Our Wisly is Coming HOME!!!!!

PEOPLE!!!

SO MUCH has happened over the last 30 hours.  Our adoption has been a rollercoaster right from the start, so why should the end be any different?? lol  But in the end, God worked out all the details.  He always finishes what He starts!  Amen and Amen.

➡ WISLY IS COMING HOME!!!

His visa has been issued, the exit letter from IBESR is in the works, and plane tickets are purchased.  Eric and I will leave on Monday afternoon September 5th and stay the night in Fort Lauderdale.  Tuesday morning we will fly into Haiti!!  We will meet the crèche representative and head right to the Embassy to pick up Wisly's passport/visa and *The Sealed Envelope* (a packet with important documents that will give Wisly US citizenship) that gets delivered to the Immigration officers back in the States upon arrival home.

After taking care of final details in Port-Au-Prince, we will head up the mountain to the Chances for Children crèche in Kenscoff to hug and kiss Wisly!!!  That evening we will host a Goodbye Party with all the kids at the crèche, spend the night together at the guesthouse, and leave for the airport Wednesday morning to fly home to Tennessee, arriving back home and to our sweet daughters later that night. ✈✈✈

Hallelujah Praise the Lord!!!  What a crazy but blessed day it has been.  And now we are exhausted.  Gonna try to get some shut eye.😴

Medical Reports, Visas and Exit Letters...Oh My!

This will be a biiiiig week.

Today, a Chances for Children representative is supposed to be delivering Wisly's sealed medical report to the Visa Department at the US Embassy.  Assuming he is healthy and has an all clear (TB is always a concern or any other communicable diseases), this should complete our adoption case with Immigrations.  Woot woot!

IF the report is delivered this morning, there is a very good chance his visa will be issued TODAY.  If the report is delivered this afternoon, we are probably looking at his visa being issued on Tuesday.

Just as soon as we receive the official email from Immigrations that includes the scan of Wisly's visa on his passport, we will immediately forward it to our adoption agency, who will then forward it to Chances for Children.  Then Chances for Children will apply for Wisly's Exit Letter from IBESR (Haiti Social Services).  That letter is THE FINAL document required for us to be FINISHED with Wisly's adoption and allows us to take him out of Haiti and bring him to the United States.

I've heard very conflicting reports on how quickly the exit letter can be ready.  It is that little piece of paper that will determine whether we travel THIS week to pick up Wisly, or NEXT week.

I'm on pins and needles!  Praying that his visa is printed today, early enough for the exit letter to be applied for, today!!  Eeek!!

It Finally Happened...WE ARE GOING TO GET OUR SON!!!

I am SO excited, but sooo tired, a bit overwhelmed, and fighting off a headache... BUT here's the scoop!!

Friday morning, at the advice of our adoption agency, I sent a polite lil "checking in" email to USCIS regarding our case.  A week had passed since we heard we were approved.  It just wasn't official yet.

We didn't hear back from them all day.  At about 3:25pm, at the urging of a few fellow Haiti adoptive parents who were already home with their kiddos, I called K, the gentleman at the US Embassy who schedules the visa appointments.  Several people had expressed how kind and helpful he was.  Even though he is in the visa department and not USCIS specifically, the general consensus was that he could probably find out what was going on.  I didn't catch him but did leave a voicemail explaining our situation.

Then this morning, about 30 minutes before the Embassy opens for business, I decided to send K a warm and friendly follow-up email.  Less than an hour later he responded with an equally warm email.  He told me that, unfortunately, our case file had not yet been transferred to his department.  He did express his desire to be as helpful as possible when he received our file.  I was kinda bummed but appreciative to get such a quick response.

Then I noticed that he copied the USCIS staff on his email.  "Oh good!  Maybe that will spur them on!"

Well...it DID.  

A half hour or so later we received our Official Approval Email!!! 

What a relief!  We knew it was coming, but we were stuck until we got it.  

Now to wait for the Visa Appointment email...  

They say to give their office up to 3 days to schedule an appointment, but it is usually quicker than that, often the next day.

Wellllll...

Only about 40 minutes later...

WE RECEIVED THE VISA EMAIL!!!

AND WISLY'S VISA APPOINTMENT IS THIS THURSDAY, August 25th!!!!!!!

WE GO GET OUR SON NEXT WEEK!!!!!! 

I still can hardly believe it.  God must be smiling, 'cuz even though the wait was loooong and the road was bumpy, He sure made it real exciting, real fast, right here at the end. 

