Big Changes in the Haiti Adoption Process??

As you know, our family is currently waiting for IBESR to re-match us to W and invite us to Haiti for our 2 Week Bonding Visit.  This morning I read a post from Layla, another adoptive mama who isn't too far ahead of our family in their Haiti adoption process.  They have already been issued their official match and have signed the paperwork to adopt a toddler boy (February?).  However, they are still waiting for the invitation to travel to meet their future son.  Their adoption agency has been trying to learn the cause of this hold up.

Today we learn the reason...and it is posted on Layla's blog.  Big Changes are (possibly) being made in the adoption process.  The long, multi-phased court process called Parquet is (maybe) morphing into something quite different...and could potentially, hopefully, speed up the adoption process!!  Apparently a new judge is being hired, just to process Adoption Cases... Read the full story HERE.

This is VERY INTERESTING.  As of now, this story is coming out of only one adoption agency, so I'll be listening for what other agencies report as they receive information from their contacts in Haiti.  Our agency isn't able to confirm this information yet but is keeping their ear to the ground.  I will definitely left you all know when or if we receive confirmation that this change has been made official...

And as always, friends, please pray for W and all the orphans in Haiti waiting for a forever family.  And pray for the Haitian Officials who are working to improve the entire adoption process--bless them!

W's March UPDATE!

Eric and I are always thrilled and blessed to receive the bi-monthly report on W.  We received a new pic of him missing nearly all his front teeth (top and bottom)...so cute!  And here is a recent pic of most of the kiddos currently living at the creche.

Here are the highlights of his March Update:

W has gotten so mature in the last few months. He is the greatest little guy - always sweet and helpful to the staff and to his friends. He LOVES to play outside and is always the one to ask – can we go outside and play now? He isn’t quite old enough to play football {I translate "soccer" here} in the fierce weekend games with the older boys, but he tries any chance he can. He usually picks up a game with the boys in his age range, although this is not his preference. 

He loves to sing and is one of the most focused choir members. {Did I ever mention that I'm a choir girl through and through, worship leader at my church, have a college degree in music education and taught music for many years?... :-)}  He takes his responsibilities seriously, whether that is singing in the choir, making his bed, or doing his school work. He is a great young boy and asks frequently about his adoptive mom and when she will come to visit him. He knows her name and always asks “when will my mama Jennifer come to see me” in his perfect little English. {I'm not embarrassed to say I immediately bawled when I read this line.  I keep repeating that line over and over in my half-formed heart (half-formed because one of my children is far from home!) to sustain me.} 

We finally received W's birth certificate! {Big answer to prayer!  This has been many months in coming!}  His dossier {adoption file} is near completion and will be submitted to IBESR soon. We are not sure how long it will be before IBESR will contact us regarding the Johnson’s socialization visit {this is the required 2 week visit we are simply aching to go on!}. The attorney will check in regularly.

Okay peeps.  Let's keep praying for godly protection over this adoption process/all the paperwork and for favor with IBESR and all the decision makers!!

***p.s. i do have an email in to our adoption coordinator to get some clarification about our process.  if i receive anything newsworthy, i will update this post. :)

Feeling Hopeful (An Update...sorta)

December was the last time we received any news about our adoption case.  December 3^rd our dossier (our adoption file) was logged in to IBESR to begin the review process.  Remember, that is Haiti’s department of Social Services.  We and our agency were hopeful that the review would go relatively quickly—hopeful that Eric and I would travel to our crèche to meet our future son for the first time before the end of Winter.  It was not to be.  With new adoption procedures going into effect, Haiti joining the Hague convention, and several Haitian holidays along the way, the review process seems to have really slowed down.

