HOPE in Kenscoff, Haiti and beyond

This video was produced this fall to be presented at Chances for Children's annual Night of Hope in October.  Somehow I missed it...until tonight!

Oh.my.goodness.  My heart breaks and smiles all at once.  Please view this short video so you can see the great needs of the children and families in Haiti, and what one ministry is doing to help.

God bless you, C4C!!!

**This video is best viewed full size on a computer screen. (p.s. yes, our boy, W, is in the video! you'll have to try and guess which cutie he is ;-))

WE EXITED IBESR!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes, after 735 days in the Haitian Social Services (IBESR) phase of our adoption, we received the most amazing news---WE HAVE EXITED!  Praise God from Whom ALL Blessings Flow!!!!!!!  (Merry Christmas to the Johnson Family!)

First thing this morning I opened a facebook message from the director of W's creche saying we had received our Authorization of Adoption from Haitian Social Services (IBESR) and exited!

This was immediately followed by my happy sobs, one of our girls coming to see what was wrong, me saying "Go Get Daddy!!, screams, hugs, jumping, shouts of "Thank you, Jesus!", etc., and repeat.

I'm walking as if in a dream today.

Part of that could be the exhaustion, an under-the-weather feeling and the general funk that follows a trip to Haiti, BUT I know that a good part of that dream-feeling is finally, FINALLY, having reached the point of our adoption where we are ON THE DOWNHILL SLOPE!!!

We have 4 major steps to complete before we bring W home.  Here is kinda how I explained the remainder of the process to him just the other day:

1) Our adoption file goes to Parquet / Court where the judge rules that W is our son, he gets our last name and we receive our Adoption Decree.
2) Our adoption file goes to MOI (Ministry of the Interior) where ALL of the adoption documents are reviewed in great detail for accuracy and completeness and given final approval to complete the adoption process.
3) Our adoption file goes to Haiti Immigration for W's passport to be printed.
4) Our adoption file goes to US Immigration (USCIS in Haiti) to receive W's visa so he can come home to Tennessee!

Do be aware that these steps are greatly simplified.  There are many mini-steps within each major step.

I can hear you asking, What is the timeline to homecoming?

Best Case Scenario?  6 months,,,maybe.  BEST case scenario.
It could still take 12 months, but I guarantee, the Johnson's are praying for a summer homecoming!!

The Kenscoff Court and Office of Civil Status building.
I have no idea if the court proceedings for our adoption
will happen here (most likely in a court in Port-au-Prince),
but it is a pretty new building. :)

Haiti Visit #3

(oops, I just realized that I never posted details about Haiti Visit #2 back in July when I traveled with a mission team!  hmmm, I'll add that to my "to do" list)

I just got home from an absolutely amazing visit with our son!!  

I was there for 1 week and was joined by Jane, an adoptive mom from the same creche, and Tina and her family, also adopting from the same creche.  We've been friends online for a couple of years and we finally got to meet each other IN PERSON!!  SUCH a blessing.  We were fortunate to be able to stay in the C4C guest house and had our kids with us overnights.  W, who is all boy, was surrounded by 4 girls during the week, but he enjoyed himself immensely. ;-)

I have wonderful stories and experiences to share that I hope will be an encouragement to those of you adopting, particularly for parents adopting older children of a different culture and race.  I also was able to capture some breathtaking scenery...with my smart phone, not a "real" camera, but hopefully it will be a taste of the beauty to be found in Haiti.

In the coming days I will post stories and photos, but right now I am so completely exhausted, both physically and emotionally.  I do give all praise to God for providing this wonderful opportunity to bond with our son and connect with my friends!

~TTFN

Go HERE to read the full details of trip #3!

November Update

November Update from the creche:

W, the great soccer player and singer, he would like to become a great teacher. He always talks about his adoptive family and his sisters. He imagines how he will be when he will be in the US, kind and helpful to his family. He thinks he’ll buy a lot of stuff to play with.  He is one of the nicest boys at the crèche, but he doesn't like to comb his hair.  

lol!  That's our boy!

Haiti Adoption: Simple vs Plenary

Diana Boni, who works with the creche, God's Littlest Angels (GLA), has done a very good job explaining the details surrounding the plenary vs simple wording on the adoption decrees.  Check out her blog posts from October. Also check out this post from Dixie Bickel from GLA.  I think these will give a greater perspective on the challenges in Haiti adoption at this time.

Fyi, GLA is also in Kenscoff, only about 15 minutes away from our son's creche.  I'd love to visit someday.  They've been existence for 20 years or so, maybe more, and have done much for the children and families in the area.

Huge Homecoming Delays for Haiti's Adopted Children

Families adopting through Haiti's International Adoption Program are once again mired in confusion and significant delays.  But this time it's serious.

This latest delay affects approximately 100 families (that I know of) and their legally adopted Haitian children.  After an adoption case goes through the multi-tiered legal phase where the child is given their decree of adoption with their new last name (of the adoptive parents), the case proceeds to Haitian Immigration to obtain a new passport for the child.  The final step of adoption is US Immigration, where the child's visa is issued, and then he goes HOME!

