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.

Prayers, hope, waiting....

Seconds melt into minutes. Minutes add up to hours. Hours accumulate into days, and days to months. Relentlessly the months join together into years as time marches on....

No real news but don't let that stop you from praying!

• Thankful for the new attorney working on our case.
• The legal counsel she's been waiting to talk to about our case should have returned to work today after being gone on vacation.
• Thankful she and the agencies are looking into all possible answers
• Asking the Lord to show the best way for us.
• Asking the Lord to grant everyone wisdom, efficiency, and integrity.
• Asking the Lord for forward progress and that He get the glory and honor. 
• Sent in our 3 month renewal request for F's I-600 visa and received a different response.
• Thankful for our agency looking into this.
• Thankful there looks to be a few different paths for a visa when this one expires
• Asking the Lord for wisdom and direction.
• The first child will be leaving F's foster home this week to join his new family.



• Thankful for the wonderful housemates F has and nannies
• Thankful for the adults pouring love into the kids during these hard, confusing times of change.
• Thankful for progress and the first home going party for this house! Thankful for the other 4 children from the creche who've gone home during 2016. 
• Praying for each during this week of transition and for the good-byes to occur on Friday.
• Praying for progress for F's case as well as the other 4 children in the home. 
• Thankful that F's foster aunt agreed to spend some extra time with him reading books and working on some kindergarten stuff.He will continue to attend pre-school three times a week as well
• Thankful the books arrived to the family before they returned to Haiti and that they were willing to carry the books in for us.
• Praying for F to learn well and continue to enjoy school
• Thankful for those praying and supporting us and especially those supporting F.
• Praying that F can put his trust in the Lord and the adults telling him that we love him. At this time the staff does not think that F would understand if we were to visit him why he can't go home with us. So we wait, longing to interact, hug and tell him in person that we love him. Waiting for the day the Lord opens the door for us to be a 'real' family when F legally becomes ours in name and place, not just in our hearts and minds. 

Prayfull waiting.

This year we celebrated Thanksgiving on LaGonave with the rest of the Global Partner's team on Wednesday night and then spent seven hours on Thanksgiving day traveling home.  

On Saturday, we joined some of our missionary friends in the North to celebrate Thanksgiving again. After a great meal, we listened to a message that spoke to my heart. 

John spoke of the kidnapping stories of Joseph and Squanto and how they ended up saving groups of people because of where they ended up later in life. 

 

How when in difficult times when we don't understand we should not ask 'why' but ask 'what next' realizing that the Lord remains in control. Roman 8:28 "And we know that in ALL things God works for the good of those who love Him, how have been called according to His purpose" 

He reminded us that often that while in the middle of the story things may look bleak, and we can be very discouraged and maybe feel forgotten, but the end of the story is 'what's next'. We need to trust God that He's working out the good during the middle of the story. 

 

I feel that progress occurred last week due to our prayers for a Thanksgiving miracle. No news or proof yet but know God's working. 

Maybe our chart received the last signature. 

Maybe we exited but our agency was closed for Thanksgiving. 

Maybe the miracle looks like us waiting well and praising Him during the wait.

Maybe F adjusted a bit to the idea of us being his family or some healing of his emotions started.

Maybe.......maybe we will not know what our prayers accomplished last week.

But we will continue to pray and praise in anticipation of celebrating each step of this adoption process.