Medical and Embassy visits.

Medical visit went OK once everyone who needed to be there arrived. A communication misstep had us waiting for 3 hours at the doctor's office before everything came together: us, embassy letter, staff member, Fritzlin's passport, and most improtant Fritzlin.

Then the actual visit took about one hour. Fritz enjoyed a sucker but not the TB skin test placement. It was great to see and personally hold his Haitian passport for a bit and read Frtizlin Thede, all spelled correctly!

Then a needed second errand came to light as photos were needed for the next day's Embassy visit and for IBESR. So off to the photo studio we all went...and more waiting.

Tuesday morning in front of the US Embassy, adoption cordniator for COTP joined us, the first (Port au Prince based) staff person, and Fritz with all the needed paperwork for the final visa interview. I stayed in the truck and prayed, and prayed, and prayed some more.

Praise the Lord ! No further information was requested...because Fritz had already seen the doctor they kept his passport. The first staff member will bring the medical report when it is completed and then we should hear in 3-5 business days.

Moringa tree where I waited for them at the Embassy.

Wednesday morning we did a return trip to the doctor for the skin test to be read. Then once the report is completed and placed in an envelope it can be/was picked up and delivered to the Embassy.

Results were not shared with us and should the envelope be opened before reaching the Embassy the process would be delayed.

Not sure when or if the report has been delivered so we continue to pray for favorable results and the issuing of Fritz's visa so we can travel.

Once the visa is issued we will return to Port-au-Prince to personally pick up Fritz's passport complete with visa in it for travel to the USA, along with a sealed packet of papers for entry into the USA.

Waiting is hard at this point...you'd think after 5 years, 3 weeks, and 5 days that we would be at professional patience levels but seems we are running thin. Thank you for the prayers-we know that the Lord has used each prayer to get us to this point!

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

Progress...

Update today.

Technically we are out of MOI, 'sort of'.

Apparently our dossier was returned to Immigration but Immigration sent it back for a correction.

Thankfully only one specific area needs to be redone not the whole thing.

The agency continues to check every other day to see if this has been done.

After the correction is done the next step will be the passport application.

No word on refreshing my fingerprints.

No word yet either about the needed corrections of the misspelling of my and F's names.

Looking forward to be able to travel with Fritz in 2018.

Thank you for the prayers.

Prayers...

Not much to report for the month of October that we know for sure.

If things happened as anticipated on Friday, a staff person should have been able to pick up our Act of Adoption following legalization.

Due to official visits to our adoption agency this week to renew their re-accreditation, we do not anticipate hearing anything.

We continue to wait to hear if Kris' fingerprints have been refreshed..the request was made back in May before they expired in June.

Another concern about our most recent paperwork is the misspelling of Kristi's name.

On our exit paperwork from IBESR it was 'Kristy'.

So we pointed it out to our agency...but the next couple official papers returned with the spelling 'Krysty'.

Praying this does not delay us further, and can be rapidly removed.

F continues to do very well in school and life.

He celebrated turning 7 recently, enjoying spaghetti and chocolate cake with a triceratops on it.

Gifts included a small plastic horse, lots of Legos and a spider-man motorcycle.

Prayers:
-Act of Adoption
-Kris' fingerprints refreshed
-Agency re-accreditation
-Corrections of mis-spelling of Kris' name
-Visa progress
-political stability

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. 

The lesson--trust

Found with no dirt, no leaves but still beautiful. 

Yesterday we heard from our social worker...

-they are insisting on the new paperwork about F's parents
-the creche is asking other creches for help and a sample letter
-it could be October before they get this paper if it has to go before a judge
-a new staff member with law background has been asked to work on our case

I'm struggling.

-it is very likely our visa paperwork will expire.
     -options for new visa not clear as we live in Haiti, not the USA.
-'any day now' now looking at months
-what could happen if they can't get this paperwork or it isn't want IBERS needs/wants?

I had the following in draft written just before we learned of the new paperwork issue -guess I need to listen to myself.

Written a week or so ago...

Cory called it the 'never give up' flower.

I do better with waiting and delays when I understand why. So I've asked lots of questions during our adoption journey especially in the last few years of waiting in IBESR for our referral and now to exit.