The distressing situation families are facing now is that their legally adopted children are not being allowed to fly home to the US because US Immigration is not issuing visas...due to an issue of wording on the adoption decrees coming out of the Haitian court system.

Our agency explains it this way:

In November 2013, Haiti voted to actually follow their own new adoption laws, which had been "pending" for several years. Some adoption cases completed after Nov 2013 were processed under the old system; the adoptions were done in what is called a simple adoption .  Under the new laws, they needed to be completed as a plenary or full adoption. Adoption agencies were unfamiliar with this terminology and this wording could not be found in any of the documents issued, but apparently it is there (somewhere). 

Earlier this fall, the US was issuing visa's to cases that were classified as "simple adoptions" and were not insisting on the "plenary" language.

Now, suddenly, US Immigration is cracking down without so much as a, "Hey, guess what?  Get ready, because soon we will be making some changes in how we process visa cases..."

Bottom line, what does this mean?
It means that a hundred families and their legally adopted children who were about to come home, are now being forced to backtrack several stages and RE-DO steps of the adoption that had already been completed!  We are talking adding months to an already insanely long process .  I also suspect that additional money that families had not been prepared to pay will be required for the lawyers needed to complete the process the "correct" way.

This decision has created ripples throughout the process.  Cases that were 95% complete have now been thrown back to IBESR,  Yes, all the way back to the social services stage!  The confused staff at IBESR has been scrambling to make corrections in all these cases.  Everyone at every stage is wondering what really needs to be done to fix this complex problem.  Adoptive parents are calling their senators.  Adoption agencies and adoption and orphan advocates are contacting the US State Department.  Our agency says that these groups are asking "the US government [to] please step in and make some concessions and approve these adoptions."  Yes PLEASE!

So as you can see, friends, once again Haiti adoptions and the precious children need all of our prayers.  Delays, delays, delays.  Eric and I wonder if this situation is affecting our case.  Fortunately our case hadn't gotten far enough along (thank you, Lord, for your protection!) to be dealing with this "simple" vs "plenary" issue, but I do wonder if the added burden on IBESR is delaying our case (and others) from exiting...

Lord Jesus, hear our cries for help on behalf of all of Haiti's children!

W's New Birth Certificate Extract Received!!

Praise the Lord!!  We thought that getting this missing document could take many weeks or even months, but it didn't!!  God moved!!

Yesterday morning, our agency emailed us our September Update from the creche.  Here is part of that update:

Update from Noe:
W is a big singer and loves to dance.  He thinks of himself as a big boy and doesn’t like to play with the younger kids.  He used to be somewhat aggressive but now he is getting more and more kind.  He obeys the nannies and teachers better now, even better than the younger kids. W still excels as a soccer player and has a very good appetite.  (We've been told that after Eric and I spent those 15 days with him in Haiti several months ago, his attitude and behavior has improved a great deal.  Knowing you finally have a mommy and daddy who love you makes a huge difference in a kid's life...even across the miles!)

Legal:
This past Monday, we were finally able to get W’s birth certificate extract from National Archives and deliver it to IBESR so that they can issue the exit letter.  We anticipate this happening soon now that we have completed this hurdle.  (HALLELUJAH to The Mover of Mountains!)

Eric and I are praying to get that IBESR Exit letter This Week.  That is our heart's cry to the Lord.

Immigration Approval Extended

Remember our appointment at the US Embassy in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti in early March?  We filed our 1-600 application, which requests that our earlier approval be directed to a specific child, W.  This will allow us to bring W home to the US at the end of the adoption process. 

This is one of the few easy parts of the Haitian adoption process.  All we have to do is email the US Embassy every 3 months to request an extension of our I-600.  That's it.

Well quess who forgot to put that date in my phone calendar back in March?  Uhm, yeah, I completely forgot,,,until 2 weeks past the deadline!  One night last week, God interrupted my sleep and reminded me.  Truly!  So I zipped off an email with all the pertinent information. 

I was fearful we would have to literally start all over with the immigration process, including the fees and the waiting.  But I prayed the officials would be gracious and extend our approval.

I received this email today.  Praise the Lord and thank you, Jesus!!!

P.S. My calendar is now filled with reminders at every three months for the next year.  But let's hope and pray all those reminders won't be needed... ;-)

Big UPDATE and a Big Prayer Need

For those of you who are friends of mine on facebook, you get regular updates from me about our adoption.  For those who only know me from the blog, I apologize for my neglect of our adoption story.  We are still waiting to exit IBESR so we can move on to the court phase of the adoption -- the part where W legally becomes our son.  However...

Currently we are facing a potentially large and maddening delay in our already lengthy process.   And YET, it is another opportunity to bring caring people together in prayer and to see God MOVE on behalf of our son.

