We're in MOI!!

I received word from our agency today. We've been waiting to enter since January, so we are soooo relieved we are finally in the next step of our process.  Our agent is checking on the date we entered and will let us know how long we've actually been in.

This phase is "said" to take an average of 8-10 weeks.  I have a friend whose family just exited at only 7 weeks (now waiting for passorts for her daughters)!!  And another friend who exited after 12 long weeks (plus 3 more waiting for a passport)...yuck!! :(  You know which timeframe I'm praying for!!

Crunch Time!! Prayers Needed for C4C!!

This is a prayer request from Kathi, the director of Wisly's orphanange, Chances for Children.  If you've read my previous posts, you understand the crucial, time sensitive nature of this request:

It's crunch time!!!! I believe in the power of prayer. Please pray for these faces to be matched with their forever families within the next 3 days before the April 1st deadline. We have a total of 10 children that we need to PRAY home. Trusting in God, the hard work of a great team in Haiti and your prayers!

NOTE:  One of the children, F, a boy with special needs, is waiting to be officially matched to his parents. It is so important he get home to his family as soon as possible.  D & J have waited patiently for a very, very long time to be officially matched to F by IBESR...and time is almost up!!  Please pray with us for all 10 of the children who have families but need that official referral document!!!

Hope for I-600 Families Awaiting a Referral

A hopeful update from our agency:

March 23, 2016

Dear Haiti waiting families,

I am just following up with everyone after all the conference calls last week. And after myself and a couple other agencies working in Haiti were able to help put a letter together to send to DOS. It appears that DOS has changed what they had previously stated in regards to what is prior contact in the I-800 cases, they are no longer including agencies that have relationships with orphanages as prior contact. 

So for those of you that have filed the I-800A, we can still send dossier’s to Haiti and alert the orphanages we work with about each family and what age/gender the family wishes to adopt. The crèche can submit files of particular children to IBESR and make a “suggestion” that the child go to a particular family, but IBESR is solely responsible for making the matches. The agency cannot be given any prior information on the children that are being “suggested” to IBESR on their behalf, and the adoptive family are never to be given information on a child before IBESR issues the official match.

Also a little heads up on the I-600 cases, just to clarify, all I-600 families must receive an official referral/match by April 1. But as of today, you can get the referral match all the way up to April 1 and will be able to file the I-600 in Haiti up to April 29. We have also heard that the orphanage rep can file the I-600 for the family, but then the family will have to go to the embassy for their interview when they come to Haiti for their two week socialization trip. 

I am thrilled that we have gotten 7 referrals in the last few days and praying more will come before the end of the month.

Final Date to File the 1-600 in Haiti

Information our agency sent out to all Haiti Families:

March 14, 2016

Dear Haiti waiting families, 

I am sending you all the notice that I received from the US Department of State in regards to adoptions in the country of Haiti. The notice is for families who have filed the I-800A and/or the I-800 or plan to file the I-800. As we all know the final date to file the I-600 in Haiti is March 31. The department of state has started receiving I-800 applications for Haitian adoptions and they are now trying to interpret Haitian laws in regards to approving the I-800 applications, as of right now the Department of state has put all I-800 approvals on HOLD. From what we (all the agencies approved to work in Haiti) can see is DOS is making their own interpretation of the Haitian laws, those interpretations would not make it possible for any of the I-800’s being processed at this time to be approved, and would limit if not stop completely the approval of any I-800’s in the future. We believe that DOS is causing an unlawful halt of adoptions from haiti at this time (again, this is for all families that have filed the I-800a/I800 or will be required to file it).  This is an urgent situation!!

As you can see from the notice below DOS will host two conference calls this week, one is tomorrow for the Adoption service providers and one will be on Wednesday for the adoptive families. I invite everyone who might be affected by this to be on the call.

I also want you to be aware that I am working with all the adoption service providers registered to work in Haiti, and NCFA (National Council for Adoption).  We have had a conference call and have a plan in effect, we are working with an amazing adoption attorney who works with NCFA and has a lot of international adoption experience and has experience with getting congress to help with issues that involve children, she is helping us to approach/work with (fight) DOS on their current interpretation of Haitian law.  In a tiny nutshell what DOS is basically saying is that US agencies cannot have a working relationship with orphanages in Haiti, that we cannot request that referral’s come from a certain orphanage and that the orphanage cannot make suggestions to IBESR on behalf of a child to a specific family. You can read below and see some of the wording. There is actually no Haitian law that substantiates this and we have asked DOS to provide where they are getting this information and what law supports it, but we have yet to get that from DOS. We know that all referrals/matches must come from IBESR (the Haitian central authority under adoptions), that no match is official until IBESR “Makes” it, but Haitian law does support IBESR asking orphanages for suggested matches for families, they do not have to accept the suggestion, but truthfully, IBESR does not really have any other system to make matches. 