The limbo of unknowns remains uncomfortable to me. So I keep trying to figure out the why, the reason, the lessons.

While my head knows that the Lord's reasons may not be revealed to us now or later I keep looking. Lessons to learn...maybe if I learn that one, it will be the key to progress and moving forward. 

So in the last couple of years some things I've pondered or tried: increased church, increased prayer, fasting, different prayers, lots of books on prayer and waiting, increased gratitude, thanking before something happens, working on problem areas, being content, reading more about adoption-prayers-worship-attachement-contentment..... 

Results: I've changed. I think I've improved in some areas with the Lord's help [maybe hard to see yesterday and today]. But I think most of the lessons boil down to 'Trust me'. 

Why the wait?                                                                        Trust me.

Why can't F come home?                                                       Trust me.

Wouldn't it have be better to be a family of 5 for a bit.           Trust me.

What if our visa paperwork expires?                                      Trust me.

What if its hard to get a visa as we live overseas?                  Trust me. 

What about school?                                                                 Trust me.

What if our papers are lost or misplaced?                               Trust me.

What if corruption or revenge is causing the delay.                Trust me.

What if the government destabilizes?                                     Trust me.

What if we can't travel for another year or so with F?            Trust me.

What if he thinks we don't love him and gets discouraged?    Trust me.

Should we be doing more?                                                       Trust me.

What should we do?                      Just trust me.

Added today...
       What if the new requested document takes months?                        Trust me.

       What if the information is not what they want or need?                   Trust me.
        What if.........TRUST ME!

40 Days of Prayer for Haitian adoptions.

One of the groups I frequent on Facebook is for people involved in adopting from Haiti.

On Mondays many folks post prayer requests and then on Fridays we share praises.

Along with my daily prayers for adoptions I also pray for the Lord to reduce the need for adoptions by keeping Haitian families together and providing for their needs.

A couple of years ago during a major transition period the IBESR [children's social services office] shut down for a month to try to 'catch up'. During this time the group intentionally increased prayers and many chose one day of 40 to fast.

June 23 - August 2 will be another 40 days of intentional and intensive prayer for Haiti adoptions.

Many transition families like ours continue to wait for either referrals or exits from IBESR after their referrals and bonding trips. Some families have waited close to three years for a referral.

We've been in IBESR for almost 2.5 years.

Many of the 'pre-Haughe', I-600 visa cases will be looking at starting over as the paperwork expires.

Ours will expire on Nov. 21st unless we start moving rapidly and can get several steps done before then.

Because of long delays in waiting for referrals some of the new Hauge families who've applied for I-800 visas will also need to renew paperwork.

F continues to wait well,  but like us does not understand why we wait?

We know many of you already pray for F and our adoption daily. Thank you!!!
Would you join us in praying for Haiti's other adoptions as well?

Here's part of the post:

It seems fitting to gather together again in prayer. Let's spend the next 40 days in intentional prayer and fasting. 

Let's invite the Holy Spirit to pour over every dusty file, to brighten every page, and move in every heart and hand that is required to sign. Let's pray for the courts, the officials, the immigration officers, and every step in between. Let's lift up the birth parents and nannies and orphanage directors. Let us intercede for the life of each child who waits in an orphanage, for their health and hearts and homecoming. 

Will you pray and fast (in whatever way you can) for 1 day? Will you ask your family and friends to pray that day too?

Thank you for helping to get children to their new families. 

Director's name is Mme. Arielle Jeanty Villedrouin, the last signature needed for referrals, not sure if she is the last for exits (our stage) also.

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.

"The Adoption System in Haiti is a Broken System"

"The Adoption System in Haiti is a Broken System" 

 God's Littlest Angels blog 

 [Blue wording comes from my heart. The black is the latest blog from God's Littlest Angels.]

There are people at IBESR in Haiti who I truly enjoy sitting down with them and talking about adoptions.  They work hard at their jobs and they want to see the system work.  But unfortunately, these few are outnumbered by those who don't care and who never get out of the office and actually see the children on the streets or in the orphanages.  They do not see the benefits to the child and so take their time matching the children and working on their files.  They lose files of the children every day because they don't have a proper filing system in place.

