Signs from God

Leaving the house this morning on the way to work, I saw this. Got out of the car and with the camera phone captured what I have never seen on this house ever before. See that house every morning for 4 years and nothing ever close. Now you have to see the whole surroundings to help explain what cast this image. No windows, or reflective surfaces near. I looked and looked and just was flabergasted. The sun is in the upper right so it is not from behind... I am not a believer in the french toast images of Jesus or the Virgin Mary in a glass window, but this is just plain jaw dropping. Notice the halo around it too. I guess it is His way of saying, yep, things will work out when and how I want. Just like everything else He has planned for the two of us. (CLICK ON THE IMAGE FOR THE FULL SIZE VIEW)

The Unknown

In a nutshell, the agreement between Vietnam and the US is set to expire September 1, 2008. Where do we stand if this happens? Nobody knows. Holt was in Hanoi last week for talks regarding the new MOU and has sent us communication but nothing concrete has been defined. To us it is like sitting in a courtroom waiting for the jury to deliberate.
In the past 48 hours the DOS has placed a warning on their website regarding new adoptions from Vietnam HERE. There is also some good information to shed light on this topic HERE. We ask everyone to pray that this matter is resolved before September 1. So, for now, we sit here and wait until "what happens next" is communicated to us. We hope that those families who are in the process are allowed to continue. As we receive more information that is able to be shared publicly we will pass it along, but until then, all your prayers are needed and appreciated.

Please Sign The Petition

In November 2007 the USCIS (formerly the INS) changed the way in which they process the I-600 applications for PAPs (Prosepective Adoptive Parents) in Vietnam. It has caused a serious back-log of applications and is causing delay for families in Vietnam and waiting to go to Vietnam and bring their child home. Please help by signing this petition which goes to Michael Valverde of the USCIS.

PLEASE CLICK HERE

Where In The World?

Just wanted to give those who are not all that familiar with Vietnam, an idea as to where BabyBelz may come from. There are four provinces that Holt works with . The Google map HERE will give you a better understanding. You can move around and zoom in or change to satellite view. For the most part, families are receiving more referrals from the South (Binh Duong & Dong Nai) than the North (Ha Noi) with a few from central Vietnam (Da Nang). All departures from Vietnam after the adoption is complete, will be from Ha Noi as that is where the majority of the in-country process takes place.

New Family Links

Posted some new fellow Holt Vietnam family blog sites in our links. There is one over there now, one leaving on Saturday (not linked, due to their request) and another family that is getting all packed up ready to go get Nicholas! Watch these amazing voyages! They are traveling on VERY short notice (less than one week) due to Tet which is the Vietnamese New Year celebration which starts the evening of February 7th. This 3 day long celebration tends to slow things down since government offices are closed. This site HERE has some nice links to information about Tet.

Who would of thought..4 years later

Jan. 9th, 2003 - life changed for me. Not only for me, but for my family and friends. Jan. 9th will be a day none of us will forget especially me. It is a day I always go back to when I think I'm having a bad day. Being diagnosed with cancer at the age of 25, newly married was a bit of a shock for me. I always knew in my life, ever since I could remember, something rare (good or bad) would happen to me. On that day, Jan. 9th- I told my brother in the a.m. I had cancer, oddly to say he knew it too. So many times in our life God touches us and speaks to us, but how often do we listen? For some reason in that hospital room, my brother and I shared the same sense. I knew from that point forward my life would never be the same. Thoughts flooded my head- how long will I live? What do I do now? What about all my family- my husband what will they do? I never thought about being a mommy not once during that day. Maybe if I did I would not have chosen to have a hysterectomy, maybe I would have saved my eggs. I look back at that day and I wonder why me? Why was I put in this position? I know everything in our lives happen for a reason- I asked Hank on Sunday I still do not know the reason behind the cancer and not being able to carry a child. He simply said "someday you will". I woke up this a.m. and I figured it out- God wanted Hank and I do adopt. He knew that there was a baby out there for us that might not have had a chance without us. I sit here and wait for my 4 year check up and I think how lucky I am to adopt- to be a mommy- to a special child that was put on this earth for us.

**** Note from HB IV- All went well today with Dr. Yim (truly and angel from above) who gave Tricia a clean bill of health- 4 years cancer free!!! While 9-Jan was a scary day for the Belz and Smith families we thank God that He has seen us through all of this and pointed us down the road He has, curved as it might be. Through thick and thin, more thin than thick :-) we cherish each day. To ALL of our friends and family that provide us with support and love, THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts. We can not wait until the day we walk down the concourse at Lambert for our homcoming with BabyBelz. It will be so very special. Trish, I am SO very proud of you. I love you :-) ..... CHEERS!

Back to the USCIS!

Happy New Year! Our appointment for biometrics was today at noon. Simple in-and-out procedure. Took us longer to park and walk to the Federal Building than it did to do the fingerprints. Ladies there said around 30 days for processing by the FBI, which means we should (praying) have an approved I-600A by early February, baring any governmental red tape. That is all for now! Back to the waiting game!