Ana is coming home!!!

My niece is over the moon!  Apparently 12 BC were issued the same day, but fully half of them have been put up for "preview" since the official didn't sign her FULL name....yet she signed all 12 the exact same way.  All of these adoptions are being handled by the same agency (Hannah's Hope, I *think*) and they do not pay the "expediting fees" that some agencies are willing to pay.

I find it horribly sad that this country is so poor that corruption is their way of life to sustain life.  Just think of having to depend on bribes to feed your family.  It's awfully sad.

Jen's email was just glowing though.  She and the entire family are so thrilled.

Janice, did you ever find out what gender your baby is?  Or is s/he going to keep us waiting?

Ana's passport has been issued.  Her DNA test, to prove to the Embassy that she didn't get mixed up with another child in the orphanage, is slated for today and they'll have the results in a week.  Then the Embassy will send Jen a "pink slip", which is basically an email appointment date.  This is when they will issue Ana's visa so Jen and family can bring her home.

There tenative plan is to leave on April 4th.  This is one very excited family.

Thanks for all the prayers that helped this to happen!

Congratulations Glenda!  This is so wonderful!!!

Congratulations!! I'm very happy for you and your sister. I want to see some pics soon!

UPDATE!  Today's email update!

Dear Family and Friends,
Like everything else in this process, our PINK slip came today as a total surprise.  They are typically issued as an email late in the afternoon.  Today, however, just as I was trying to get out the door to take Joel to his class, the phone rang and it was Congressman Peter Hoekstra's office.  His assistant (who has been helping us through this entire process), was calling to notify us that they had emailed HER our pink slip.  She forwarded me the email, and sure enough, our appointment is for next Wednesday (4/9) at 8:00 a.m.!  We fly out of Detroit on Sunday afternoon (4/6) and will return on Tuesday (4/15).  While in Guatemala we plan to spend quite a bit of time at the orphanage and just enjoying being a family of five.  We plan to email pictures from Guatemala, so we will definitely be in touch throughout the week.  Thank you all, so very much for your continued prayers during our travel.  ANA IS COMING HOME!!!

With GREAT Joy,
Brian and Jenifer

Oh Glenda, I just got the chills!  This is so wonderful!  YEAH!!!

 that is wonderful news, Glenda!  I'm so happy for the family and look forward to seeing pics of that beautiful little Ana!

Glenda, that is just super news.  Be sure and post some pics when you get them.

Joyce

Today's email....

Dear Friends and Family,
This is my second attempt to send an email update to all of you, so hopefully, this time it will work.  We are having an absolutely WONDERFUL time!  Our flights yesterday all went well, aside from the fact that the flight from Detroit to Houston was PACKED.  So much so, that as we were boarding the plane, they insisted there was not enough room for any of our carry-ons.  We quickly hurried Joel and Grace on (with their carry-ons...wondering how we would get through the next 8 hours of travel without any of their activities), and reluctantly handed over ours to the flight attendant.  About an hour later we realized we had handed over all of our official Embassy documents.  Fortunately, all 8 boxes of donations and our 2 carry-ons that were checked all ended up in Guatemala.  We landed a little before 9:00 p.m. Guatemala time (11:00 p.m. Michigan time), and found Abel waiting for us at the airport.  We had expected to have to find a shuttle to the Marriott, but he was pleased to come (even on a Sunday evening) to pick us up.  After we checked in, we got the kids to bed (by 12:20 a.m. Michigan time), and then got everything ready to pick Ana up this morning.  We had several donation boxes to sort through, so it kept Brian and I busy and focused our excitement. 
We got up early this morning to meet Abel.  He took us to Hannah's Hope to pick up Ana.  When we walked into her room, she was STANDING in her crib with SO many curls, I hardly recognized her.  Everyone was so kind and gave us all of her personal belongings that we had brought in June.  They also gave us a log of every bottle she has had and every evaluation she has had-since she was born.
Soon after we got her, we visited our friend's little girl, Bella.  (We hope to see Anaya on Wednesday.)  We then saw the little boy we sponsor, Elyel.  The kids had a stuffed dog for him and he loved it!  We then were told that Ana still needed to have her Visa picture taken and her Embassy medical evaluation.  (Surprise!)  So off we went in Abel's van with two other babies and three other Special Mothers.  Everything went very well and we were all happy to get back to the hotel and just play with her.  WE had a picnic lunch in the baby lounge, and I attempted to send my first email.  The it was off to the pool!  
Ana is GREAT!!!  She is SO easy.  She is currently back at the room sleeping on Brian while Joel and Grace watch Spanish TV.  Joel and Grace have done so well.  They are just giddy to be here, and Joel has been teary-eyed twice now, saying he can't believe we actually have her.   The kids spent a beautiful sunny afternoon at the pool, and Ana absolutely LOVED splashing in the baby pool.  She seems like she is content and happy to be with us!   What an answer to prayer!  We are all just so happy to be here as an entire family.  We are SO glad that we brought the kids.  We are already seeing how important it has been for them to be part of this process. 
We meet with Ana's birthmom on Wednesday (after our Embassy appointment), and give a pizza party for the orphanage on Thursday.  Thank you so very much for all of your prayers!  We will keep in touch throughout the week!

With Joy,
Brian and Jenifer, Joel, Grace, and Ana

If anyone who knows how to do such things wants to give me an email addy, I'll send PICTURES of my new great niece for you to post!  She IS adorable!