Praying for the staff at IBESR to learn to care, to see the faces of the waiting children, to take pride in work done well and in a timely fashion. May those who work hard and are trying to make the system work be blessed and teach the others.

I may get my hands slapped for giving my opinion here, but I have watched this system for 20 years and truly think the children being adopted are worse off then they were 20 years ago.  Yes, we have less trafficking of children and yes, biological families are more informed about what adoption means for their child, but the children placed for adoption used to stay in an orphanage for 3 months to a year at the longest and now they average 3 years in an orphanage setting and many of them stay longer! Thankful for the positives of less trafficking and more informed biological families but 3 years is to long. F will reach his 3 year mark at the orphanage in November. 

My fastest adoption was in 2001 and took 6 weeks!  Today, we feel blessed if we get a child to their adoptive family in 2 years.  That is just crazy!  It truly should not take that long to declare a child adoptable and then approve their match in IBESR, but unfortunately, it is. Praying for improved timelines, and fewer errors. 

Foreign OAA's or Adoption Agencies, as we call them in the USA, keep sending files of adoptive families to IBESR.  IBESR receives money for each of these dossiers.  Right now, they receive approximately $300 US for each dossier.  We are assuming that there are thousands of dossiers waiting in IBESR for matches.  Maybe, 2,000 to 3,000!  That is a lot of money that has come in to IBESR and very few matches have been made through the adoption office. Praying for those thousands of charts. Praying that ours does not get lost. 

There is not enough trained staff in IBESR to keep the files moving along in the system.  We get some proposals and then nothing for months because the staff is working on other things!  We take biological families for interviews and then they do not do interviews for weeks because the staff is working on something else!  They truly need to get this organized.  There is staff there but not enough are trained in adoptions and the process. Praying for the current staff to receive more training and motivation! Praying for additional well trained staff to join the IBESR. Praying for them to get organized!!!

If agencies would not send dossiers and funds to IBESR, it might be an incentive to get things organized and running smoother.  If creches and orphanages did not take in any children for adoption for a couple of months, then that might also be an incentive to get the children already in orphanages matched!  We have children who have been here since 2010. That is an awfully long time for a child to wait for an adoptive family! Praying for the Lord to provide the answers, how to motivate, how to provide the resources and staff needed. Praying for those who wait. 

This is all so difficult because the creches/orphanages and the agencies all need funds to run their programs.  We must feed the children.  But, the broken system must also be fixed and we have to step back and say fix the system before we send you more money!   Praying for the creches/orphanages and agencies who all need funding to support the waiting children, and to do it well not just get by. 

Help encourage the creches/orphanages to stand firm and not continue to feed into this broken system of adoption. Support all of the creches/orphanages financially so that adoptions are not the major part of what keeps them running and the children fed. Praying that the system can improve.

I do not know what the answer is for the adoption system to improve, but what we are doing now is not the answer.  We were made to believe that adopting the Hague Convention was going to make everything run smoother and be for the benefit of the children.  There were knowledgeable people telling us that this wasn't true and they have turned out to be right.  A child having to sit in an orphanage setting for 5 years or more while there is an adoptive family waiting for them is not okay.  I won't even get started on the US Consulate and USCIS (Immigration) problems that just make adoptions even more difficult.

Please pray for the children, the Haitian Social Service system, IBESR staff, and the orphanages' staff who care for the children.  And let us especially pray that the broken adoption system will be repaired! Lord intercede for these children. Lord, you CAN move mountains. You CAN do miracles. Touch each part of this broken system and redeem the good. Purify and let the truth be known. May the lost charts, paperwork, and people be found. Strengthen the weak. Bring Your children home. 

Daily IBESR visits...

First a bit of review:

• Our USA agency did not receive renewal of their license to continue to work in Haiti
• They did confirm that they could complete the cases that entered IBESR
• Three cases, including ours wait for referral.
• The agency representative started out visiting IBESR twice a month to check for progress, then twice a week.

Now the cases, within a couple signatures of completing the referral letter could be done any day. 

With the 14 day limit to have the acceptance letter [or refusal] back to IBESR the pressure and responsibility on the representative increased significantly.

