Dossier and Home Study Search Progress

Progress this week but not really many items checked off the to-do list.

We learned that copies of Eli and Anna's birth certificates needed to be ordered and sent to our agency. Done.

Serious searching on-line for experienced agencies who provide over-seas adoption home studies and we identified a couple of agencies we did not know about. 

Phone calls and E-mails later we are now working with a social worker from California to arrange travel and complete applications for a potential visit in mid-June. 

A couple other missionaries in the central Plateau are also communicating with her so if it works out we could split travel costs.

Although the plans are not confirmed we will start working on the 'homework' that needs to be completed before the study. Three additional books and 4 web sites round out the reading requirements and we will need to write short paragraphs. One of the three we are working through as a family.

Both of the others I've already read, one we borrowed from friends and the last one we own on Kindle so Cory has also started his reading. 

A call from Cap let us know that our laboratory work returned from Port-au-Prince. Hoping that all the tests returned so we can send them on to the doctors for our medical letters.

Then the last document we need to complete our paperwork is a local police letter. While we've not explored the how-to a lot we did get a example copy which we will translate into French before asking for advice from a Christian police officer we know in Port Margot. 

Colored Glasses

I find it very interesting how a lady sitting on our top step with a baby in her arms changed my life.

A pivotal moment that changed my whole out look on life-much like putting on a pair of colored glasses would.

The world basically looks and acts the same but every moment contains a new layer of meaning.

Words of a familiar song now loaded with new meaning due to adoption.

Sermons, verses or well known books take on a whole new dimension.

One never knows when the brain will be suddenly triggered to think and wonder about 'our kids'.

As even getting to the point of knowing who our 'little ones' could be months to years in the future I do not even know if our kids' birthdays exists in the history of the world or remains in the future.

Assuming at least one breaths the same air as we at this time, many questions flood my mind: Where? In a loving home or already living at a crèche? With relatives or other people who really do not want a additional mouth (s) to feed? Basic needs supplied? Clean water, food, dry home, a bed, medical care? How about mental stimulation so important in the first 3 years of life? What circumstances will direct them to the crèche? What is the family like? Do they love the Lord? Will we meet? Did their mom celebrate her pregnancies or mourn? How long before we know them? How can we prepare now to be the family they need?

How can I pray? I pray for the family. I pray for strength and courage. I pray for a strong faith. I pray that the Lord provides for their needs.

Any time of day or night a question . . . two or ten can drift into my consciousness. Sometimes something will trigger new questions or thoughts like the books on adoption we read or on raising hurt kids.

Sometimes the thoughts just come "I wonder...."

My world holds a new color, a new perspective, a new consciousness, a new path with new challenges, new hopes, new dreams and new prayers.

Application II, part 2.

Praise the Lord as we finish up preparing a second set of documents to mail to the USA.

Yesterday we completed a couple big steps for dossier documents and our secondary application. Cory and I traveled to Cap Haitian to have medical testing and visit the notary office. Cap trip.

We prepared 3 non-notarized documents as well as filling in, signing and notarized 5 additional documents. I finished reading the second book of required reading and Cory completed one book and almost the second in the last couple of weeks. 

We located someone in Cap Haitian who can translate legal documents into French.

We continue to search for the best way to complete the home study and background checks needed for our dossier. 

Hoping this picture does NOT change. 

We rejoice that several of the reference letters including employer, physiology, bank, and some personal reference have been completed, notarized and mailed.

Once we receive our medical test results we will mail them to the doctors who only need these results to finish out medical paperwork. I had a false positive TB skin test last year and am praying that my body does not repeat the mistake.  A positive test would mean that I need a chest x-ray. 

The only thing that remains for us personally to work on at this stage is some required on-line study. As we hope to figure out soon which agency to work with for our home study we will hold off on this a bit realizing that the home study agency may have a preference to which on-line study we do.

Praising the Lord for the progress.

Praying for the final steps and timing to become clear.

Praying the lab results return within a month.