and I'm proud to be...

AN AMERICAN!!!!!

Praise God from Whom all blessings flow!  We are rejoicing and praising God for so many answered prayers today.

If you've journeyed with me here for a while, you'll know that the only way we can adopt Hailee is for me to become a US citizen (due to hubby being over the age limit).  Three months ago we had a big decision to make.  To go through the mission of becoming a citizen, or not.  It would be costly, and would take time and effort.  Or, we could just forget about it and trust the Lord that He would bring Hailee another family.

It would have been so easy to just forget about the whole idea of saving Hailee. I cannot tell you how many times I have done just that--taken the easy road, the easy way out in my life--most of those times have NOT been God's best for me.

"Do it!" was our answer from heaven. And so we did. We began the process to expedite my citizenship. The 'normal' process would take up to a year. We knew Hailee may not have that long. We also knew we could not do it alone, so we solicited help from an attorney and an amazing Congressman in our State.

We added to that a HUGE amount of faith!

Today, God came through for us in a big way. I sat in front of an Immigration Officer this morning not knowing what the day would bring. He looked at his computer and said, "So, I see this has been expedited so that you can adopt a little girl with Down Syndrome. Things have moved very quickly."

Yes, Mr Immigration guy, they sure have, ONLY because I serve a God of the impossible!

After the interview formalities, we came back later in the afternoon for the swearing in ceremony.

While we waited...we goofed around.

A future Mr President? You can even have my vote now, dear son.

While I took the oath....

So did Haven (or maybe that's actually a salute). Just to make absolutely positive she was an American forever. You can never take the oath too many times, you know.

Finally we are all Americans.

You came to Africa to find me, Honey. But I came to American to become one of you.



What a blessed, amazingly victorious day. I got in the car as we were heading home and felt like we had just gained a lot of ground in Hailee's adoption. Finally now things can start to move forward as we begin the official paperwork to bring our precious daughter home. Our dossier needs to be put together in a rush, and Hailee's visa must be applied for like yesterday.

Oh, I know many of you may wonder--during the interview I did get asked for any other passports in my possession.  I gave them to the man. He looked them over and gave them straight back to me. That was it! I really thought they would be stamped with some kind of stamp to say that I could no longer use them, or something. But nothing.

I guess that just makes me a South African-Australian-American.  Or an American-South African-Australian?

Whatever.

Yes, dear friends--a God of the impossible--that's who I serve! In LESS than three months my citizenship has been granted. 

How He loves, loves, loves Hailee.

Thank you to everyone single one of you who have stood with me in prayer, and support, as we journey to bring Hailee home. It means the absolute world to us.

Please, sweet Hailee, hang in there--your Mommy and Daddy got so much closer to you today!  So much closer.