I-600 Approval !!

During yesterday's lunch break, to our great delight, an email  informed us that Fritzlin's I600 visa application had been approved!!!

 A second email included the next steps...how to fill out needed forms; set up the medical appointment; and what is needed for the Embassy interview.

We celebrated with our traditional cheesecake.



Next week staff members, Fritzlin, and we will travel early Monday for the medical appointment in Port-au-Prince; go to the Embassy for the final interview on Tuesday morning; and Wed. will return to the medical clinic to have his TB skin test read.

After the interview...there may be additional information needed to be researched or resolved before the visa can be issued or they may only need the final medical report. Once all information is in place there will be a short 2-5 business day wait while the final paperwork is prepared.

Then Fritzlin would be able to travel with our family to the USA and he will become an American citizen when he enters the USA. We plan to travel in early May to join other Global Partners missionaries in Florida for our area retreat.

This morning we awoke to no internet. Very thankful that we were able to get it working again so that we could work on the needed forms and paperwork for Fritz's visa.

Picture from before we met. 

Prayers:

• Good travels for all involved
• Political stability and no protests to interfere with any of the travel or appointments
• Good medical report
• No additional information needed for the visa
• or rapidly getting any information needed for the visa
• Getting travel set up for the area retreat and summer plans

'Miracles in motion..'

Still waiting for word about the final judgement and letter for IBESR. The count now at six weeks.

Yesterday while visiting friends we watched a sermon from the Radiant Church... on the 5th chapter of Mark, the Essential Gospel: Part 5 Miracle in Motion

'

After a bit I just had to jot down a few notes...

• Many miracles do not happen all at once...
• Delays = Divine Direction
• invatations to trust
• greatest oppotunies can come from interruptions
• 'It is possible' is always accompanied with 'why bother' 
• truth does not always equal fact
• ignore the doubters
• Truth..with God..All things are possible
• 'Do not fear, only believe'
• Hard = just a chapter in your story...not the whole story
• No way....Yaweh! Believe it.
• Its NOT the end
• King has one more move...chess game is not over.

Very encouraging for us.

We did recieve good news that our expiring I-600 visa fingerprints can be 'refreshed' or updated without our having to travel for an appointment. Cory's are in process and Kris' will be soon [they couldn't find her under Thede..due to the hyphenated last name!]

Just received our 2 month update on F. He is doing well in the new foster home. Finshed up the school year and transitioning to a summer schedule. Continues to pray about the paperwork and being able to come home.

Praises

No, we haven't moved a step forward, but we have some good news anyway.

• This week we signed a new Power-of-Attorney adding the newest member of our adoption team, bringing the number of people who can sign for us up to four. Papers are already printed [in French and English], notarized, scanned, and sent to the USA electronically. 
• Originals will either be mailed to the USA or delivered to the creche soon.
• Thankful for the staff working in two countries to bring F home.
• Thankful for people in numerous countries praying for F and our adoption.
•  The staff continue to work on F's case in two ways:
• a different agency that was asked for similar paperwork submitted something that "apparently was accepted by IBESR". So this method will be tried in F's case this month. Praying it works.
• Thankful for sharing of information while working together to bring children home as well as keeping Haitian families together.
• meanwhile they continue to work on the paper that was requested to have it ready for courts when they reconvene in October. 

• Praying this isn't needed as there could be a delay due to a back log of cases or delays associated with political instability with presidential elections set for Oct. 9th
• Better understanding on our I-600 visa. The November expiration date that had us wondering about needing to file for a new type of visa was for our I-600a. Last May, after meeting F we filed an I-600 which we now understand will not expire. So as long as we continue to let the USCIS know that the case is active we can submit the requested documents when they become available once we move forward after exiting IBESR. PRAISE THE LORD!!
• We hear that F continues to do well despite the long wait. His foster aunt remains impressed when they talk about the waiting on how well he can express his feelings, even the hard ones.

Missed deadline...but all's OK

Well for the first time in this journey I missed a deadline.

The shocking email came this morning asking for information about where we were in getting the needed documents for F's visa as yesterday's deadline passed without our requesting an extension.

