Great news came yesterday, we received our NVC (National Visa Center) confirmation and our DS-260 confirmation (Immigrant Visa Application for Priscilla)! These are the last two pieces that are needed from US soil. All of our documents will now be hand carried to the Consulate in Guangzhou and then are picked up 2 weeks later. This will be our Article 5, which will then be sent to CCCWA in Beijing and they will issue us our travel approval!

The bad news is that October 1 is that start of the National Day in China, a holiday where the country basically shuts down for an entire week. The Consulate will reopen on October 7, thus we lose an entire week. Mitchell also found out today that he needs to be in Sweden for important meetings in the middle of November. Not super convenient when we need to be in China for 16 days and then fly to the US for an undetermined length of time (to obtain her passport).

We looked at the calendar last night trying to make a tentative plan. The whole thing is a bit nauseating and terrifying. There is a little girl on the other side of the world waiting for us and we are dying to get to her and love her up. Our family is going to be split up for 3-4 weeks while we wait on paperwork. My mom, bless her heart, is going to fly to Spain and hold down the fort while we are gone. But, we can't book any of this crazy travel until we get our travel approval from China. Sigh. Needless to say, I didn't sleep well last night.

Then I woke up today to this sweet text from my mom...

and this sweet reminder on Facebook...

Yes this is hard, yes I am a ball of stress and yes, I need to chill out. God's got this and it is going to be OK! I can't see the grand plan and I have no idea how it is all going to fit into place, but I have to TRUST and let Him lead us.