Here's a quick summary to get ya'll up to date:

Eric and I traveled to Haiti for our 15 day bonding trip to meet W at the end of February / early March.  We had an amazing time with our son, who stayed at the guest house with us the whole time.  In spite of the language barrier, we connected very well in 2 weeks.  He is an amazing boy!

Miraculously, God resolved a tricky situation with some delayed immigration approval documents (the I-171H approval form).  This approval documentation was needed for our required filing of the I-600 at the US Embassy in Port-Au-Prince.  With the help of an awesome neighbor back home and a couple of individuals here in the US with connections, God got the issue resolved.  Our immigration appointment took place near the end of our trip!

We also had a successful interview with the IBESR social worker.  She was austere but kind woman who spoke no English.  Papi Noe (one of the adoption coordinators at the creche and a favorite staff member of W's) translated the conversation, and she smiled at W a lot.  Whew!  It was such a relief to have both of those appointments taken care of and for both to go so well.

Fast forward to July...  I joined a 6 day mission trip to the creche to spend some much needed bonding time with W.  I split my time between playing with him and his buddies and working in the new creche garden.  I was thrilled that he got to stay with me at the guest house for 4 nights!  But I can tell you that leaving him was pure torture.  The two of us sobbed off and on for about an hour on the last day.  The tears started with him and this mama soon joined in.  I rocked him on my lap, sang hymns and worship choruses, kissed his cheeks and spoke words of blessing over his life.  He fell asleep at one point, but woke up, only to cry some more. 

My heart broke into a thousand pieces when I left him behind...and some of those pieces are still in Haiti.  His sweet face, deep voice and silly laugh is with me every day.  A prayer for his peace, joy, safety and hope are always on my spirit.

And we arrive at September 2015.

We are more than 6 months past our bonding trip.  Two families adopting from W's creche have already exited IBESR and moved forward to the court phase.  One of those families traveled after us.  I am so happy for these friends of mine and their precious children, but my heart has been so confused and discouraged to watch many other families pass us by as well.  (Being part of the large Haiti adoption facebook group can be a blessing and a curse.)  The average timeframe from socialization trip to exiting IBESR seems to be 3-5 months.  Some recent families have exited after only 1 1/2 to 2 months.  Wow!

"What is up with our case?  Why aren't we moving forward?" has been a constant echo in my mind.

Well, this past weekend we finally got some answers.

Our adoption agency coordinator and the director of W's creche had been discussing our case.  We received an email from our agency.  It turns out that we were not as close to exiting IBESR as we had thought.  "Any day now" turned into-- an important document is missing in W's file.

What?!?

What happened was that W's birth certificate generated by the local court was supposed to be registered in a big book at court (I'm kinda fuzzy on this point) and registered at Haiti's National Archives.  The lawyer hired by the creche is supposed to take care of these details.  Well...his birth certificate never got registered and therefore was missing from his adoption file at IBESR.  No one at the creche even knew about this until last week.

At this point, it looked to us like the original nightmare process of getting his official birth certificate the first time might have to be re-done!  This could take months!  One family on the big facebook group had a similar situation happen to them and it took 16 MONTHS to resolve.  16 MONTHS, people!!

Eric and I took the weekend to reflect and pray (and I took time to freak out and cry).  We also asked many, many people to pray for this issue in our adoption process.  Then yesterday we sent our agency and email with more questions and a desire to learn how much of a delay we were looking at. 

Our agency rep was swift to respond...with positive news!!  Praise God!!

To resolve the birth certificate situation, here is what is needed (well, this is my best understanding; it may not be 100% accurate but it is close, I think...):

A new "judgement" is needed from the court that issued W's birth certificate.
This judgement generates official documentation that goes to National Archives to be registered.
Then an "extract" (an official copy) of W's birth certificate can be obtained.
The extract goes into W's file in IBESR, which will complete our adoption file.
We get a final signature on our file and we exit IBESR.

The PRAISE is that the adoption rep from the creche started working to resolve this issue when it was discovered last week and already has the new judgement from the court!!  He also thinks he will have everything he needs this week to take to IBESR!!

So this is wonderful news, but we don't stop praying here.  This could still be a lengthy delay.  Eric and I are praying for favor over our case, for favor for the creche adoption representative, and for a swift and correct resolution to the problem followed by swift exit from IBESR.

You have joined us in prayer many times before...will you join us again?

God be praised for what He has already done, what He is doing, and what he WILL do!!!

Our Socialization Trip...continued

It's been a long time since my last confession, er, update. ;-)

After returning from Haiti on March 13th, I found myself in quite an emotional funk.  I planned to post lots of photos and continue the story of our visit with our son...BUT I was rather a wreck for many days after leaving our boy behind in Haiti.  Honestly I had a difficult time functioning for a couple weeks.  My heart was breaking.  Fifteen days really is enough time to develop quite an attachment to a little person and vice versa.  There were tears from this mama and tears from our boy.  Much good progress was made in planting the seeds of attachement and "sonship"...enough for all three of us to feel the pain of separation.

