Record time

Yesterday, we went to Indianapolis for an Ethiopian cultural event.  It was attended by many families who have brought children home from Ethiopia.  My favorite part was when some of the members of the church got up to sing.  My eyes welled up with tears as I was taken back to the night before Epiphany when we were in Ethiopia and we heard singing outside our guest house window.  Groups of people were walking through the streets singing and clapping in celebration.  It was moving then, and equally moving last night.

I called my dad on the way to Indy and asked him to stalk our mailbox just in case our immigration approval should arrive.  We were just fingerprinted on Tuesday and Friday was a holiday, so I knew it was probably not going to be there.   Shortly before we arrived at the church, he called to tell me there were two letters in our mailbox from the Dept. of Homeland Security.  I knew there should only be one, so I was upset thinking that my fingerprints had been rejected and one of the letters contained a new fingerprint appointment.  I had him open both of them and he started to read them to me, but I couldn't focus so I just told him to look for something that said I171H.  He couldn't find it.  He looked at the other letter, but it had Sena's name on it, so I knew that wasn't it.  (Just an FYI in case you file the G884 - request for original documents: after waiting MONTHS, you might then receive notice that they need verification of identity.  In this case, we need a statement signed by Sena -who is 2!! - and notarized before it can be processed.  Now, I think she is brilliant, but she hasn't quite mastered signing her name just yet.  Perhaps I can get her to sign it with an X like they did in the old days...) But I digress.  After a phone call to a friend who just received her approval and told me exactly where on the letter it is found (bottom right corner in tiny font - you would think I could have remembered that from the first time, but I didn't), my dad was finally able to locate the magical I171H!  And just like that, we are officially paper ready.  The journey continues...