Travel and Contact Update Posted about over 6 years ago

Hello family and friends!This will, most likely, be our last update via our Pure Charity account. We want to provide everyone with a rough timeline of our plans for the next several weeks as well as provide two options for receiving updates of our travel to South Africa and time with Jojo. We leave tomorrow morning at 6:30 am from CWA. We will arrive in Johannesburg, South Africa the followi...

Travel News Posted about over 6 years ago

Hello everyone! Today we received tentative travel dates and are excited to be packing our bags. The South African court has scheduled our court date for October 11th. Bethany Christian Services and their partners are working to confirm the court date and travel details, but we are currently expecting to be in South Africa by October 1st. In the next few days, we hope to have our travel ph...

Moving Forward! Posted about over 6 years ago

On Katy’s birthday (last Saturday), we finally received the I-800 approval, which is the child-specific immigration approval allowing Jojo into the United States. It is on its way to Madison to get the state seal before we send it to Bethany Christian Services who then sends it to South Africa. Since receiving this approval, we have begun correspondence with the National Visa Center and thi...

Referral Acceptance Posted about almost 7 years ago

We are excited to announce we have received and accepted our official referral for Jojo from South Africa. This happened much sooner than expected! Thank you to everyone for praying for this along the way. With the referral came several pictures and videos along with more detailed medical and personal information on Jojo. We reviewed all of the information with the International Adoptio...

Dossier Submitted! Posted about almost 7 years ago

Our completed Dossier was dropped in the mail tonight! It should arrive at the global office of Bethany Christian Services this Friday and after review, it will go to South Africa. Once the Central Authority in South Africa receives it, it will take 4-6 weeks to get approved and for us to receive an official referral (could take longer if any questions arise). The referral will tell us every...

Apostilles Underway! Posted about about 7 years ago

Today we sent off several documents to the capitals of three different states in order to get the apostilles (state seals) attached to each of them. This is one of the last remaining steps in our dossier process.  Though it will still take some time to finish everything, we are excited to be nearing the end of this stage.  Please pray that everything makes it safely through the mail and that we...

Hind Family Silent Auction Posted about about 7 years ago

We are incredibly thankful for all the encouragement we received and the funds that were raised through the silent auction luncheon on March 11th. The entire event went far better than we had even hoped! We were blessed by all of the people who volunteered to help or showed up to bid on items and get involved in the chance drawings. A number of local businesses and individuals kindly donat...

I-800 A Approval Notice Posted about about 7 years ago

We are praising the Lord tonight for the successful delivery of our I-800 A approval notice from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). This notice will be mailed to South Africa as part of our Dossier packet. Basically, the USCIS reviewed our application, home study, and fingerprint record checks, and has determined that we meet the eligibility requirements to adopt one child from ...

USCIS Fingerprinting Posted about about 7 years ago

Today, we traveled to Milwaukee to get our fingerprints taken at the USCIS office. Our appointment was for 12 pm but since we arrived early, we got in early and were done by noon. We are thankful this was a pretty painless process.Before we headed back to Wausau, Joe made a surprise reservation at a German restaurant called Mader's to celebrate Valentines Day. We filled ourselves full of delici...

ABBA Approval and Fundraising Posted about over 7 years ago

Today we found out that ABBA, the second South African adoption agency who Jojo is currently listed with, has also approved our home study and believes we are a good match for Jojo! We are so grateful to the Lord for answered prayer. Last week, we completed the I-800A packet, which is the first packet of immigration paperwork. This was sent to USCIS, U.S. Customs and Immigration Service...

Wandisa Approval Posted about over 7 years ago

Exciting update! We just found out that Wandisa, the South African agency we mentioned in our last update, has reviewed our home study and is in favor of continuing to work with us. Praise God! Wandisa has asked to send a copy of our home study to Abba, the other South African adoption agency, to seek their approval. We were told there is always risk that the Central Authority in South Afr...

Home Study Update Posted about over 7 years ago

Great news! Today we were notified by Bethany Christian Services that our home study has been completed. BCS sent a copy of our home study to Wandisa, one of the South African adoption agencies, for their impression and feedback. If Wandisa is in favor of continuing this process with us, we will begin the paperwork required by U.S. Customs and Immigration Services. We will also work with B...

Cornhole Tournament Posted about over 7 years ago

We are praising God for wonderful news! About a month ago, we were contacted by Bethany Christian Services on behalf of two individuals, Jon and Patrick, from the Greenheck Fan Corporation. They wanted to hold a fundraiser to support an adoptive family in the Wausau area and we were blessed to be the recipients of their efforts. The fundraiser was a cornhole tournament which took place...

Adoption Kick-Off Letter Posted about over 7 years ago

Dear family & friends, It is hard to believe we have been married for a year and a half. During this time, we have experienced much, and yet have plenty to learn, as we continue to pursue a marriage that reflects Christ. Before we were married, one of the most precious seasons in our relationship was the time we spent as friends communicating over emails and Skype while Katy lived...