – We submitted our official application to Lifeline
• 12/21/18 – We had our orientation interview phone call
• 12/31/18 – We had our first home study interview (in-home visit)
• 1/22/19 – We had our second home study interview
• 2/12/19 – We had our third home study interview
• 2/18/19 – We had our psychological evaluation (required for adoption)
• 3/19/19 – We mailed our I-800a to Lifeline
• 3/27/19 – Our home study was finalized
• 3/29/19 – Lifeline mailed our I-800a to USCIS
• 4/1/19 – Our I-800a was received in the “lockbox” and we sent our FBI fingerprint results to DC for federal apostille
• 4/5/19 – FBI documents apostilled and sent to Lifeline
• 4/10/19 – FBI documents received by Lifeline
• 4/11/19 – WE MAILED OUR DOSSIER TO LIFELINE (YAY)
• 4/22/19 – We had our fingerprint appointment with USCIS
• 5/16/19 – USCIS approval received
• 9/16/19 – OUR DOSSIER WAS MAILED TO COLOMBIA