Well, the news of our travel dates has come with mixed emotions. Of course, we are thrilled to finally know when we will be leaving, but we had hoped to be with Cameron before his first birthday (March 31st). As it stands now, we will be flying to Bogota on April 9th and meeting Cameron for the first time on April 13th (our 14th year anniversary)!
As with every step in this process, this news also came with a few new twists. The first is the need to have our USCIS (United States Citizenship and Immigration Services) approval before we travel. This is the document that allows us to bring Cameron back into the United Status and gives him his citizenship. We just overnighted the last piece of paperwork to them on Wednesday and they should be getting our FBI clearance by the end of next week. Our delayed travel date is giving them a little over 3 weeks to approve our application. I am still a little nervous about this process. We have e-mailed the USCIS office in Atlanta and are praying that they will help us by expediting the approval. Please pray with us that this comes quickly.
We knew that we would need visas to travel, however, we weren’t aware of the process that was required to secure the visas needed for adoption. It looks like we will be adding a trip to Miami, Florida to our list of things to do in order to get our travel visas. According to everything we have read, you have to apply for this special visa in person and you have to have already purchased your round trip plane tickets. We are still looking into it, so keep this process in your prayers. The good news is that the Colombian Consulate website says that the visa will only take 4 business days to process.
Our Current Needs:
- Our USCIS application gets approved in time for us to leave.
- We are able to find the best flights at the best price.
- We can get our travel visas without any problems
- We are able to raise the remaining travel funds (plus the additional Miami trip funds if needed)
- Prayer for Cameron, that God will bless him and keep him safe.
- Prayer for his foster family, that God would bless them for their loving care.
Thank you for all of your continued prayer and support.
Awaiting His Coming,
Patrick & Mary Ann Mulvehill