The issue that DOS is having is that they are thinking that the US ASP’s are making matches, when in fact all we as agencies are doing is suggesting to IBESR that a match/referral come from a certain crèche/orphanage, again this is just a suggestion and there is no Haitian law that would prevent it.  The crèche is then making a suggestion of a referral/match that they feel would be in the best interest of the child and be the best fit for a family. There is no way for an agency to have an adoption program in Haiti and not have a relationship with the orphanages, how would we help families to travel to Haiti and visit their child and have their socialization visit, we have to arrange this with the orphanages, this is part of the agreement that agencies signed with IBESR.

Of course there are other issues that will need to be addressed in regards to approval of the I-800, which many of you fall under, some of you may have filed the I-600A and then have now had to switch to the I-800A, and some of you may have prior knowledge of a child because of this, we have heard that DOS will process these files on a case by case basis and look at all the circumstances surrounding your case.

The attorney with NCFA who is working with all of us agencies working in Haiti, is drafting an open letter to DOS to address all the issues I have listed above (in greater detail) she will also be sending it on to Congress. I am certainly hopeful this will get some positive action from DOS.

I know that the Hague was put into place to look out for the best interest of the children through-out the world and I am hopeful that the Department of State will remember this and look out for the best interest of the children in Haiti and not cause the doors of adoption to be closed.

Those of you who have filed the I-600 in Haiti should not have any issues completing your adoption, those of you who have filed the I-600 in Haiti and are waiting for the official referral I hope will be okay to proceed under the I-600, we have not received any information from USCIS to indicate that you will not. 

Everyone that is through IBESR and just waiting to complete the rest of the adoption should not have any issues in regards to the I-600 or I-800, please just be sure to keep your fingerprints and forms up-dated.

US Dept of State, Alert:: Update on Haitian Intercountry Adoption Procedures

 From the US Department of State website:

Alert: Update on Haitian Intercountry Adoption Procedures and Important Cautionary Notes

March 10, 2016

The Department of State (Department) and the Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) wish to advise U.S. prospective adoptive parents (PAPs), adoptive parents, and adoption service providers (ASPs) of new information provided by the Haitian Central Authority, L’Institut du Bien-Etre Social et de Recherches (IBESR) during our trip to Port-au-Prince February 2-5, 2016. Discussions focused primarily on adoptions processed under the Hague Convention on the Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption (Convention), which entered into force in Haiti on April 1, 2014.

The Department and USCIS will be conducting a number of calls and meetings to exchange information regarding the areas outlined below.  Specific audiences are invited to participate in the calls. A separate invitation will be issued to interested Congressional offices.

Transition cases:  USCIS will publish additional guidance on the options available to families who qualify as a transition case but do not receive a match from IBESR or are not able to file their Form I-600 petition before the April 1, 2016, deadline.  USCIS and the Department continue to have discussions with IBESR on how these cases may proceed.  Additional guidance will be posted on the USCIS website when available.

Processing Convention adoptions:  The Department, USCIS, and IBESR clarified a number of procedural components related to processing Convention adoptions.  ASPs and PAPs are strongly encouraged to read the significantly updated guidance now available on the Department’s updated page on adopting from Haiti.  The Department and USCIS particularly wish to emphasize the following components:

New procedures:  IBESR indicated it is in the process of developing new procedures (i.e. regulations) regarding intercountry adoption case processing. The procedures may be finalized as early as March 2016 and will be implemented immediately upon finalization. The Department will update the information available on our new page on adopting from Haiti as soon as we receive a copy of the new procedures.

Cases with prior contact and/or out-of-order adoptions:  IBESR has agreed to review cases with known prior contact issues and/or out-of-order adoptions on a case by case basis.  U.S. prospective adoptive parents who filed a Form I-800A application with USCIS for Haiti, but have not yet filed their Form I-800 petition, and who are aware they have prior contact or out-of-order issues with their Convention cases, are strongly encouraged to include a Privacy Act waiver with their I-800 petition. This will authorize the U.S. Government to inform IBESR of their case. Please know that USCIS, as well as all parties involved, give utmost consideration to protecting your privacy and information at all times.

