I think I have finally wrapped my head around what the next steps will be between now and when we travel on our first trip to Bulgaria! I know a lot of you have been wondering, so I wanted to pass the information along to all of you! Here's what the next weeks/months will look like:
1. Translation - Our dossier is officially in Bulgaria now and is in the process of being translated.
2. Authentication - Once all of the translation is done, the documents will be authenticated. This should take place early this week.
3. Minister of Justice (MOJ) - After it is authenticated, the paperwork will make it's way to the MOJ's office. Once there, we are officially "registered." The processing in this step will take a couple of weeks.
4. International Adoption Committee (IAC) Meeting - Once the paperwork is registered with the MOJ, it will go before the International Adoption Committee to be reviewed. We will be told at this point if anything needs to be added/fixed in the paperwork. We are praying that we will get a "thumbs up" and all will be in order to proceed!
5. Referral - Once all the paperwork is approved, we will be officially waiting for a referral. The IAC meets on a regular basis (weekly, I believe) and takes a look at the children that become available for adoption. When one matches our requests (a child between 0 and 3 years old with Down Syndrome, preferably a girl), then we will be notified of a match. We will then be given 2 weeks to accept or decline the referral.
6. Travel on trip one! Once we have accepted a referral, we will travel on trip one to meet the child (about a month after accepting the referral). We will visit the orphanage 5 times, for a couple hours each day! We will be in Bulgaria for about a week and a half for this first trip.
So, that's where we are now! If you could be praying for God's perfect timing in all of this, it would be greatly appreciated. It could take no time at all to get a referral or it could take several months. God already knows our child. And, He is hemming us in behind and before, leading us to her one step at a time. Pray that we would know her as well and that His will for us would be made clear and obvious the second we see her face. Oh, how I long to lay eyes on my precious 4th child!
We'll keep you updated as things progress!