I have to be honest and say that this period of waiting has gotten quite difficult for me.  Since early December, when W received our care package, saw our faces in the photos and heard our voices in the Hallmark book, this adoption became so REAL.  Suddenly there was a concrete connection between our future son and us.  I feel like he is part of our family already.  I think about him so frequently.  When I’m shopping for the family—I wonder if W would like this cereal, or this toy, or this game.  I think about him as we eat around the table and as we do family activities.  It feels like he should be there.  And of course, we pray for him every day, throughout the day.  The girls have the sweetest prayers for him and this process each night!  Some days I have cried; other days I have wanted to stay under the covers and not leave the house.  It hurts that a member of my family is growing up in another country, far from me. 

The good news is...I am SO encouraged and glad to report...our adoption agency representative is in Haiti, right now!  She is scheduled to meet with the directors of all 4 crèches our agency works with in Haiti.  When she is at W’s crèche, she will be getting an update on the status of our adoption process.  We are hoping and praying there will be some concrete information for us in this meeting.  It would be wonderful to know exactly at what stage of the process we are in. 

Our agency rep will also be meeting with someone at IBESR to discuss how the new procedures and the Hague policies will affect her adoption cases in progress.  This is very good.  Eric and I are praying that the meeting will happen (seriously praying), and that she will be given accurate and complete answers to all of her questions.  The Haiti adoption program is so in flux right now, disseminated information about the process to seems to change almost weekly, sometime daily! 

Our family is praying very intentionally each day for our rep’s time in Haiti.  We are praying for her safety, for her to connect with all the people she hopes/needs to see, for her to receive all the information she needs and then some…for her week in Haiti to be very fruitful!  Friends, will you join us in praying?  She returns Tuesday, so please pray with us over the next few days. 

This whole process is soooo difficult for the waiting children. These precious kids should not have to needlessly wait for a family.  Officials in the U.S. and Haiti involved with adoptions should be working hardest on these cases, trying to unite kids with families!  Unfortunately the World’s values are not the same as our Heavenly Father’s values.  Orphans are typically not high on the priority list of governments, politicians and bureaucrats.  Orphans are very high on God’s list of priorities!

So let us fight

Let us advocate

Let us pray for these precious children to be united with loving forever families!
----> Sooner rather than later <----

Congratulations to Haiti!!

It was announced today that the U.S. Government determined that Haiti has met all requirements necessary to join the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption.  Yay!!  It is reported that Haiti is an example to all developing countries hoping to implement Hague.  And....adoptions in progress will continue uninterrupted!!  Thank you, Lord!!

This is a wonderful answer to prayer for SO MANY.  We praise God that children needing families will not have to wait even longer.

Do please continue to pray, however, that the Haitian adoption process will quickly be streamlined so more children can have permanent families much sooner.  The process is too long.  It just is.  That's the current state of affairs with most international adoption programs across the world.  God's plan for children is not for them to grow up in orphanages, without a future, a hope, a family.  He is looking for willing-hearted people to step up and say, "Yes, I will!"

For those who are willing, please join us in praying for God to move the mountains of governments and politicians, that decisions would be made to greatly increase the efficiency and decrease the cost of international adoptions...and that godly people all over would would raise their hands to become parents to these precious little ones.

Read the good news story here.

Orphan - New Music Video by John Waller

John Waller, a Christian recording artist just a couple hours from us in Atlanta, GA has just released a brand new song called "Orphan".  Eric and I watched the video this morning and both bawled.. ;-)  It is definitely worth your time.  Check it out HERE.

An interesting side note-- John and his wife recently adopted a sister and brother from the Ukraine.  Such a neat story!  You can listen to their story HERE.

Now go watch and be blessed!

W's January Update...plus pics!

We were thrilled to receive our bi-monthly update from W's creche today.  Our agency coordinator is so awesome--she never waits until Monday to send it, but emails it to us as soon as she gets it!

