Wondering

I wonder what happened to the lady and the baby she offered us two years ago July 27th, opening the door for our adoption journey.

I wonder if the Facebook comment that IBESR asked agencies to hold off on charts for a while, so they can deal with the 900+ already occupying desk space is true.

I wonder where our chart spent the last six months in IBESR...and pray it's not lost behind a file cabinet somewhere. 

I wonder when we'll get our referral notice… next month, next year? Praying not more than three years like one family as that would bring us dangerously close to the age limit. 

Mostly, I wonder about our children...

I wonder so much about you. Names. Ages. Personalities. Health. History.

What do you think about? What do you remember? What do you need?

What are your days like? Who do you care about? Where are you living?


Are you little enough to only focus on eating and having fun?

Do you long for things you do not understand and cannot name?

Do you wonder if you'll be kept together as a family, or if you'll loose your last blood ties?

Do you wonder when the other children leave with a new family if it will ever happen to you?

Do you want to go back home? Return to the life that once was yours?

Do you go to school? Do you long to see the world or just to have a place to call your own?

Do you have friends? Or hang out at the edge of a crowd wanting to belong?

Does someone dry your tears or do they drop unnoticed? Or have you given up on tears instead relying on an inner strength to bury the pain.

Do you go to bed at night tired after a good day of playing or lay awake at night hungry and in pain?

Do you know Jesus loves you? Do you learn to praise Him in song and to bring Him your needs in prayer?

Do you pray for a new family? Do you pray for us?

Courage.

IBESR News.

Dragon fruit flower bud

My dad once called me an opportunist and I guess I am.

With the conferences on campus this summer with representatives from all 25 northern churches and a few additional churches outside the district we could not pass on the opportunity.

The opportunity to let them know about the lack of referrals the last 7 months delaying providing needy children with families.

We reminded them that while we pray that families can stay together there will always be some children who need a new family and right now many creches are full and needing to turn away children.

We asked them to join us in praying for the children of Haiti. Praying for the adoption process to improve and move forward. Praying for our children. Praying to defeat the devil's delays and blocks.

Together we join in prayer for progress to be made at every step for hundreds of waiting children and families.

Some folks report that over 900+ dossiers currently wait in IBESR.

Our chart joined the numbers 6 months ago and no word since then about our referral.

Some news this week from a meeting held by IBESR.

The short version boils down to some encouraging news:

• Biological families are being helped to understand their options of keeping their children and getting help with schooling and jobs.
• If IBESR feels that a couple over the age of 50 would be a good fit they will make exceptions to the age limit of 50 years. 
• The lawyer in charge of adoptions hopes to see matches starting by the end of July.
• If a foreigner holds a residential visa and lived in Haiti more than 5 years they will qualify for a National adoption. 

GLA full blog The blog also notes that many of the creches are struggling financially to feed their children as the delay in referrals means that adoption funds cannot be used.

After reading this we contacted our USA agency to remind them that we qualify for a national adoption and to ask them to ask about this when their representative next inquires about our dossier.

We resent the copies of our residential visas when it was expressed that the previous copy was too faint to read easily. National adoptions would be prioritized over international.

Encouraging to hear that referrals will start soon but not so on hearing that one family is at the 3 year mark waiting for a referral.

Keep praying.

Help Us Move Mountains!

Matthew 17:20 b "If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you."

Matthew 18:20 "For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."

Many families pray for us and other's when in small groups or churches. And the Lord hears us when we pray solo too.

Sometimes I wonder how much faith I have?

I know that together our faith adds up to more.

This week a couple blogs encouraged me. Both from large families who moved outside their comfort zones and adopted lots of children including those with special needs.

One reminded me that the Lord continues to work on our behalf even when we cannot see movement or progress.

He remains faithful. He is moving.

Praying earnestly for the mountains blocking the referral process and other steps in the Haiti adoption process to crumble into the sea so that children can be placed in loving families.

Praying that the delays mean that once the process starts up again it will move faster and smoother than in the past.

Even if we still wait for our referral would be hopeful to see other families getting referrals and moving though the system.

Prayer Requests

• Movement in referrals and other steps in the process
• IBESR staff to work hard, stay healthy, be careful/efficient  and have all the resources they need to complete their work well
• That our chart and the kid's charts do not get lost or have mistakes in them
• That our US agency finds the perfect person to be the International Adoption Coordinator
• That the creche our children are at will allow Eli and Anna to come on the bonding trip
• That the creche has all the staff and resources needed to take care of the children well so that they can thrive during the wait. 
• That the trip would work with our ministry schedule without delays
• For the Lord's will and timing.
• To defeat any of the Devil's plans for delays or derailments
• Patience, hope, faith and gratitude during the process.