A Speedy NOC + COURT

Happy Monday! I am currently sitting at the Honda dealership as I write this - a little unexpected down time.  I thought I'd go ahead and write my newest update.

This past Saturday, our family upgraded to a minivan as we prepare to be a family of (5) with one still in a booster seat and two in full size car seats.

I must say, it was a tough swap for momma, but this thing definitely has all the bells and whistles!  I am already loving the sliding doors...no more kiddos banging doors in to things.

Less than 12 hours later...we had a screw in the tire...hence the reason I'm at Honda (again!) on my Monday morning.

Now on to the GOOD news!

WE GOT OUR NOC THIS MORNING...ONLY A ONE WEEK WAIT!!

If you remember from my last update, NOC can take anywhere from two weeks to six months.  I have prayed so hard we'd be on the shorter end...and boy did God show up and show us what he could do!

This is a HUGE step for us.  NOC stands for No Objection Certificate.  This means that all parties involved in our adoption have no problem with us adopting S.  This certificate is issued by CARA in India and was our last big step before proceeding to court.

So the big question is - what happens next?  I asked our agency the same thing this morning and I'll share her response:

"So this is the point where patience has to take over. The RIPA (our orphanage) now has to wait for the hard copy of the NOC to arrive which can take a couple of weeks. Your prepared file will then have to be completed and turned over to court. Some RIPAs have the files prepared as the process moves along and some wait until NOC to start working on it, so registration is very different for everyone. After your file is registered it can take a few days up to a couple of weeks for a “numbering” process which is basically putting you in line to have a hearing set. From there, the first hearing will be scheduled."

This hearing is our official adoption hearing.  Our adoption will be finalized and she will be OUR'S once we clear court in India.  

Many have asked if we have to be present for court.  Some states in India require the adoptive parents to be present - but our state does NOT.  We actually had to sign a power of attorney for a representative at S's orphanage to be there on our behalf.  

WE HAVE SOME BIG PRAYER REQUESTS NOW!

PLEASE keep these three requests in your prayers for us!

1. That our NOC arrives safely and promptly to the orphanage.

2. That our file and case arguments have been prepared thoroughly.

3. That our court registration goes smoothly and we are matched with a judge who has compassion for our child and international adoption.

I'll update again just as soon as we have been registered in court!