I do not know how that important date did not make it onto our calendar. [Failure to get an extension means your case is closed and we would have had to start over from the start with I800.]

Very thankful to report that the needed three month extension has already been granted and is HIGHLIGHTED on our calendar!

Praise the Lord!

Praying hard that this will be the last but it's our third extension and likely not last.

Also praying it will be the last time I miss something!

No word on the last needed signature that could come 'any day'...tomorrow will make three weeks.

We know that without the many friends praying this hard wait would be even harder.

Praying for health, no vacations, no political protests or any other distractions... for the person who needs to sign yet, so that they can focus and sign the charts that need signing!

A political protest is in Cap Haitian this afternoon-praying once the papers get into lower courts in Cap that everything can move smoothly.

We did see a very cute picture of F last week holding a fluffy baby chick. Hear he's happy and that last night he said during evening prayers "And I can't wait to be with my mom and dad!" 

Know that the Lord is answering the prayers that we and F will wait well and still hold on to hope.

Praising the Lord that F' is in a Christian home and doing well while we wait.

Flowers and thorns

Still waiting to hear that the final signature is on our chart and the pick up is arranged or occurred.

Waiting has not gotten easier with time or practice, for me.

Looking back to a few journal entries a year ago when the time grew short for our referral and being able to have Eli go on our socialization trip the emotions are easily similar as we rapidly approach the 1 year mark of waiting to exit IBESR and enter courts after meeting F.

Some days hope soars high and praise comes easier...but other days it takes every bit of concentration and intentionality to focus my thoughts on worship, praise and trust.

[Like flowers and thorns on the same plant-good moments and painful ones. Must try to focus on the flowers while acknowledging the thorns at the same time.]

While I don't believe in signs or clues, occasionally thoughts flitter through my mind...this date would be nice, this would work, why not this...what am I missing or what lesson haven't I learned that's holding us back?

Like if I could just figure out the game or one clue then we would be able to move to the next step. The right prayer or the right way to pray or worship...even though I know that my Lord doesn't work that way.

Encouragement comes from many different places: emails, prayers of friends, instant messaging with family, songs, books, or other.

Yesterday's encouragement came during my devotions. I Thess 3: 9-12. "How can we thank God enough for you in return for all the joy we have in the presence of our God because of you? 

Night and day we pray most earnestly that we may see you again and supply what is lacking in your faith. 

Now may our God and Father himself and our Lord Jesus clear the way for us to come to you."

My prayers for us and F, "Clear the way Lord!"

Door first opened: 3 years 8.5 months
Paperwork first in the mail: 3 years 1 month
IBESR: 2 years 3 months
Waiting to get out after socialization: 11 months tomorrow
Last saw F: 5.5 months

I-600 families received a 3 month extension, until July 1st, for receiving an official referral before they would have to change over to I-800. We are beyond this step but our I-600 will expire in November.

Prayers please. Fingerprints

I ignored it as long as I could hoping we would have heard by now that we've completed one step and moved into courts.

However the time has come to face the fact that we need to be looking into renewing our fingerprints once again for our I-600 visa paperwork.

You may remember how this was an issue the first time, since we live in Haiti...we ended up showing up at the USA Embassy and a lady did our prints.

When the time came to renew we asked again, were advised to go to the Embassy. When they didn't respond to our emails we showed up for a walk-in visit and were told that the prints could not be done.  Later our prints were 'refreshed'.

Sweet Potato

Our 'refreshed' fingerprints will expire the end of April, therefore we're to ask for an appointment 2 months in advance...which is now.

The actual expiration date of our approval is Nov. 21, 2016. If we do not have F and his visa before then we understand that we will need to start over again and file for a I-800 because Haiti is now a Hauge country. 

While I know the Lord is in charge and has a plan....I'll admit that dealing with governments and unknowns makes me nervous, a bit stressed.

Thank you for praying.

Philippians 4:6-7a "Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. If you do this you will experience God's peace."

Praying. Know God knows what we need better than we do. Thankful. Needing God's peace.

Coping with the wait.

With a long wait you would think one would adjust to waiting, that it would become 'normal'.

