Tuesday, March 16, 2010

Fingerprint processing update...

We received notification that our fingerprint info arrived for processing by the FBI in Alexandria, VA on March 5th.  Since that time, we have heard nothing at all about it from anyone.  So Michael called around today to see what he could find out.  His first call resulted in being told that they literally receive 100,000 requests a day and that our fingerprints will be in "security" for 6 weeks before they move on to the next step.  Overall, it would take at least 13 weeks for them to be processed, and there's nothing anyone can do about it. 

Since that was not a satisfactory answer, he called around some more and finally spoke with the person whose job it is to enter the data into the computer.  Yes, that's right, the ONE person who has that job.  She said that they are trying to get her more help, but she's it for now.  (Doesn't seem like they would have to look that hard with 10%+ unemployment - just sayin'.)  The good news is that when he told her the date they should have arrived there, she was able to actually find our fingerprints and documents in a stack in her office.  So, we know they are there.  And she said she hoped to get to them by the end of this week.  (Bureaucracy is grand, isn't it?)

After our fingerprints are processed there, they still have to go to DHR in our state.  So, we definitely want them to hurry up and pass through the federal channels so they can get to the state for approvals. 

One thing I have realized is that I need to start praying more consistently for every single person who is handling our documents of any kind in any place.  God sees all our documents as they travel through their little paper paths from one place to another, and He never loses sight of them, so it only makes sense to ask for His guidance for both the documents and the people handling them.  (We are not, however, giving up trying to contact anyone who can help us; we're just adding the main ingredient necessary for a quick and favorable outcome.) 

Just one tiny aspect in the "adventure" of adoption, I suppose!  

P.S. I post these crazy little updates so that anyone considering adoption can see a little of what they may expect, so those going through it at this time can see they're not alone, and so that those who have gone through it already can see that nothing's really changed!   :)

1 comment:

Kim Bridges said...

Hey Melinda, We have found legal processes are only magnified when dealing with things which will traverse across the seas! Even today we went to get our inter-american driver's license and realized the name on Randy's MS driver's license didn't match his passport and the inter-american name has to match the MS driver's license, and the inter-american name must match the name on the passport. Confused yet? :) One little detail can mess up the entire process. We've learned we never get to graduate from God's School of Patience! Praying for you guys and love the way the Lord is changing the way you think!