Dossier is On the Way!

Our dossier is on its way to Russia, in the hands of Alexandra Goode, our adoption agency director. She is hand carrying it to Russia to begin the translation of it in preparation for submission to the Russian court in Penza.

There are only a copy of documents that we need to send along after it when they come in, notibly the approval of our adoption by the BCIS (formerly INS). Please pray that the approval from BCIS will come more quickly than they estimated (2-3 months!). The longer that takes the longer it will be before we can go get the kids!

These last couple of weeks getting the dossier done has been exhausting! Cyndy's experience is just an example of what we've been through! Read this:

Well, so I ride the train in and get on the subway. I get off at Civic Center (1st & Hill) and head two blocks up a very steep hill. Should be at Spring St. but I'm on Grand. Hummmmm. Asking three people later, I find that I went two blocks in the wrong direction. Trying not to kick myself for doing such a thing and up a very steep hill no less, I head back down. I go through a ethic farmers market kind of thing on the ground floor of a high-rise (very interesting experience and yet another place I've never been) and finally find the State building. By now, my shirt is wet in spots on the front of me so I can only imagine what I look like from behind.

Reaching the 12th floor, I slink in behind a "staff" person into the "staff only" bathroom and hope they don't come with guns to get me so I can get a paper towel. By the time I get to the Secretary of State's office on that very same floor, I have wiped enough moisture to saturate the paper towel! Great!

There are very few people in the room (like maybe 2) so I think hopefully, this is good since I have wandered up hill (did I mention a very steep hill) and yon and it's now 10:45. The helpful woman behind the counter asks me what I need and I sheepishly reply "a bunch of apostilles" and pull out my stack. Her eyes widen somewhat but don't bug out of her completely - you know like in Looney Tunes - so I continue innocently on. She begins to count and gets 23 documents and then asks me to count. I count 25 so we go through it together and I find out she can't apostille the San Bernardino Police Clearance letters - they need to be notarized. FUDGE!!! (not what I thought or said, but you get the idea!)

She calls over Omar and asks how long and they determine they will be ready by 2:00 pm! Okay, I am standing there still dripping and mopping, feet hurting, and feeling very drained and thinking WHAT!!! But in my best the trek must go on fashion, I ask what time they close and we agree I need to be back by 4 (they close at 4:30) so I can go over everything and make sure it is correct. Now besides the fact that how in the world will I know what is correct and then general overwhelming fog of heat exhaustion, I don't even question that. Instead I ask if I get the two documents notarized, could I bring them back at 4 pm and get them done. Oh yes, she replies so helpfully. I start to walk out the door and realize I can't do that because they would still need county certificates. So back in I go thinking there must be somewhere in downtown LA to get county certificates. Oh contrare, I need to go to Norwalk. She tells me very helpfully that I could easily get to Norwalk and back by 2:00 pm and I can get them notarized in the adjacent building to where I get the certificates. Alas, I rode the train in so no way to get to NORWALK!!!!

Okay punt again, no police records until the next shipment of documents. Oh well…….

As I begin the trek back to the subway station I realize I can't go back at 4 pm because I need to bring them back to the office to finish copying and Fed Ex them. So in the middle of my day I will once again ride the rails back and forth to retrieve the apostilles and them come back to work.

Those kids better appreciate this!!!!!


Well, we are told that they WON'T appreciate the facts, but they will appreciate the adoption itself!

Keep us in your prayers, please. We appreciate each and everyone of you!

Blessings,

Glen and Cyndy Haworth