I really thought back in October when we filled for another I-600 extension that it would be the last time. My hopes rose with the thought that in three months we may have all the documents needed and would be rejoicing in the progress made... but today filling for yet another I-600 extension [number 3] I just wonder if anything will happen in the next three months.

Some feelings do become predictable...the increased hope on a Monday morning, the average sustained hope through Tuesday, Wednesday with starts to wane sometime on Thursday only to surge a bit on Fridays, pumped up with the desperate thought that surely you will NOT have to wait another weekend for news.

The clock moves slow some of the time and others it seems to rush to the end of business hours-killing the hopes for that day.

Some of my 'normal' coping strategies for stress in my life remain firm like music, chocolate, and reading.

Other strategies come and go...some days I do my best to fill my schedule with mind occupying jobs so to distract me away from checking e-mails frequency while other days I may stay occupied on the computer so I can see each email as it enters the in-box.

For a long time it was hard to hang out and interact with the smaller children on campus but now it helps.

The first few years of this journey I could count on going to church to be positive but now it's becoming more and more tinged with sorrow and frustration.

Some weeks I can read adoption books or blogs and then I avoid them for a while.

I generally try to start new healthy habits throughout the year and therefore do not make New Year's resolutions. This year I did turn over a new leaf... have already turned over thousands of new leaves, and old leaves.

Most afternoons you can now find me, for an hour or two in the tree nursery.

POSITIVES: helping Cory get jobs off his to-do-list, extra one-on-one time with Cory to talk, when alone-more music and prayer time, hours of weeding done, nicer looking yard/nursery, being outside, exercise, many trees-potted/planted, not watching the clock or checking e-mails/facebook.

NEGATIVES: need to put on lots of bug spray, mosquitos, fire aunts, itchy plants, scrubbing hands and feet especially under the nails every night, thorns, slivers.

No news on why the wait.

Yesterday we received an e-mail about our USA visa application for F.  Because the process is taking so long and some families, including us, starting before adoptions in Haiti were under the Hauge convention, we will likely be 'grandfathered' in under the old process, giving us more time to finish.

So we needed to send them evidence that IBESR approved of our match with F.  Please be in prayer for the families who also started the visa process by filing a I-600a but continue to wait for their match. Time grows short before they would need to restart the process with an I-800 if they aren't matched by April 1, 2016. 

I’m reminded of the story of Moses. When he raised his hands overhead, the children of Israel would be winning during battle. [Exodus 17] When he could no longer hold his arms up and they dropped, the battle turned against them.. So Aaron and Hur held his hands up, one on each side while Moses sat on a stone.

I picture our special prayer team as doing this, holding up our hands before the Lord. Holding up F and our adoption chart. I’m so thankful to know that when my eyes grow weary and start to focus on this life’s problems and stresses that our partners pray for us to refocus on the Lord.

We asked our agency this week if there’s something specific holding up our case as we hear of other cases exiting IBESR in 3-4 months after their socialization visits and we now stand at 7 months post-visit. Nothing that the agency knows of is an issue at this time.  

Tuesday we received a very special Christmas card. For the last 3 Christmases we prayed for our 'littles' not knowing a name or face. Thankful this year we can pray specifically for F, and the hope that next year he will celebrate with us. 

We know that F does not deal well with a change in routine and the foster family left for Christmas in the USA on Tuesday. Not sure when they plan to return. Thank you for continuing to pray for F, us, and the adoption process.

Grateful for those times of peace when I can sit calmly at the feet of our Lord, that I’m accompanied by others on the team joining me in prayer and in faith, waiting to see how the Lord will answer. 

YOU are the God who performs miracles; you display your power among the peoples. (Psalm 77:14)

Cory, Kris and family.

Growing Hope

Yesterday our message in church focused on persistent prayers.

In the midst of protests causing issues in many parts of the country, including the capital where our paperwork waits to be released, we hold on to hope.

As the staff continue to prepare F for his new family, his hope also grows.

I'll admit to being a bit concerned...OK stressed with our Nov. 11 deadline looming ahead that we would not hear about our extension. Possible travel strikes in Port had been called for today-Wednesday, which could have closed down the Embassy.

