New day, new hope

I want to thank everyone for the kind words and prayers!  Please keep them coming.  I am really struggling with all of the unknowns right now.  It seems we are so close but yet so far in so many ways.

Just to update everyone, I decided to re-plead my case to our pastor about the reference letter.  It seems he didn't really go through my first note very clearly and without having seen the questionnaire himself he didn't feel like it was something the church could or should do.  When he got the paper and read it and read that I do NOT want him to agree to take on the debt if we default but that he would encourage us to repay it by holding us accountable...not for them to be responsible.....he agreed to sign the letter.

Sooooo, we are applying to them tomorrow, (it took longer than I thought to fill out so I won't make the mail today) and pray that they have funds to loan us.  It is just nice to have an option right now.  Just days before things were looking like we'd hit a brick  wall and now things are starting to settle and feel right again.

Our I800 application is all safe and sound at the TX lock-box and should be forwarded on to our immigration officer within the next few days.  Once we have that approval we will go on to request a VISA for her to come into the US on and once we get that we'll be invited by China to come pick her up.  That invitation is what our agency will use to contact the Consulate in China and set up the swearing in ceremony and we can pick up her Chinese passport with her visa sticker in it.  So there are still a few more steps involved but these all have more predictable timelines.  Looks like a few weeks between each step so I have a little time to breath and find something new to sew and earn some more money!!!!

I am working on a 100 good wishes quilt and for my first quilt I must say I'm pleased with how it's looking so far.  I need a lot more squares though but here is what I've gotten together so far.

hmmm ok, not sure where the green lines are coming from but I'm not going to worry about it today.  You get the idea of what the pattern I'm going for is.  I want to make another block just like this one and then use rectangles along the edges of the rest of the fabrics I will use.  It should be very close to twin sized at that point.  I don't know how to do the backing and quilting yet but I'll figure that out when I get there I guess!

Again, thanks for the prayers and please keep them coming.  We are not out of the woods yet financially and we are closing in on a deadline!!!