Interestingly, IBESR does not call the representative or e-mail the agency to let anyone know about the completion of the referral letter. 

Only when the representative physically shows up to ask will they release the letters. 

So the visits will now be a daily occasion by the agency's representative, increasing the costs.

Some prayer requests:

Representative: Will be healthy. Safety in travel with no strikes or protests to block his path.  Motivation, resources to do the job well. Perfect timing of the visits.

IBESR: Sign papers. Everything done correctly. Work efficiently. Honesty and motivation. 

Paperwork: Done correctly. Not lost. Not damaged. Safe.

Agencies: Again timely and efficient work to get the referral to us. Phone call would come through.

     

Answers: Find answers, in a timely fashion, to questions specific to our unique case [due to living in Haiti]. 

Timing: Any travel needed would work well. Getting things set up and accomplished. Getting the letter back to IBESR in time.

Equipment: That the computers, phones and internet would continue to work well.

Our family: To use this time well, getting done what needs to be done without distractions.

Praying vigilantly, fervently and with gratitude for His plan, His power, His timing. 

Still waiting...

Today marks our 15th month in IBESR waiting for a referral and four weeks since the 'keep your phones on' e-mail.

Two days ago marked the 'two months before we fly to the USA' date.

Trying to wait well with complete confidence in the Lord's plan and timing has me asking more and more people for prayer.

I'll confess I find myself frequently reminding the Lord that a referral this week before the bonding trip in the next four weeks would be great. No need to fly back to Haiti for the bonding trip and to postpone/ cancel church visits or appointments. Both Eli and Anna could easier go with us [if allowed by the orphanage]. No additional costs for changing our flights or tacking on an extra trip.

My head knows that the Lord sees the bigger picture, loves us, knows the plan and has the power to execute the plan as He sees fit. My heart longs to jump up and down with hope and joy more than sitting calmly at His feet praising Him while I wait calmly.

I like to pray as specifically as I can but after years of praying for our adoption process, I'm finding myself running out of ways to keep saying, asking, thanking the Lord for the same issues, needs, and wants.

I want to move to the next step. I want to bargain with the Lord to move things along. I want to know facts. However, more than all that I want HIS WILL.

A dear friend who's walked this walk wrote me this last week: "And for the adoption.  I know that your logistics are different from ours here.  But I think every adopting parent has hoops that look impossible and horrible and strike terror to the heart.  But I can't get away from the fact that he led you this far.  And he isn't the kind who takes you into the middle of the Red Sea that is piled up on both sides, walking on dry ground, only to pull a trick and let the water come crashing down.  No.  He will get you ALL THE WAY across.  You WILL hold your children.  He will finish what he started.  He will hold you up until it is done.  And then some more."

So pray for me.

Pray for us, to be content in the wait, knowing 100% that the Lord's way is best. He's actively interceding for our family and our child/children.

Pray that we can praise Him wholeheartedly, giving Him the honor and praise that only His deserves.

Pray we can keep our eyes on Him and not get distracted. That we can focus during our days on the opportunities before us to serve Him with love and joy filled hearts.

He cares for the flowers, animals and knows the hairs on each head. He loves each of us with an unconditional love. He cares for me, you and each life.

Thank you for joining us in prayer.

P.S. Someone on the Facebook group posted that IBESR may start up parent interviews again in May.

Close?

On Tuesday we received an exciting e-mail from our adoption agency that we should keep our phones on as a few families from the crèche we plan to work with in the North received referrals last week.

This step of the process should go something like this:

IBESR signs the last signature needed to our paperwork approving a referral.

At that point the clock starts to click down, as we will have 14 days to accept the referral.

Then IBESR needs to contact the crèche where our child/children live. This unfortunately can take several days. The crèche in turn contacts our agency.

The agency then needs to translate the child/children's information into English. Then the phone call should come.

Once we receive the referral we pray and decide if we will accept. A formal letter stating that we plan to accept the referral needs to be written and then signed in front of a notary.

The letter then scanned-back to the agency, translated and returned in some form to IBESR before the 14 days run out [not sure if that includes weekends or not.

So you can see things will need to move rapidly when we get our referral. For us the notary may mean a long 6 hours or so to the Embassy if we can get an Embassy appointment rapidly.

