Tickets Purchased!

We counted the days that it will likely take for the final paperwork to reach Colombia and we booked our tickets this morning. Unless something crazy happens, we will leave Minneapolis on Saturday, May 7th. We will arrive that evening and then spend Mother's Day in Bogota. Hopefully, we will meet Gabriela for the first time on Monday. The final countdown begins!

~Gerri

Provisional Approval Granted!

We heard late yesterday that we received provisional approval from US immigration! This means we can start to consider ticket options and dates of travel! We need to have final approval from the Embassy in Bogota before we can leave, but we are almost there!

~Gerri

Waiting...waiting...and more waiting

We are ready to go (as much as we can be), just waiting for the word to get our tickets to leave. It feels just like waiting for that unexpected moment when your water breaks and the contractions for labor begins! I remember so well hearing different doctors say, "oh, you should have your baby anytime," and then it was another 2 weeks! It feels strangely similar to this waiting time right now. Just like our other children, God has the perfect "birth" day already planned. Oh, please let it be soon!

No word from Gabi this week. We hope she is well. We packed her dress for the presentation day this morning. So cute. We can't imagine what that moment will be like.

~Gerri

A Similar Story

I recently read an account of another family who wrestled through some of the same questions, had similar experiences, and came to many of the same conclusions as we did in contemplating adopting Gabi. What a great story. You can read it here.

Love the Sojourner for You Were Sojourners

At church on Sunday I was able to share a good deal about this whole process, focusing particularly on what God has taught us during it. Somehow the audio got messed up, but you can read the text here.

Thanks, God, for your sanctifying work in our lives!

Last Application Sent - (I-800)

Good news! We got the rest of the needed paperwork from Colombia yesterday. We read Gabriela's official referral, in English! (that's what we were waiting for). It was emotional, but so great to read the words, "Dear Mr. and Mrs. VanAcker, We are happy to tell you there is a little girl for you, her name is Gabriela Liliana, she was born on February 07, 2008." Our last step/application was sent to US immigration this afternoon. Our officer is waiting for it and as soon as she is finished we will have provisional approval to travel!

Gabriela is doing much better. She hasn't needed extra oxygen for a few days now. We got to see her over Skype yesterday. We are counting the days until we can meet her in person. Thank you so much for praying.

~Gerri

FANA makes the news!

This is a video clip of KARE 11 news telling the story about some children from FANA (the orphanage that Gabriela is at). These children are in the U.S.A. staying with Patti Bertsch and her family as they visit doctors here. The Bertsch family helps the kids get here and hosts them while they visit doctors and try to meet families that might be interested in adopting them. At the end of the video clip you might catch a glimpse of Gabi (there is a picture of her). She was chosen to come to Minnesota the last time that a group came in September of 2010. Unfortunately we did not get to meet her then, but we were so thankful for the medical advise that we were able to get because of her time here.

Still Waiting

We got our Visas, but we are still waiting for the translated documents to come from Colombia so that we can send in our final application and get the go-ahead to leave. We have heard that Gabriela is doing better, so we are grateful for that. We saw her on Skype yesterday and she looked happy to see us. She spent about 5 minutes watching Anna play with a musical toy. We can't wait to see them interact face to face.

Gabriela!

Gabriela when she was 2 1/2 years old.

Minor Set-back

We went down to the adoption agency to sign papers and review Gabriela's official referral. Unfortunately, we can't send in our final application to immigration yet. There were a few pages in the middle of the documents that were not translated into English. Hopefully it will only be a few more days until everything is finished. In the meantime, we are set to get our Visas on Monday and we will try our best to be ready to leave as soon as we can.

Gabi update: She is still using oxygen regularly it seems. She had to be taken out of the orphanage over the weekend for further care (hospitalized). We pray that she will be able to gain strength quickly and that God would prepare her for all the excitement that is about to happen in her life.