Suggested template language to give USCIS permission to provide your case information to IBESR:

I, [name of prospective adoptive parent(s)], authorize USCIS to provide my name and limited case specifics pertaining to the adoption of [name of child], to the L’Institut du Bien-Etre Social et de Recherches (IBESR) so that the above referenced Form I-800 adoption petition may be considered to proceed in accordance with the new Hague Adoption Convention procedures.  I certify under penalty of perjury that I am who I represent myself to be.

Prohibition on informal matches by orphanage directors:  Under Haiti’s 2013 adoption law, IBESR has exclusive authority to propose a match between a child and prospective adoptive parents. However, IBESR may take into consideration recommendations by orphanage directors in certain situations, such as those outlined in the Department’s updated page on adopting from Haiti. ASPs and PAPs are cautioned that IBESR is not obligated to accept or move forward with any recommendations proposed by orphanage directors.

Prohibition on informal matches by ASPs:  IBESR clarified that, as part of its authorization of ASPs, authorized ASPs are prohibited from proposing matches between children and PAPs. Any cases presented to IBESR for consideration by an ASP may not result in an official match. In addition, IBESR cautions that any pressure exerted by PAPs or their ASPs regarding such informal matches may result in a proposed match being denied.

Moving children before and after adoption:  Haitian procedures prohibit adoptive parents and ASPs from moving Haitian children out of the crèches/orphanages in which they were residing (when first presented to IBESR to be found eligible for adoption) before the completion of the intercountry adoption process. Adoptive parents and ASPs may only move children out of the orphanage once IBESR issues the exit letter at the end of the Convention adoption process, after the U.S. immigrant visa is issued.  Moving a child out of an orphanage before then may result in the denial of the exit letter.

ASP authorizations expiring in September 2016:  PAPs and ASPs are reminded that the 18 U.S. ASPs’ authorizations to operate in Haiti will expire in September 2016.  IBESR intends to issue a call for new applications in April 2016 and will authorize no more than 18 U.S. ASPs for the next two years. The Department will publish further information as it becomes available.

Quota warning:  IBESR instituted a quota on intercountry adoptions in 2014 and has indicated that the quota will be strictly enforced with Convention adoptions as of October 1, 2016. Under the quota, each U.S. ASP will be allowed to propose a maximum of one dossier/application to adopt from Haiti per month (for a non-special needs or non-relative adoption) and a maximum of 10 additional dossiers/applications to adopt from Haiti per year for families seeking to adopt relatives or children with special needs.  This means each ASP may propose a maximum of 22 dossiers/families each fiscal year.  The Department and USCIS caution PAPs who have already submitted or are planning to submit Form I-800A applications seeking to adopt from Haiti that the quota may result in delays of months or longer in dossiers/applications being submitted to IBESR.

For further information regarding this notice, please contact the Department’s Office of Children’s Issues via email at Adoption@state.gov.  For Convention case specific inquiries, please contact the U.S. Embassy Port-au-Prince Adoption Unit at PAPadoptions@state.gov or the USCIS National Benefits Center at NBC.Hague@uscis.dhs.gov.  For case specific inquiries involving transition cases, you may also contact the USCIS Field Office in Port-au-Prince at Haiti.USCIS@uscis.dhs.gov.  Please continue to monitor our website for updates on adoptions in Haiti.

8, Count Them, 8 Referrals Received for C4C!!!

This week, Chances for Children (C4C) received 8 referrals!!!  I don't know if you realize it, but this is a HUGE answer to prayer!!!

This means that within the next couple of weeks, 8 families will be traveling to Haiti to meet and bond with THEIR children!!!  This is just in the nick of time, too, as most (if not all) of these families are Pre-Hague / I-600 / Transitional families under a very tight deadline for filing paperwork in Haiti with the US Government (Embassy).  So excited this is finally happening!

I love how "God places the lonely in families"!  Let us all be in  prayer for these families (and their new children-to-be) as they make preparations for their time in country, that it may be healthy and fruitful.  I know first hand the tremendous encouragement and personal growth Wisly experienced after learning he finally had a family of his own,,,and actually meeting us and getting to know us.  Ahhh I'm just so stinkin' excited!!!

P.S.  Just learned C4C is waiting to receive 10 more referrals!!!  Wow, people, let's pray these are issued before the deadline is up in April!!!