These past 5 months have, in turn, dragged and flown by.

I started a full time job the first of April.  Selah started preschool, and now prekindergarden.   Noelle and Eric traveled out of town 3 times over the summer for camp and various activities.  I took an online course on essential oils hoping to one day become a certified clinical aromatherapist.  Noelle started 3rd grade.  Lots of wonderful ministries are happening in the church and community.  Etc. etc. etc.

I also traveled to Haiti in July and spent 6 days with our boy!!!

So there is LOTS to tell.

Hmmmm, maybe this post is the catalyst to get me blogging again...to post the many beautiful photos of Haiti, to continue the story of our adoption--2 1/2 years in, to explain the ins and outs of the ever shifting Haiti adoption process, to share my heart and what God is doing...

And maybe, just maybe, if I ask Eric real nice, maybe he will do a guest post.

So ta-ta for now!

In Haiti - Doing Great! (part 1)

Bonjou from Haiti!

We are doing very well here!  W is simply an amazing boy.  He is sweet, funny, generous, kind, energetic, determined.  He welcomed us that first evening with a shy smile and a big hug.  It is precious to see how each day he is opening up more and more emotionally.  His walls are coming down a little bit at a time.  He still hasn't shared very much at all about himself or his life (part of which I expect is a language issue) and we have to ask questions and prompt him to get information, but he is definitely relaxing.  It will come, all in time.

He is enjoying the rides in the SUV back and forth from the crèche to the C4C guest house and so forth.  He wants me to sit close to him on his right side every trip.  I pat his knee from time to time or put my arm around the back of his seat.  He now lets me hold his fingers while we bump along.  He is fascinated with the many sights along the winding mountainous roads.  He is proud of the mountains of Kenscoff, as he should be.  They are breathtaking!!

He is very proud to show us off at the crèche.  He grabs my hand and pulls me around to show me things.  He frequently says, "Mom, look!" and "Dad, look!" all day long.  I cherish that!  Yesterday at the crèche he came home from school and Daddy and I were covered in toddlers, literally!  Then some of his buddies came around wanting attention from us.  It was quite interesting to see his jealousy start to spring up.  You could see it on his face.  He staked his claim on us by not letting kids take his seat next to us on the couch or taking both of our hands (he held on to at least one) or taking our undivided attention away from him.  Then it was time for Teacher Lou-Lou's class.  Yesterday they danced and sang to music on the internet then did an art project...I've got some great video!!  Eric and I kinda floated in and out of the small room.  Eventually we stayed in the "guest area" (with the couch and tables) and read/listened to books.  W came to check on us to make sure we were still there...several times.

When it was time to leave for our afternoon and dinner at the C4C guest house, W happily said goodbye to his friends, helped gather all our things, and lead us out to the truck for our ride.  Each day he asks if he will be going to the guest house with us, he smiles so happily and contentedly when we say yes. 

Yesterday, when we were still at the crèche, the three of us snuggled on the couch with several of his buddies there as well, chatting and playing, he asked us very seriously, "When are you coming?"

We said, "Coming?  Do you mean, when will we be coming back to see you again?"

He replied, "Yes..."

We told him that we did not know, but we would return just as soon as we could, giving him a big squeeze.  He didn't reply.  He just looked, thoughtful?..  Not sure.  But it was our first sign that he was thinking long term with our relationship.  Thank you, Lord; You are at work in his heart.  Oh how heartbreaking it will be to leave our boy behind when we leave the end of next week!

It is also very gratifying to watch W and Eric connect.  Eric is "teaching" him some karate moves -- he LOVES that -- and exercising together.  They play Batman vs. the Bad Guy, they run and race...yesterday they really had fun together.  I praise God how He has gone before us and is helping us build a relationship with our future son.  Adoption is God's idea and we are trusting Him to provide all that is needed for W and us to connect.  We also are praying for wisdom with how to "be" with W, as well as for God to open W's heart to us and to feel safe and trust us.

To be continued...

We leave on Friday!!!

Travel Plans!

So here's the latest...

We heard back via email from our USCIS officer about our new/updated I-600A/I-171H.  She said she approved us on February 18th (woohoo!!) and mailed it out soon thereafter.  The problem is,,,it hasn't arrived in the mail yet. :(  We are hoping and praying it arrives tomorrow...

Tonight we talked on the phone with our agency rep.  She gave us information about our trip and answered questions.  She is working very hard on her end to get us ready to fly out this weekend!

IF C4C is good with us arriving this weekend (arranging our accommodations and booking a driver)
IF we get our referral acceptance letter notarized tomorrow and emailed back to our agency tomorrow
IF we are able to finish filling out forms and gathering documents (on our end) needed for the US Embassy
AND IF our I-171H document from immigration arrives tomorrow (or Thursday at the latest)...

...THEN we will fly out this Friday morning and be holding our son, W, in our arms by this Friday evening!!!!!!!!!!!

