Fingerprints are done!

What a surprise it was to the children (and me) that when we went to get our fingerprints taken we had to stand with our arms out so that the police could search us before we went into the waiting room. The guards just used a small hand-held metal detector but it was still interesting to watch each child's face as they had to put their arms out - they were so serious :) Afterwards a guard came over with little coloring books for each of them - I think it made the kids not so nervous of them! Everything went well and now we are waiting on (that word "waiting" comes up quite a bit, doesn't it?) another piece of paper to get mailed to us. After we get that paper in the mail we can send in to the Chinese consulate in Chicago to get authenticated THEN we will have everything we need to submit our dossier (great big bundle of paperwork) to China.

Over the past few months Kevin and I have found at least 10 children on the waiting child list that we wanted to adopt. Unfortunately, every time we ask about putting a child on hold for us to review her file she is already on hold with another agency. That's wonderful for the child but... it can get a little emotionally draining at times. We know that God is in control and that His timing is perfect. We have no doubt of that. Still, with each child we think may be ours, well, the best way that I can explain it is to compare it to wanting to become pregnant. Each month you think you are pregnant, you are hoping and praying that you are, and so you take a pregnancy test, but it comes back negative. You aren't pregnant. No baby. No child. Every time I ask our agency if a child is available it is like taking that pregnany test. Well, one day it will come back positive and when it does, that child will be the perfect one for our family.

In His name,

The Burgess Family