Encouraging news if it happens soon...as we just read that IBESR may be stopping processing any children's charts for up to 3 months while they work on the 1,200 parents charts waiting at their office.

Please pray!

Finger print renewal and more paperwork

Received our updated I-600a provisional approval, I-171H in the mail this week with the new date for our fingerprint expiration now reading, April 27, 2016.

Confirmed that no Haitian social workers work in northern Haiti and contacted the closest ex-pat social worker than we know of living in Haiti.

Will try to work out a time for her to visit in the next couple months and if we cannot get a date that works we will start to contact other social workers in Port-au-Prince.

This week we started to fill out updated information for our agency. Thankfully not as much as the first time around but still we pray this will be the last time.


Have the medical part already completed during our visit to LaGonave, including the needed TB skin test.

With major transportation strikes the last few weeks closing down parts of the country and Carnival this week doubt that much business will get done.

The opposition party threatens to renew and strength the transportation strike after Carnival if the government does not make the changes that they want.

Please continue to pray for:

•  the Haitian government
• for political stability
• for referrals 
• for our referral to come soon
• we can find a social worker for our home study renewal
• completion of our update paperwork
• that our bonding trip would not conflict with other scheduled events
• that we wait well and learn the lessons we need to learn
• for the additional prayer request on the side bar
• and mostly that the Lord's plan for our lives and those of our child [children] will be done. 

Surprises

Saturday while instant messaging with my folks I just happened to look up and catch the short notices of in-coming e-mails in the upper right corner of my computer.

Shocked, I went immediately to the in-box where I confirmed the arrival of an e-mail from the USCIS office! Would never have guessed that they would send out an e-mail on the weekend.

Good news!! The officer who I planned on reminding this week that our I-600 a fingerprints were now expired wrote to let us know he'd requested the prints to be 'refreshed' !

Yeah!! This should not take very long as the gal at the Embassy said it should only be a couple of weeks during the holidays for this to occur....[she also said she would send in the request but didn't!]

Also heard of a non-prematched referral last week from a family who waited 15 months in IBESR.

My brain reminds me that with the uniqueness of each case comparisons cannot be made, should not be made.

But my heart does the math and whispers that if IBESR were working oldest cases to newer cases and we've waited almost 13 months then......

Trying to keep my hopes and prayers centered on His will and not skipping rapidly ahead of what ifs can be hard.

Today I asked our agency for some needed financial information for Eli's college financial aid applications.

Now trying not to read too much into the information we received...but my hopes have soared away like a kite in a strong wind and I'm having a hard time pulling them back down to ground level.

Then on the heels of the first e-mail [within 10 minutes] we get a general one from our agency sadly letting us know they will no longer be working in Haiti due to many factors. They will continue to work with us on our adoption if we want to stay with them.

Up and down; round and round the thoughts and feelings fly. But He remains faithful. He is the rock on which to build our faith. Confidence placed in God is never misplaced or a mistake.

God's timing. God's plan. God's will. God's power. God's way.

Expiration Date

Cory says that I worry too much, but I'm asking the Lord to increase my faith!

I'm not extremely stressed or obsessing over this, which shows my level of progress. I will admit to some butterflies in my stomach knowing that today our fingerprints expire for our I-600A, USA visa paperwork.

I know we did everything we could short of flying to the USA. I know that we possess the e-mail from the immigration officer saying that if they expire 'it's no big deal', 'no penalty' and 'can't run them to be refreshed until the others expire' but still.......

Plan to e-mail him back next week to see if they can refresh the prints.

No word about a referral. Next week will mark one year since we learned we entered IBESR and the last sign of any progress in our case.

Someone suggested this week in the Haiti adoption group that the charts should contain GPS markers so one could tell if the chart moved at all... while I understand the desire to see progress, I think it would end up being a big waste of time for me and depressing. Hope would soar every time someone moved the chart to clean or just to reshuffle their desk.

This week a neighbor shared a short devotional about doubting Thomas. Thomas heard about the miracle of the Lord's Resurrection but wanted physical proof. He prayed we would all have faith that God was working in our lives even when we don't see any evidence or when we cannot feel it.