If things don't come together as we hope, THEN we WAIT until March 13th (?) to fly to Haiti.  This is not terrible.  It's not that far away.  It will still be okay.

It would just be extra supercalifragilisticexpialidocious if it works out for us to leave in 3 days (insert big cheesy grin here).

Thanks, everyone, for all your interest, support and prayers.  Things will all come together as they should.  God is at work!

A "Hiccup" In Our Travel Plans

As an international adoptive parent, two things you learn quickly is to expect the unexpected and expect hiccups.

This adoption is holding true to these principles... ;-)

Friday night we were on Cloud 9.
Sunday morning, after an email from our agency, we sunk a smidge below the clouds.

Our agency rep had realized that we didn't have our updated US Immigration approval (to adopt a foreign born child) so she emailed us to let us know we had to get this taken care of asap.

A couple weeks ago we submitted our updated home study along with the I600A application to renew/extend our approval.  Our original approval just expired on February 16 and we've been waiting to receive our new I171H document...the piece of proof that we have current immigration approval to adopt.  WE DO NOT HAVE THIS DOCUMENT.  Frankly, I forgot about it.  I did not make the connection that in order to travel to Haiti, we had to have this paper.

You see, while in Haiti on the Socialization Visit, the adoptive parents go to the US Embassy in Haiti to file their I600...the request for immigration approval to adopt a SPECIFIC child.  And......the adoptive parents have to email their current I171H to the embassy in Haiti to request an appointment date and time BEFORE they schedule their trip and book their flights.

So we are are delayed, potentially.  I have emailed and left two voice messages about our situation with US Immigrations Adoption Unit and and praying we will hear back from a real person soon.  We are praying for FAVOR.  We are praying our assigned immigration caseworker will be happy to help us out and get things moving quickly.  We appreciate your prayers, as well.

After 2 years of looking at W's photos and praying for him...and after approximately 14 months of W knowing we would one day be his parents...this delay is actually painful.

YET we serve a Big God.
AND, after all, it is His plan and His timing that is perfect.

So we pray, wait and trust.

I'll keep ya posted!!!

REFERRAL!!!!!

As anticipated, we did get our referral packet emailed to us today from Haiti!!!
So it is now officially official. :)

Most of the papers are in French, but our agency is working on getting the English translations.  Eric and I will be so glad to have this complete file of information about our son...details we've never had about his background, his personality, his health history, etc.  A fuller "picture" of our boy.

Thank you, Lord, for this precious gift, this precious child!

The News We've All Been Waiting For!!!

 

 It is Friday evening and I am writing this post physically and emotionally spent, but in a very good way.  Two weeks ago we learned from our agency that our match to W was almost complete; it merely lacked one final signature, that of the director of IBESR.  

Eeek!  Eric and I have been on pins and needles ever since!  

We've been making packing lists, setting out suitcases and picking up necessities at the store.  I even purchased several outfits, jammies, socks, etc. (just this evening) for W to wear when he's with us---wow, that was a crazy, surreal feeling...shopping for our son!

The definite downside to this whole process, however, is leaving our two sweet girls home. :( We know they will be in good hands with my parents and some dear friends who will be watching them, but oh how MUCH we will miss them! :(  Hopefully on our next trip to Haiti---hopefully the "pick-him-up-and-bring-him-home trip"---both of the girls will be with us.

So....this evening we received an email from our agency saying that 

our referral is FINISHED!  It is SIGNED!  

Praise Jesus, after exactly 2 years in this process, 

W has been officially matched to US!!!

Now there is one small catch.  We don't actually have the referral paperwork and adoption agreement *in hand*.  Today our agency's Haiti rep was going to pick it up in the afternoon, but due to a meeting that ran late, he wasn't able to make it to IBESR before they closed.  He intends to go back first thing Monday morning to pick up our referral and scan it to our agency.  After that happens, our agency will then email the paperwork to us to sign.  We already have our draft of our acceptance letter written; we will get that signed and notarized asap by our sweet friend, Lisa.  

And then, Lord willing, IF it is agreeable 

with the scheduling at IBESR and W's crèche, we will fly out.....Thursday??!

Just think, this time next week, we very well could be in sunny Kenscoff, Haiti, 

holding our son in our arms!

He's gonna look so handsome in these!  Hope they fit!..

A Valentine Surprise

Yesterday our church surprised us with a pasta dinner and fundraiser in honor of W and Valentines Day!

Joyce and a crew of helpers prepared a delicious pasta bar.  The food and fellowship was great!  And several hundred dollars was generously given that will be very helpful in paying for our upcoming socialization visit.  We felt special and very loved.  And one day, W will find out how much he is loved by his church!

Thank you, dear church family!

Updated Home Study - check! - and off to USCIS

Yay!!  Today we received our updated home study from our social worker!

I zipped on over to the nearest FedEx and sent it with the accompanying paperwork to USCIS.  It is a wonderful feeling to have this important step crossed off our adoption to-do-list.  Please pray that it arrives Friday morning, as scheduled.  Our deadline to re-new our immigration approval is Monday February 16th.....