A Surprise Visit to Haiti & Thoughts About Attachment

I have really fun news to share!  But first, a little background...

When our family first started this adoption, we thought we'd have Wisly home in a year and a half, maybe two.  Obviously that didn't happen.  As far as we know, we still haven't entered MOI, the next significant adoption step.  We are currently over three years in and realize it will likely be several more months before we are united forever.  I know that point has been mentioned a few times already on this blog.. ;-)  I hope I don't come across as whining.  I'm really not trying to.

Is this process bumpy and sometimes infuriating?  Yes.  

Is Haiti doing it's best as a country to create an open, ethical and (eventually) streamlined process to finds kids homes?  Certainly.  

Is Wisly worth every minute, every month, every year working to get him home?
Emphatically, Yes.  He is our son as surely as the two sweet girls we tuck into bed every night.

When we first started the adoption, the required 15 day socialization visit was not part of the referral process.  It was an unexpected, added expense.  Yet God provided the funds, and the visit with our boy was AMAZING.

For those of you new to the blog-- we had a little "relational assistance" ahead of time.  Even though we knew *about* Wisly before we traveled for our 2 week visit, we had never actually met.  When the creche officially matched us to him in the summer of 2013, we sent our first care package that December.  Over the next 14 months via the blessing of social media and other moms who traveled to Haiti and knew Wisly, he and I became Pen Pals of sorts.  Having those connections enabled us to feel like we knew each other before we ever met!  (Note:  Under Haiti's new adoption laws and the Hague system, adoptive parents are not allowed to interact or meet "their" kids before the 15 day bonding visit.)

After our trip, elements of the process continued to change and the process dragged on.  Eric and I acknowledged that it could be a couple more years before our boy would be home.  It was a difficult realization.

Having adopted twice previously -- our precious China and Taiwan Princesses -- we understood the important challenges of working on bonding, attachment, trust, security.  Now, with an older child, and particularly one who has lived so many years in an institutional setting, building a healthy relationship with him and providing an environment where he can heal and grow is even more pressing.  Before we even traveled home from our socialization trip, Eric and I both knew one of us would return to see him before the adoption was complete.  Seeing glimpses of his personality and true heart -- often hidden by an overly confident attitude and gruff voice -- revealed his insecurity and tremendous desire for a family.   We knew that visiting him again would bring assurance of our love and commitment as well as build bonds that would eventually transfer to an easier and healthier transition into a family.  Continuing correspondence with him has confirmed his ongoing need for us to be there with him in Haiti.

Our family HAS been incredibly blessed to visit Wisly every few months!  These visits, just like the socialization visit, were not planned at the front end of the process, nor were they expected financially.  Yet these visits have become an integral part of this adoption process.  And each time, our faithful God has made a way and provided the funds needed!  Every few months, Eric and I discussed, considered and prayed about which one of us should go.  The decision God brought us to each and every time, as a couple, is that the person Wisly needed to see was his mama.  The details are not something to share in a blog post.  You'll just have to trust us on this one. :-)  And...we trust God knows what He is doing as He puts our family together, one step at a time!

NOW BACK TO MY FUN NEWS!!

I am going back to Haiti...in May...to surprise Wisly for his 9th birthday!!

And I am bringing our 9 year old daughter Noelle to meet him!!  She is over the moon!

It keeps getting better-- A friend of mine (a fellow pastor's wife) and her teenage daughter are going with us!!  Their first time in Haiti!

And more good news-- Through the recent donations from a couple friends from church and some family members, our trip is nearly paid for!!  Isn't that crazy-awesome?!  

When you least suspect it, God surprises you with a tremendous gift and uses His people to do it!! (Thank you DEAR friends...we can never thank you enough <3 )

Wisly, Summer 2013

Wisly, Summer 2013

Well, this has been a long post.  So I'll quit now and give you more details as the trip gets closer.  Thank you for reading.  And as always, thank you for your prayers.  TTFN ~Jennifer

Phase 4 Adoption CO$T$

People frequently ask Eric and me what they can do to help bring Wisly home.  You have no idea HOW MUCH that blesses us -- to know you think about our family, our son, to know you CARE.

#1 is always PRAYER.  This is such a long and difficult process, much more than we had anticipated (and we expected it to be long and hard!), lifting us up before the Lord has no substitute.  It is a precious gift.