Praise His Holy Name.  God Did It. !!!!!!!! ✝✝✝

We've Been Approved!!! Hallelujah!!!

👆✝ PRAISE REPORT ✝👆

Last week I requested prayer for the extremely important immigration meeting taking place in Haiti.  Many people shared that they were committed to praying with us.  We even had some who fasted with us.

The meeting was Tuesday morning and afterwards the adoption rep who had been interviewed messaged me to say he felt it went well.  My husband and I just knew God was at work.  We had so very many people from all over lifting up this situation to God.

I didn't hear anything all week, so by Friday around midday, I decided to email the US Embassy there in Haiti to see how the meeting went.  Within about 30 minutes they replied.  The email was brief and stated the scheduled meeting had occurred sucessfully.  Oh and by the way "Your case was approved."

HALLELUJAH!!!  I figured we'd have to wait several more days (or longer) to receive an update, but WOW.  This means our son has finally, after a very long wait, been APPROVED to get his VISA APPOINTMENT so he can come home to the United States!!!!!

We will get another email this week from US Immigration (the 'official' approval email) explaining the final steps of the process.  Shortly after that (usually 1-2 days later) we will receive an email from the Visa Department at the embassy, telling us when our son's visa appointment is.  Then we can buy PLANE TICKETS!!!  We will most likely plan to arrive in Haiti a day or two after the visa appointment.  That's usually how long it takes to have the visa printed and the IBESR (Haiti Social Services) exit letter ready to be picked up.  Then home to the US!

Friends, it is possible that we could be traveling to Haiti at the end of August!!! 😂 Praise God from Whom ALL blessings flow!!!  He did it!!!

Thanks again for praying.  God heard our prayers. ✝👆✝👆✝

NEWS!

This is what I posted Tuesday afternoon on my Facebook page.  Sorry for not updating sooner, but Tuesday I was extremely exhausted and crashed early evening, from the excitement of the day and having not slept all night Monday night (nervous tension/anticipation).  Then last night at church, our youngest broke her elbow and the night was spent at the children's hospital.  More on that later.

We like to keep things hopping around our household! 

* * * NEWS * * *
A short while ago our representative from the crèche sent me a message about "The Meeting" this morning at USCIS (US Immigration in Haiti).  He said that he feels that the meeting went well.  And he thinks they will approve us!!!  Praise the Lord!!!

Thank you all SO very much for praying!!! 😘😆😄

But please keep praying a while longer that they DO approve us!  I was hoping we would hear from USCIS immediately...but it may be later this week.

If (((...I mean WHEN))) they do approve us, Wisly will get his VISA appointment and should be home very soon!!! 😂😂😂

Don't stop praying! Keep on keeping on! We are close!  Answer-to-Prayer-Part-Two is coming...

Thank you, JESUS!!!  God is SO very good!!! ✝✝✝👆👆👆

PRAYER WARRIORS: Tuesday August 9th @ 11am

Today we received an email response from USCIS {see photo on left}. Our adoption agency thinks it sounds positive.  Eric and I are hoping that the interview is simply a run-of-the mill procedure before they issue us I-600 approval.  In my mind, everything has seemed so very serious because USICS has provided little information as to what is happening with our case.  Combine that with all the adoptive families I have lately seen languish for months in the last stage of their adoption process, and my thoughs kinda ran away...

Interestingly enough, I did reread the USCIS emails from the past couple of weeks and noticed something I missed.  They said the meeting with our rep is regarding the I-604 form.  Don't know how I missed this!  Of course I googled it.  Seems like it is something USCIS fills out with every non-Hague adoption case before issuing I-600 approval (then child is assigned a visa appointment).  If this is the case, it very well could be something simple, and we could possibly receive approval within a few days or weeks after the August 9th meeting.

Friends and Prayer Warriors, could you do Wisly and our family a tremendous favor, and pray (or Fast & Pray, as Eric and I will be doing) before, during and after this important meeting.  IF all of their questions are answered to their satisfaction, we could finally be at the end of this journey to bring our son home!!  We are praying for WISDOM for our creche rep as he answers questions, for COMPASSION for Wisly and his need to be home with his adoptive family, and FAVOR for our family and our adoption case.  God bless you all!!

This building is the US Embassy in Port-Au-Prince.  This is where our rep will be having his meeting Tuesday morning, and where Wisly's visa appointment will eventually be held.