February 11, 2015

TO:  USCIS

ATTN:  Adoption

RE:  Request for Action on Form I-600A

To Whom It May Concern:

My husband and I are adopting a child from Haiti.  Our fingerprints have 

been recently updated, but we need to update our I-600A approval. 

Enclosed are:

Request for Action form

Photocopies of our I-171H approval notices

An original updated home study

A photocopy of our original home study

Thank you so much for your time and assistance.

Sincerely,

~me

"The Binder"

Wasatch Adoption License - Renewed!

Today our adoption agency received their new license to facilitate adoptions in Haiti.  Our agency rep, who is also director of the Haiti Adoption Program, is in country this week and was the one to go pick up the documentation.  Wasatch has been working in Haiti for several years and has a healthy and respected relationship with the adoption officials, so receiving the license was not a surprise.  I believe that fewer than 20 adoption agencies in the U.S. are currently licensed to facilitate Haiti adoptions.  It is sure good to know that our agency is in good standing and will be able to continue their work in this country.

From our agency's facebook page:  Great news for Wasatch coming out of Haiti!!!  We have our new, official, signed license for that country!!  Though it is all in French, it is fun to clearly see Wasatch Adoptions in the body of the letter.  Our own amazing Chareyl was able to meet the Director of IBESR, Madame Arielle Jeanty Villedrouin.  Madame Villedrouin thanked Chareyl for coming to Haiti personally to sign for and pick up the license.  Chareyl also met the assistant director over adoptions, Mr. Andolphe Guillaume.  Next, the translator took her to meet all the IBESR staff. She said that was awesome.  She hugged them all and told them what wonderful things they are doing for the people of Haiti. They were very happy to hear that.

 Isn't this neat?!  It is awesome that Chareyl was able to make this trip.  I am very encouraged by her positive impression of her time at IBESR and the positive way they interacted with her.  I pray God will grant Wasatch and all the Wasatch families favor as IBESR continues to process our paperwork.  Lord willing, it will be very soon that they complete all of Wasatch's waiting families (and C4C families) adoption files so that the referrals come flowing down!!

Haiti Really Needs Our Prayers Now!

Prayers are greatly needed for Haiti.

Political unrest and frequent demonstrations have been the scene in the capital city of Port-Au-Prince and surrounding areas for several weeks.  Some violent protests have left people injured and there are even some deaths attributed to the unrest.  Citizens have been advised to stay in their homes.  For many, it would be difficult to get out and about, even if they wanted to do so, because of the many blocked roadways and the Public Transportation Strike that is going on today and tomorrow.

Government offices, school and business have had closures in the past few weeks due to the sometimes violent demonstrations.  IBESR is one of the government offices confirmed closed today, meaning adoptions are not being processed at this time.

The United States and other countries have issued a travel advisories for Port-Au-Prince and surrounding areas.  Please pray for the safety of Haiti's citizens, but also pray for protection for the adoptive families that are currently in that region either processing adoption paperwork at the U.S. Embassy or completing the final steps of their adoptions to bring their children home.  Also pray that IBESR staff and other adoption officials can safely return to work this week (tomorrow, please...) to continue their important work for finding forever homes for the orphans in their communities.


You can read about the cause of the political unrest HERE.

Haiti's new 'consensus' government fails to satisfy opposition  

(Reuters) - Haitian President Michel Martelly has named a new cabinet as he tries to end a wave of street protests against his rule of the impoverished Caribbean country, but opposition leaders said he broke his promise to create a consensus government...

While you are here visiting our blog, I wanted to share one other important request.  Our adoption agency coordinator, Chareyl, is flying to Haiti today and will be there for a week and a half.  She has a very busy schedule, including going to IBESR to check on the status of our (and other families) adoption case.  She will also be meeting up with a friend and colleague, Shannon, to work on behalf of their non-profit organization, Haitian Roots.  I encourage you to check out their incredible work HERE.  I ask that you please pray daily for Chareyl (and Shannon), for her protection, and for her trip to be fruitful.  I hope she is able to accomplish all her goals for her trip while in Haiti.

Thank you all SO very much for your continuing support and prayers.

Here's the *Hopeful* News I Was Telling You About

But First.......

A few days ago we received W's January Update from C4C with new photos of our boy--yes!  I know you all want to see photos, but lemme just say that he is one handsome, cool little dude.  After all, he is 7 goin' on big time!

He is growing so tall -- only 3 or 4 more inches and he will be caught up to big sister Noelle -- but he is skinny.  He weighs about 15 pounds less than Noelle, and Noelle is thin.  I just want to go hug him, put him on my lap and feed him lots of {all natural made from scratch} chocolate chip cookies and cold {organic GMO and hormone free} whole milk.  That will surely fix things!

Anyhoo, I digress.