#2 is VOLUNTEER.  We held several fundraisers early in our adoption...then we had a long season of pretty much nothing happening.  Now, it looks like Wisly will actually finally be home sometime this year, for real (Lord Jesus, may it be so!).  So, we could really use lots of people to help us help us fund-raise.  We have a teeny amount left---only about $13,000.  eek! ;-)

Whether that be hosting:  an Auction (at your church or online--do you know local businesses that would donate goods or services?), Bake Sale, Women's Self Defense Seminar (remember, Eric and I teach these regularly), Benefit Concert (do you know a vocal or instrumental group who would donate their talents?), Garage Sale, Car Wash (kids and teens--this one's for you!), Craft Sale (has God given you a talent for sewing, jewelry making or crafting and you'd be willing to share your profits?) or any other creative, clever means to spread God's message of adoption and help us bring home the newest Johnson--we would humbly welcome your participation! :-)  If you would like to host a fundraiser for us, please post a comment here or shoot me an email: eric (dot) jennifer (dot) noelle (at) gmail (dot) com.

#3 is GIVE.  Some of you may not have the freedom of time, or may not physically have the strength to bake, move tables for an event, etc., but maybe God has blessed you financially and blessed you with a heart of generosity.  If God is laying an amount on your heart, please know that He will bless YOU abundantly and above what you could possibly ask or think!

Dear Ones...God, in His gracious loving-kindness, provided all the monies needed to complete Phases 1-3!  He used many of YOU to bring us this far, and our family is so very, very grateful.  We are in the final phase, Phase 4.  We know God will complete what he started and provide the means to bring our son home from Haiti.  We can't wait to testify once again about the many ways in which He has provided!!

Here is the breakdown of our expenses from here on out:

$3200   Final Agency Fee (due now)

$6500   Final Creche Fee (due when we exit MOI)

$700*   Miscellaneous Government Fees (Visa, Visa medical exam, immigration documents, etc.)

$1200* Two Round Trip Tickets for my husband and me

$1000* In-Country Expenses (transportation, guest house, meals, etc.)

$400*   Wisly's Plane Ticket home
_________________________

TOTAL $13,000  (*best cost estimate)

VIDEO: The Grover Family's Adoption Story

This 25 minute documentary from November 2015 tells the story of the Grover Family and their four international adoptions.  They have faced many ups and downs in their journey to build their family. 

When this video was first posted, they were still waiting to bring home their two sons from the DRC, having started that adoption process in December 2012.   HOWEVER, last week, their two boys came HOME -- praise God!!

We were recently asked to share our adoption stories to help others who have been, or would like to be, blessed by adoption. Here is the documentary that was created. Let me know if you want the long version.... ;-) (Oh...and hit HD on the video or it will be blurry.)
Posted by Jennifer Murrow Grover on Tuesday, November 17, 2015

Pen Pals

Sometimes I feel like Wisly and I are pen pals!  Well, not in the traditional sense, but definitely via the blessing of social media!

Last week we had the very unexpected surprise to hear Wisly's voice--live!  I was working in the kitchen when I heard an odd alert eminating from my phone.  When I finally located the sound, I discovered I was getting a voice call via Facebook messenger.  A dear individual visiting at the crèche called me with Wisly!

Now the connection was really rough and most of the conversation was "Can you hear me now??" but nonetheless precious.  Wisly tried to tell me about his day at school, but I didn't catch much.  One thing I DID hear was, "Mom, I MISS you!"

Oh, sweetie, mama feels exactly the same way.

Then today on Facebook, the director of the crèche who is currently in Haiti with a miasion team responded to a picture of our boy that I posted ony timeline.  She wrote, "That boy tells everyone who will listen all about his family in Tennessee. Today he told EVERY single person on the team all about you. So sweet."

Ahhhh.  Love him.

Thank you, Lord, for these precious gifts of connection.

New Passports Received FAST!

Guess what arrived in the mail today?!  Our new passports!  It took exactly 3 weeks.  That was FAST!  Thank you, Lord!  They are so pretty and patriotic looking inside, much more decorative than our original passports.  I am disappointed in one thing-- I thought they would return our old passports so we would have our visas and entry/exit stamps from all the places we traveled.  Nope.  Kinda bummed about that...  Wonder if we could still try to get those or or if old passports get destroyed.  Hmmm.  Anyone know?

{Good News:  I found out that we WILL get our original passports back.  They just get mailed out separately a bit later on.  That makes me happy. :-)}