Mullenhour's Journey to Ethiopia : One Year Later

Monday, July 1, 2013

One Year Later

One year ago today we mailed off our initial adoption application to Christian World Adoption in North Carolina! What a year it has been, full of twists and turns! We've completed our home study, finished our dossier, found a new adoption agency, completed dossier paperwork again (which is now in Ethiopia), and are now number 8 on our agency's referral list! It truly is amazing how God works in our lives, and in the people around us! We know that our family was meant for adoption, as God has been preparing our hearts for the past ten years. There have been bumps in the road (Satan is against adoption, and will do anything to stop it), but with every bump God has provided!

We wanted to say thank you to all of our family & friends for being encouraging & understanding over the past 12 months, especially now while are waiting. Please continue to pray for the beautiful people of Ethiopia, that they have food in their bellies and a safe place to rest their heads at night. Come on beautiful baby girl, we are waiting to bring you home!

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.~ John 14:18 (NIV)

2 comments:

Going to Love and Serve...July 2, 2013 at 1:00 PM
So honored to be on this journey with you through all the twists and turns!
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Mullenhour's Journey to AfricaJuly 2, 2013 at 1:44 PM
We are blessed to have great friends who support us! We love you guys!
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Our Journey To Addis Ababa

11/03/15 Finally arrived home as a family of 6!!
11/02/15 Took a late night plane from Addis Ababa and headed back home with our sweet girl!! She did amazing on the long journey home!!
11/02/15 Completed her Visa interview & received her Visa!!
10/20/15 We received our court decree, her birth ccertificate, and her MOWA exit letter!
10/20/15 Passed court! We officially have 4 daughters!!
10/17/15 Arrived in Addis and met our sweet girl for the first time!!!
10/16/15 Hopped on an airplane for the long 23 hour flight to Ethiopia!!
08/04/15 Our updated Dossier PASSED MOWA!
03/12/15 Our Biometrics apt with USCIS (this is the 3rd time, ugh)
03/09/15 Updated our ENTIRE Dossier in hopes that MOWA will give us a positive letter
02/12/15 Updated 2 Dossier documents, authenticated them and are in ET
01/27/15 Passed PAIR!! Her ppwk is complete and approved!
11/27/14 We officially have a REFERRAL!! A beautiful little girl!
09/10/14 Standing still at #1 on the referral list for a girl
05/06/14 We remain at #1 on our agencies referral list
03/06/14 I-600 updated & approved
02/01/14 Still #1 on the referral list
12/13/13 Standing still at #1
10/22/13 #1 on the list
10/14/13 Standing still at # 3
08/28/13 # 3!! So close!
08/01/13 Standing still at # 8
05/31/13 # 8!! Getting a little closer
05/15/13 # 9!! Yeah for single digits!!
05/13/13 Our Dossier is in Ethiopia! It will get translated to Amaric soon.
04/19/13 # 10!!
04/05/13 Authenticated Dossier made it to our agency (we are now officially moving forward & are no longer re-doing CWA documents)
04/04/13 Authenticated by the State Dept & the Ethiopian Embassy. Our courier is FedExing our Dossier to CCI in Florida
04/02/13 #12 on CCI's referral list!
03/25/13 Power of Attorney and Cover Letter authenticated by the county & state. Mailed CWA's dossier & updated paperwork to our courier, The Assistant Stork in D.C. The courier will take off the gromit, take out CWA's paperwork, replace them with CCI's, and authenticate our dossier again.
03/21/13 Our updated paperwork is completed for CCI! Our new agency allowed us to be put on their waiting list, since we have lost so much time & money with CWA closing. Were officially #18, and SO EXCITED!!!!!
03/08/13 Approved to work with our new agency, Celebrate Children International (aka CCI)! Time to change our Dossier paperwork for our new agency.
03/04/13 Applied with an agency & anxiously waiting to hear if were approved to work with them!
02/20/13 Checking into more agencies that are approved for African adoptions
02/08/13 Our adoption agency (Christian World Adoption) officially closed. Our case was referred to a new agency, Illien Adoptions International (pending approval from MoWCY in Addis Ababa)
01/30/13 Dossier back from our Courier's authenticated by the State Department & the Ethiopian Embassy
01/18/13 Dossier (the paperwork & approved Home Study that we have been working months to complete) sent to our courier, The Assistant Stork in D.C.
01/16/13 Documents authenticated by the state of Ohio!
01/11/13 Documents authenticated by the county
12/24/12 Received our I-171H Approval from USCIS!!
11/30/12 Our scheduled USCIS apt in Columbus, OH!!
11/07/12 Mailed draft Dossier to CWA.
10/31/12 Mailed the I600A for USCIS (United States Citizen & imigration Services) apt. It is a part of Homeland Security, which will give us permission to bring an orphan into the country!
10/29/12 Home Study Approved!!!
09/19/12 Home Study visit with our social worker, Brenda
09/12/12 Started obtaining Dossier paperwork.
08/22/12 We listen to God, our little girl is in ETHIOPIA! Our girls are on board, so now we begin obtaining documents for our Home Study!
07/30/12 Kyrgyzstan is under investigation for adoption fraud, all adoptions placed on hold. Praying what to do next.
07/12/12 Approved to begin the process to adopt from Kyrgyzstan!!
07/01/12 Applied with Christian World Adoption (aka CWA)

Mullenhour's Journey to Ethiopia

Monday, July 1, 2013

One Year Later

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