I even considered sending a second e-mail with a more dramatic subject despite knowing that they requested patience 'If you have a pending case and are asking for an extension of your deadline to submit the final adoption documents or need a status update on your case, please take note that we answer our e-mail on a first-come first-served basis.  There is no need to send duplicate e-mails. '

Praise the Lord. Early this morning, 9:45 a.m. to be exact, we received our extension. Hopefully the last we will need.

We received two e-mails this week from different members of a small supporting church sharing how they studied in Acts about praying continuously for Paul's release from prison and how the angel took him out of jail. They stopped at that point to pray that F can come home soon. Praying for the chains to fall off and freedom be realized. 

Praying for peace in Port. 

Praying for F and those interacting with him daily.

Praying for the Lord to prepare each of us for the transition to our new family.

Thank you!

Renewal

During the last couple of weeks, I misplaced our small monthly planner, but did not think too much about it.

Today I unexpectedly found it and turned to this week, only to notice that we needed to request our second three-month extension on our USA visa paperwork.

In a few minutes, I copied the last e-mail, changed the date, and sent it zipping off to the proper authorities to start the renewal process.

I prayed as I did it that it would be the final extension we need before exiting IBESR.

Know that my last post contained mixed emotions, that remains our reality.

We are specifically praying that the Lord will grant a Thanksgiving miracle.

The Lord renewed our hope.

Please let us know if you are joining us in intensely praying, if you have not already done so.

We are talking about what would need to happen to prepare for F's homecoming and asking our agency what the transition may look like for our family.

Praying we can exit IBESR soon and that the court steps go very fast so F can come home before long.

Trusting that the Lord will open the doors in His timing. Thank you Lord.

Today marks 3 years, 3 months, and 3 days [according to my widget counter]  since the Lord opened the door on our adoption journey.

Answers and extension.

After hearing back from F's adoption coordinator, we contacted the USCIS staff in Haiti requesting our first I-600 application extension.

We are very thankful to receive the three-month extension just hours after sending our e-mail!

In addition to this information, we also learned today that F's mother did travel for her appointment at the Embassy.

A report from God's Littlest Angels [link to full report here] contained encouraging news.

As far as we know we remain in IBESR. After we exit we will be in the court system.

• "IBESR seems to be getting more organized and hiring new people for the adoption unit so that they can keep up with the proposals, the interviews for biological families, and the interviews required with the socialization visit that adoptive parents must make at the beginning of each adoption.  We are so thankful that they finally hired people so that they can finally try and get caught up with all of the work that they have to do!"

• "Other adoptions that are past IBESR and in the courts are finally moving again too.  We had children stuck in the adoption court where the final adoption decree is written.  They had to change the decree to match the new adoption law.  This took them more than 6 months to get it the way they wanted it but now these final decrees are being issued and adoptions are moving again through the system.  We hope to have several finished in the next month or two."

I-600 application questions

Last week, we received an E-mail from our agency asking if we'd heard anything about our I-600 visa application.

Today marks 12 weeks since of our appointment at the Embassy.

Now being very busy we'd not thought much about this as we assumed that we would not be hearing anything until all the needed documents [15 or so] were turned in as requested.

We also have not heard anything about F's mother going to the Embassy for her appointment.

We knew we needed to ask for an extension before August 25th if not all the documents are turned in by that date and since one of the documents is the adoption decree, we plan to ask for the extension.

But the questions about having obtained a receipt started us thinking and so we sent off an e-mail inquiry? [We received two papers listing the deadline and what documents needed to be turned in, which we turned over to the crèche worker]

The US department of Immigration services does not see any papers for us about an I-600 application.

So we're left wondering....maybe the Haiti office holds all the documentation until they have 100% of the paperwork and then sends them off to the USA?

No word yet about exiting IBESR and entering the courts for our adoption.

Praying and waiting for answers.

Embassy Visit

Yesterday morning we prayed as a family, before Cory and I headed to the truck at 4:30 a.m.

We arrived at the Embassy without any problems shortly after 6 a.m. and joined the line by 6:30 a.m. Far better to be early and not stressing than to arrive late in our opinions.

As we waited, we looked around now and then expecting a worker from the orphanage to come up and introduce himself, but this did not happen. I prayed for him not knowing where he was.