His update partially says: W is one of the best soccer players in the crèche because he is getting very strong and runs fast.   He is also having a tough time with the other boys teasing him.  He goes to [a particular staff member at the creche] for help with that, and [this man] often has to go have a talk with the other boys.  Despite some of his social challenges right now, [he is smart and] continues to work hard in school.

I hate to hear that the bigger boys are giving him a hard time...  I know this is normal kid stuff and he has to learn to work these things out and learn to be confident in who he is.  But I hate that Eric and I aren't the ones to talk and pray with him and comfort him.  I am very glad to hear that this particular man seems to be taking an interest in W.  I have been praying intentionally for several months that God would bring a kind adult into his life to love on him, care for him and develop a healthy relationship with him...and one who loves Jesus would be even better.  W needs that.  Having a healthy, loving and trusting relationship with an adult will help him attach better to us.  When a child learns to trust in an adult (particularly a caregiver) and feels that person's unconditional love, the child learns to feel safe, secure, confident and in turn, learns how to attach and reciprocate love.  Will you join us in praying for W to have that kind of relationship?  It will provide him with hope and courage while we are far away AND help him adjust better to his new life when he comes home.

Along with that prayer, Eric and I continually ask God to prepare our hearts and home, prepare us physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, financially to be his mom and dad.  We also pray for God's Holy Spirit to go before us and prepare W's heart, mind and emotions to join our family.  This is important.  This is big.  You've heard me say it before.  We serve a great, big God!

Okay...on to the HOPEFUL NEWS.

The January Update also said:  W’s file has been signed by the mayor, approved by the judge and sent back to IBESR for referral!  We expect this referral to be made fairly quickly since the family dossier was submitted to IBESR so long ago.  IBESR is trying to process them in order of the family dossiers submissions, as the children’s dossiers are approved by the judge.

Then Chareyl, our adoption agency rep, told me this:  Wastch's Haiti rep was at IBESR [last] Friday [to check on the status of Wasatch families files], and he was told that Wasatch has several dossier's that are near completion and will be ready for official referral/match.  I hope yours is one of them!

This is exciting, realizing that any day (or any week,,,) now, we could receive THAT EMAIL that tells us we officially have a son named W______.  I admit that I now stalk my phone for emails from our agency and my heart skips a beat every time I see a new one come in.  So far nothing exciting, but one of these days, it will be THE email from Chareyl. 

Now what really has gotten me squirming with hopefulness is that 2 other families from C4C creche have been given hopeful news from their respective adoption agencies.  One family was told that their referral is being worked on this week!!  And another C4C family was told by their agency that their referral paperwork is being completed and they should receive their referral by the end of this week!!!!!!

This looks very, very good for ALL of us families at C4C that have completed files, sitting on a desk at IBESR, merely waiting for that official approval paperwork!

My birthday is Saturday...I have reminded God that getting W's referral would be a really super duper great birthday present! ;-) ;-) ;-)

And Batman!

Guess what arrived in the mail today???

THE MASK to go with THE CAPE, as requested by our super-son.

We will definitely be taking these with us to Haiti for our Socialization Visit / Bonding Trip!

Say, how do we look? ;-)

Oh! Oh! Oh!

As I write this post, I am listening to my all time favorite testimony song, "In Christ Alone".  I am filled with deep emotion...

Dear Heavenly Father, oh Lord Jesus!
Thank you for your great abiding love for the orphan.  Your eye is on the sparrow, and HOW MUCH MORE is it on the lonely child!
Oh how You love each one of us!  My tears fall as I think of the tremendous sacrifice You made for all people...for Me!  You died and rose again to fulfill the Father's perfect plan of ADOPTION!

I became Your child at the age of 7.  I am yours still,,,forever and always.

W is 7 years old.  May he learn soon to trust in Your love.  Oh Jesus, may Eric and I be faithful and wise to faithfully live out and teach your ways to W, to Noelle, to Selah.  May they see Your  love in us and embrace YOU.

Oh friends!  The past 18 hours has brought much hopeful and encouraging adoption news!  (i will share details in the next post)  Whatever happens, I know my loving Father is lovingly caring and guiding me and my family.  My precious Jesus lives and reigns in my heart and makes me sing! :-)

Please read these lyrics...go to a quite place first...and let the words soak in and drench your spirit.  Oh! Oh! Oh!

"In Christ Alone"

…In Christ alone my hope is found
He is my light, my strength, my song
This Cornerstone, this solid ground
Firm through the fiercest drought and storm

What heights of love, what depths of peace
When fears are stilled, when strivings cease
My Comforter, my All in All
Here in the love of Christ I stand

…In Christ alone, who took on flesh
Fullness of God in helpless Babe
This gift of love and righteousness
Scorned by the ones He came to save

Til on that cross as Jesus died
The wrath of God was satisfied
For every sin on Him was laid
Here in the death of Christ I live, I live

…There in the ground His body lay
Light of the world by darkness slain
Then bursting forth in glorious Day
Up from the grave He rose again

And as He stands in victory
Sins curse has lost its grip on me
For I am His and He is mine
Bought with the precious blood of Christ

…No guilt in life, no fear in death
This is the power of Christ in me
From a lifes first cry to final breath
Jesus commands my destiny

No power of hell, no scheme of man
Could ever pluck me from His hand
Til He returns or calls me home
Here in the power of Christ I stand

To listen, click here.