I know that God called us to pursue adoption. I know I've changed in the last couple years through this process. I know God's plan; His timing remains the best plan for our lives. I'm thankful for those praying with us on this journey. I know He can open closed doors, move mountains and part the deep waters.

Lord, teach me to wait well. Lord, help me to increase my faith and confidence in You.

[Picture is a dead palm with a new tree growing on the top. Hoping the dead tree symbolizes our expired prints while the new young one represents our 'refreshed' prints.]

One Year, IBESR

One year ago our chart entered IBESR. Number 43.

We received the news January 29th...and nothing since.

Our chart could be sitting on the same desk where it arrived a year ago.

But we pray many steps occurred in the last year.

We pray that it may be sitting on a desk along with the charts of our children just waiting for someone to pick up the phone, or hit send on an e-mail to let our agency know about the match.

We pray for the Lord's plan, His will, His choice of children, His choice of crèche, His timing...but our hearts long to know names, ages, faces, where, when, who...

We start to think about updating our chart and shutter to hear stories of families updating for the 4th time during the adoption process. Please, no Lord.

Please move the blockades. Please pour out pity and compassion. Please work miracles.

But if not....still we will praise Him.

Lord, help us to wait well. Help shape us into the family our children need us to be. Help us to learn the lessons well while we wait. Increase our faith.

Thank You! Thank you Lord, for being with our charts and children. Thank You for interceding on our behalf when we can do nothing. Thank You for leading us on this journey every step, every day, every prayer.

Prayer for prints.

No word on our adoption fingerprints being refreshed [will expire 2 weeks from tomorrow*].

First e-mails Nov. 10th, then Nov. 21, the visit to the Embassy Dec. 10th, another e-mail Dec. 29.

Time between e-mails because they generally sent an automated response that lets you know that it could take 7 or 10 business days to respond...so you wait.

The staff at the Embassy never did respond to our first two e-mails and when we asked why during our visit to the Embassy the reply 'because we could not do the prints here' did not make us happy...after the 6+ hour ride and an overnight so that we could be in line shortly after 6 a.m.

* Sent off another e-mail this afternoon.

The US Immigration officer wrote back:

"Why was the Embassy unable to take your prints?" We don't know.

"Did you try to have them done at the military base there too?" Not aware that the US has a military base in Haiti.

"I am inquiring into what we can do from here." Thank you! Praying they decide to refresh the prints!

"Does the Embassy need us to send you a request for the prints before they’ll take them?" They did not mention any requests. They said they would ask the USA office to refresh-but the US office did not receive any requests.


So looks like although we started the process 2 months before the prints were to expire that we're really not much further along the process than we were.

We'd rather not have to travel the 6+ hours to Port again, an overnight to visit the Embassy but will do what we need to. 

Not only does 6 hours on bumpy roads make one tired Port has been experiencing many days of political protests that we'd just as soon avoid. 

Waiting on one more piece of paper for our truck plates which means that if we would need to travel to Port in the next two weeks it would likely be without the new plates on the truck.

Keep praying. 

HOT Update. As I went to share this on Facebook this e-mail came in....

"Ok. I have inquired into refreshing them and I’m still awaiting word on that. I do know that we can’t run them to be refreshed until the others are expired. If they expire, it is not a big deal—there is no penalty for a break in their validity. I will update you once I’ve gotten more information on your case." 

Thanks for the prayers as we continue on this emotional journey!

Referrals have started!!

Rejoicing with each family who's received a referral in the last couple of months.

In September at least one family a day from the Facebook group fasted and prayed for the process but disappointment hit at the end of the month with news of only 5 referrals.

October passed with only a couple at the end of the month. But already in November there is news of 10!!! Yeah! Praise the Lord.

Apparently the director had been gone for a couple weeks in October but is now back at work. Praying for many families to move up a step in the process before the holiday slow down next month.

Just read of the first Italian family getting a match!

No news from our agency. So we pray and wait.

Folks with other agencies report that they heard that IBESR will not be matching anyone with children until some time next year when they have a committee in place to do so. If this is true then we would be in that group. It could be possible that our agency submitted our chart with a suggestion of children without telling us-then we could match earlier.