With our appointment letter, we smoothly entered through the security check points and did not wait more than 10 minutes before being called up to the widow to turn in our documents.

The lady who accepted the papers told us with a smile that she was from Port Margot! And she knew the Wesleyan campus and hospital. She helped us complete our I-600 form by answering the few questions we had about our situation.

Then we sat for a longer wait, before being called up again to a window for our interview. Smiles greeted us from this employee as well as she learned how long we'd lived in Haiti, and that we could converse in Creole. Soon we received our paperwork and were on our way.

As soon as we exited the Embassy, we noticed a young man waiting beyond the barrier. He had been told our appointment was at 10 a.m. not 7 a.m.

We talked a bit and noted a couple of things that needed to be looked into or changed. He plans to turn in some of his paperwork today at the Embassy.

On June 30th, F and his mom or aunt have an appointment at the Embassy for his visa. By August 25, if possible, 15 different documents need to be submitted on F's behalf. This includes the paperwork proving that we've adopted F in Haiti.

 If the adoption is not yet complete, then we will need to file an extension. Easy to do we're told, most often several extension periods are needed due to the slowness of the process, but we're praying that F can come home as soon as possible.

At the top of this page under the tab labeled 'Steps' you can find the process as we understand it. Now both phase two [Haitian adoption] and phase three [USA visa] are in progress.

How long?? Only the Lord knows. The very fastest we've heard from someone in the Facebook group is 3 months from socialization to visa...but most people continue to exit IBESR for many months before even starting the adoption process in Haitian courts, so it is possible that we may wait for another year or more.

Keep praying!

Praising the Lord!

On Thursday, May 7, we received an E-mail from our agency asking us to please make a 'quick call'.

Our hopes soared while we tried to hold them back not wanting to be disappointed if the call happened to be about paperwork and not a referral.

PRAISE the Lord! Our referral paperwork was signed on May 5th. While the translation of the letter would take another day, we could read the French, learning our son's name and age.

We do not feel at liberty to share details at this time over the computer, will refer to him as F for now.

We will share that the details came together rapidly and after a phone conversation Friday afternoon with the mission director, we excitedly packed and traveled for our required socialization trip on Saturday.

So in less than 48 hours we received our referral and met him in person!

Very exciting. We stayed on the same campus as the crèche and were able to spend some time in the mornings and afternoons with F and his foster family. 

Cory and I reviewed his paperwork on Monday and then traveled to a notary in Cap Haitian on Tuesday to sign our acceptance letters. The letters were scanned that same day and sent to the agencies. 

During our time, the staff person from Haiti's social services came twice. The first time he watched us interact on the playground with F and some of his friends and the second time he asked us a few questions.

See the normal family blog for other activities during our visit. 

We enjoyed getting to know F, seeing him in various parts of his day, interacting with his foster family and the people on the compound. We learned about his personality from stories and pictures, as well as spending time with him. 

F will not be directly told we're his new family until the adoption is near completion. Then his house parents will start sharing pictures close to when we return to pick him up.  However, he's very observant and smart, so he may have an idea.

Because of this, we tried to act as visitors and play with the other children in the home as well, but our attachment started and grew with every encounter. 

His eyes sparkle with intelligence and mischief many times during the day, so watch out world!

We ask for an Embassy visa appointment the day-after missionary retreat so we would not need to travel again down to Port. [The missionary retreat will be held about 1 hour from the Embassy and over four hours from our home.] 

So we plan to be in line at the USA Embassy by 6:30 a.m. on May 26th. This will be to start the process of obtaining F's visa to travel to the USA and for him to become a US citizen. 

At the same time, our paperwork now along with F's will need to negotiate the various and complicated steps of a Haitian adoption. Only the Lord knows how long this may take, but we heard of a recent case moving very fast from the bonding trip to visa in three months....on the other extreme, some people may still be waiting to exit IBESR and get into the courts for over a  year.

Lord knows. Still praying for His timing.

• Translation French to English of F's paperwork this week for Embassy appointment
• Timely Exit IBESR
• Courts/ Haitian adoption
• I-600 Visa appointment-next week
• Translation of home study update and other steps.