It Went Great

Our social worker, Janet, came over Friday afternoon to do out official home visit for the updated home study required by USCIS for extending our immigration approval.  It was wonderful to see her. Maybe not everyone can say that about their home study social worker, but we've been doing home studies and updates and change of country and all sorts of adoption related stuff with this gal...since March 2009!  She has become a dear friend of ours, so instead of dreading the office meetings and home visits, we actually look forward to our times together.  And both Selah and Noelle act like, themselves,,,not feeling the need to be on their "best behavior", because they are so comfortable with her.  It doesn't stress me because they enjoy playing near her and chatting with her and showing off new talents, new toys, whatever.  It is very, very cool.  We all laugh as we chat, catch up on each others lives and give lots of hugs.  We are blessed to know this lady-- our social worker, our advocate, our friend. :-)

One confession:  Eric and I still clean and organize like crazy in preparation for her coming.  Yep, we sure do, although it's not because we are nervous or afraid she won't approve us.  It's because it is a great excuse (motivator) to get things done that we've been putting off!  Our house looks AWESOME, and it might still, for another 12 hours or so... ;-)

A Sweet Gift

A couple months ago one of my friends / fellow adoptive mama was in Haiti and had the opportunity to visit with our guy.  He told her to be sure to pass along that when we come, he'd like us to bring more shoes, a Batman cape and candy.

Yes, sir! ;-)

Here's the cape...we're working on the rest! <3

We Are Getting So Close!...

Eric and I have had big smiles on our faces ever since our adoption agency coordinator told us that the mayor signed W's adoption file.  Such a huge hurdle crossed!  We can now actually see ourselves going to Haiti!

I asked her what were the exact next steps for his file to be ready to be matched to us.  More specifically, did anyone else need to sign his file for it to be finito?  Our adoptive parent file (dossier) has been complete and waiting in IBESR for some time.  But W's file has to be 100% finished before he can be matched to us.

Well, we received this wonderful news from our coordinator via email this evening:

So I got an up-date for you and from what I understand everything is done on W’s case and he is approved for adoption, everything is done on your case and you are approved to adopt.  All that is left is the final approval of your family to adopt W [specifically] and then the official referral match can be made.  {yipeeeee!!}  I have asked my [Haiti] rep to check on your case whenever he is at IBESR (which is nearly daily) and see if he can find out where they are with that approval and the making of the match.  I honestly don’t think it will be too long... {eeeek!!!} Praying you get good news soon!

So what happens at THAT wondrous, momentous occasion when The Referral is ready?  Great question!  Here is how our agency coordinator explains the process:

What happens when you get your referral is this:  My rep in Haiti will be contacted and he will go to IBESR and pick up the referral packet with all the info on your son.  It will all be in French, he will scan it to me, I will email you the packet and a big congratulations saying you have your referral!  I will send the referral info to the translator so she can translate it.  I will also send all the info to our director of social work and then he will give you a call and go over all the referral information with you. You will then write a letter and sign / notarize it and say that you are ready to accept your referral.  You will scan it to me [within 10 days] and I will send it to my Haiti rep and he will take it to IBESR.  During this time you will plan your two week [socialization] trip to Haiti.  We will then send your travel dates to IBESR and W’s crèche.

People, I have been pricing flights to Haiti!!!  

Updating the 'Ole Home Study

Because the Haiti adoption process is so lengthy, our home study actually expires.  In order to keep our U.S. Immigration approval current to bring home a child from Haiti, every 18 months an extension for the I-600A has to be filed, accompanied by an updated home study.  (Note:  Fingerprints expire every 15 months - yeah, I don't get that either - and we took care of that detail last fall.)

Our deadline is February 16...that is approaching FAST!

We are tracking down lots o' documents, updating forms and letters and financials, blah blah blah, wish we didn't have to do this,,,sigh...

We are also getting the house squeaky clean (that may be an exaggeration--after all, one of our children is a curious and creative 4 year old) for our social worker's visit Friday afternoon.  Oh Janet, we love Janet.  She's ridden the *Adoption Roller Coaster* with us since January 2009.  So at least the visit will be nice.  Just pray she / we can get the home study completed before the deadline!

The Mayor Signed!

After more than 5 months of waiting, the Mayor of Kenscoff went before the Children's Judge in Port-Au-Prince this week and signed W's adoption file!!!

This is a HUGE answer to prayer!

Thank you for everyone who lifted this request up before the Lord. :-)

Now W's file returns to IBESR to be completed (tho I'm not sure exactly what remains yet to be done..??..) and our adoption can finally move forward---wooohooo!!!