Praying that if waiting children have all their paperwork in place they do NOT need to wait until some time next year for a committee to form and do matches. Especially those with medical issues, sibling groups, older children or abandoned children.

Ultimately the Lord controls when we match, with whom we match and with what orphanage. Trusting in Him!

Praying that we can wait well, praising Him, trusting Him. Praying that we're becoming the family our little ones need us to be. Praying we don't miss the lessons we should be learning during the wait.

Waiting.

Andy Stanley " Your greatest contribution to the Kingdom of God may not be something you do but someone you raise."

A year ago today we learned of our dossier's arrival in Haiti.

Bud Irish wrote a letter home during WWII to his sweetheart "It would be so different if a fellow knew he just had a certain length of time to be here in the army. He could say "Well, just X days to go." Instead it's just another day gone by and a lot more coming up. June 27, 1943 page 134 from the book A THOUSAND LETTERS HOME.

I echo Bud's sentiments but substitute the adoption for the army. Some days I really wish I knew how much longer. Even if it turned out to be a long time one could then easier push things to the back of one's mind I think. I'd add countdown lists to our computers, to our calendars and have other ways to show us visibly where we were in the countdown.

But although we cannot see the referral date, the Lord can so we fix our eyes on Him.

But maybe then the intensity of my prayers would fade. Perhaps I would fall victim to procrastination. The willingness to work to improve may weaken. My reliance may shift to man and away from the Lord.

I've changed up my prayers a bit of late. No longer 'Lord open the doors of IBESR to start referrals and getting folks out of IBESR. Now my prayers sound more like "LORD blast the doors off so that they cannot be closed again. Let referrals start and CONTINUE. Fight for your children!

[At least one family in the Facebook group was released from IBESR this week and one family entered and exited MOI [Ministry of Interior] in 17 days!!]

Praying that we learn the lessons we need to learn during the wait. May I wait well! Singing His praises while focusing on His love, power and plan.

Why the long referral wait?

Adoption consists of a complicated process that produces a lot of paperwork. [and just telling of this one step...a long blog]

Times of transition generally mean backlogs of charts and delays with the discussion and implementation of proposed changes. Haiti's transitional delays we pray result in a smoother system with reduced possibilities of abuse.

One of the big changes in Haiti's adoption process involves declaring a child's adaptability status prior to referral. This should prevent referral of children not meeting 'adoptable requirements' of Haitian and American governments.

In theory: A Haitian family meets with the social service team and makes an adoption plan. If after every possible effort to keep the family together, including education, and counseling the family stand firm on the decision to place the child up for adoption and IBESR agrees it is in the child's best interest, a one-month waiting period starts. After a full month, consent can be granted.

Abandoned children remain in an orphanage for at least 6 months while the family is looked for after which time IBESR can decide to make a referral for adoption. The mayor of the area where the child was found will need to appear in Children's court.

Child's Dossier - after IBESR declares the child adoptable these items need to be collected:

1. Passport Pictures
2. Birth Certificate
3. Attestation of signature on Birth Certificate or a copy from the National Archives
4. Legal relinquishment of custody by family/mayor if abandoned in family Court [this step can take 2-3 visits]
5. Death certificates and extracts from archives of biological parents if applies
6. Parent's marriage certificate if applies
7. Psychological evaluation
8. Medical evaluation
9. Laboratory tests
10. Social history

Now a referral can be proposed. The orphanage/creche directors will be asked to review the charts of waiting families. Once IBESR approves a potential match  the adoption agency will be given an official letter, and the family notified. After notification, the family will have 15 days to consider the match and accept or decline the referral. 

At this time, no one knows what will happen should a family not feel able to accept a proposed referral. 

As you can see there are many steps in the process and many potential areas for delays and problems. Praying for protection for everyone, every step, every paper, and every signature.   

Pray for us to be patient, wait well, and for our children while they wait too. Yesterday marked our 9th month in IBESR.  

No families without a 'soft' or 'pre-matched' admission to IBESR along with a proposed child have yet reported a match by IBESR on the Facebook group.  

We know that generally a child's development becomes more delayed for every month they live in an institutionalized setting, but we're praying our children will miraculously thrive.