Questions from ISS

I know it has taken me a while to post something new, but we have been in a period of stand-still for a couple months.  We kept ourselves busy with a vacation to Orange Beach and working Camp Barnabas.  I was blessed yet again by the amazing opportunity to serve such awesome children.  I wish it hadn't been nearly so hot for their sake, but hopefully, next year the camp will be in June and a lot more tolerable.  As many of you already know, we finally received a portal message from the social worker with Noah's child study and questions from International Social Services (ISS).  These are preliminary questions that come before the  official questions from the AU (Adoption Unit, not Adoption Underwriting as my insurance broker husband assumed).  This means that ISS is anticipating that these are the questions they will want to know, so they go ahead and ask them.  I'm grateful that they do that, because I might be able to elude the official questions.  That has been known to happen on rare occasions.  Will that speed up the process?  I'm going to optimistically say, "Absolutely!!"  Will it really???  NO!  We are still planning our trip somewhere between January and March.  Our goal is to be able to take Mary and Jake with us.  What a lifetime experience that would be.  But if it cuts into their schooling too much, it won't work.  Ideally, I would like to go over there in December while they're on Christmas break and have him back before Christmas, which, by the way, is his birthday!  How many people can say they have 2 kids born on Jesus' birthday??  Thank you for the prayers!  Please continue to pray that Noah stays healthy, and the adoption process will miraculously speed up in these last few months!  I am NOT dismissing the fact that God has perfect timing!  I would just be more inclined to agree with him if we got Noah before the end of the year!  HeeHee!  But I'll take whatever He gives me :)