Agency Re-accreditation

Thank you for praying for our agency and the rest of the agencies working in Haiti to find families for adoptable children.

While the re-accrediation list came out late on Friday of agencies granted two year approval to work in Haiti we did not learn until today that our agency did not make the list.

 We just received an e-mail from them explaining a few things.

• No explanation was given why they did not appear on the list.

[From the Facebook group some folks speculating some agencies not approved because they did not submit at least one case a month]

• Agencies not approved "will receive a special authorization from IBESR mentioning the conditions and limits of their operations in Haiti until the finalization of the said dossiers".  To us that means we will be able to finish out any cases we currently have that are already filed with IBESR or the court system. 

• The appeal for our agency to gain approval has already started.
• With the holidays it is unlikely that any additional information will be known before January.
• Our agency never experienced any problems or issues of any kind or been informed of any by IBESR, the creche, any person or entity in Haiti.
• "The bottom line is that we ABSOLUTELY want to continue placing children from Haiti and will do what we can to obtain the governmental approval that is required to do so. "

So we will continue to pray for our dossier, our case, our littles and our agency.

Praying for the children needing families and other families at all stages of the process.

Praying for our referral early in the new year. 

Praying for the 'refreshing' of our fingerprints for the visa paperwork.

Praying for folks to sign needed papers.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. 

Thank you for your interest in our journey.

Special thanks for all those joining us by praying for our family. 

Embassy Visit

Trip: a 4 hour and 20 minute ride to the Ortlip Center the first day, followed by an early 1 1/2 hour ride to the US Embassy the second day put us in line about 15 minutes after 6 a.m.

A nice gentle man directed us to the second place in a short line to the side. Three other longer lines formed on the other side. We watched the sun rise over the mountains and admired the two health moringa trees growing in front of the Embassy.

A couple of times security folks asked us our reason to be at the embassy and we explained noting we did not have an appointment. They just nodded but around 7:30 a.m. when everyone else in our short line had appointments I asked Cory to confirm again we were in the correct line....nope.

So we moved to the end of the longish visa line. Waited less than 5 minutes and the staff person came to apologise noting he'd checked and the first line was correct. So we moved back.

In less than 15 minutes we were cleared through security and in the large, cold waiting room sitting before window 27. Same location we waited on Oct. 1st, 2013 when we did our fingerprints the first time.

We talked to a staff person at one point and then waited some more. Found it interesting she asked how we got our fingerprints done the first time... with paper and ink?!? A bit disconcerting.  Lots of time to pray for our littles, the staff, the process and for our fingerprint renewal.

Called up to the window we were told that the prints could not be done but they would contact the office in the USA to have them 'refreshed'.

Could we have something in writing? No they will E-mail us in 2-3 weeks when it's done.
Could we have proof that we'd visited the Embassy and tried. Nope.
How about a business card or her e-mail. Nope. Against policy.
She noted we already had the e-mail for the office.
       Yes, but that was the same e-mail we'd tried twice to get an appointment for the fingerprints for. Well, they didn't respond because they don't do them.
    She didn't respond when I asked her why they couldn't have e-mailed us that, saving us a 6 hour  
    [one way] trip.
She did end up giving us her name by signing one of our e-mails, assuring us that they would be contacting the USA office within the week.

So we'll wait to hear. With the holidays do not know if we'll hear soon or not. The prints expire on January 23 so would like to know before then!