W's Update:

W has such a big personality that is shining brighter every day! W is really self-sufficient and knows how to entertain himself when others aren't there to keep him busy. He loves to draw and is getting better at it every day. His favorite things to draw are cars and big trucks, or sunglasses. His pictures are always for his mom. His face lights up every time he talks about his family.  {Oh, my happy heart!}  He is very independent and not easily influenced by others. He really seems to stand strong for himself and makes decisions independent of what others want from him. {You go, boy!}  However, he does like to make others smile and is very silly with his friends. He can be very shy at first when meeting strangers but warms up very quickly. W is so smart and focused in everything he does. He is cooperative and is learning to follow the rules very well. He can be demanding at times with people he is comfortable with, but is usually very cooperative and patient. W is so excited about having a family who loves him.  {Yay!!}

Aren't these photos amazing?!  Well, okay, you can't actually see his face, but trust me, he looks amazing!

And another SUPER HAPPY bit of news to share with you--  We have some friends that are also adopting from W's creche and they were kind enough to take photos and a video of him this week!!  The video is of him saying Hi to his mama (me!) and saying he misses me and can't wait to meet me.

(insert big cheesy grin here)

Also, my girlfriend used her iPad to show him some pics of me on facebook.  As soon as he saw my face, he started dancing around and saying, "My mom!"

Oh goodness.  Too much.  Can I buy a plane ticket NOW and be in Haiti by morning??!

Happy Adoption Update! {here's how things work}

We received some hopeful news from our agency coordinator this week.  I wanted to share! :)

I've discussed here on the blog that as a pioneer family in Haiti's new adoption process, we have to expect the unexpected.  Eric and I certainly aren't novices to the world of international adoption, but I can say I am very relieved this isn't our first adoption.  This process is nerve wracking!  Praise God, we know Who to trust!

Haitian officials and creches and adoption agencies are all slowly walking out the new procedures with families.  The process is gradually unfolding.  I'd describe it as walking a rickety footbridge with the next wooden plank appearing only after your foot is raised for your next step!

Mario Valenzuela

And then comes the news earlier this month-- Haiti has joined the Hague Intercountry Adoption Convention.  (What is the Hague?  Read here for the details.)  This was expected but no one knew exactly when it would occur.  I have to admit that this news has concerned me (and other adoptive families I know).  In the past, countries have been shut down to international adoption due to failure to correctly implement Hague procedures.  This would be devastating for children and families on so many levels.

"Haiti has deposited their instrument of ratification to the Hague Permanent Bureau as of December 16, 2013, joining the 1993 Hague Intercountry Adoption Convention. The Convention will go into force for Haiti on April 1, 2014, provided the Bureau approves.  The deposit means that following April 1, 2014, adoptions from Haiti must be Hague compliant."  Read more HERE 

To break it down, the U.S. State Department is now preparing to fully evaluate Haiti's adoption procedures to see if they are in full compliance with Hague standards.  In fact, next week representatives from the State Department will travel to Haiti to meet with IBESR officials to begin the evaluation process.  On April 1, 2014, the State Department will announce Haiti's Hague status to the public.  Eric and I and many others are praying that the news will be positive and that there will be no interruptions in Haitian adoptions.  Read more HERE 

Now here's where the happy, hopeful news comes in. :)

I had been debating for several days whether or not to email our adoption coordinator to ask about how this Hague process may affect the progress of our adoption.  The thought of things being put on hold in our journey to W while waiting for 2 nations work out their "issues" is just awful!  Then on Wednesday I received an email from our agency coordinator written to all of her Haiti families.  My heart began to race.  Would this be good news or bad??

Here are a few portions of that email.  My comments are in red.

"Dear Haiti Waiting families,

As you all know the Haitian government submitted their instrument to the Hague in December 2013, and on April 1, 2014 Haiti will be officially a Hague country operating under the Hague convention.  Let me share with you what I know for today and hopefully it will help you with your questions and how we are planning on moving forward.

Right now the US government (USCIS/DOS) will review Haiti’s implementation of the Hague to determine if they are in compliance. Haiti has worked hard over the last couple of years to put everything in place that needed to be done to be compliant, things like; licensing foreign agencies to work in their country, forming and approving new adoption laws that provided for international adoption, and naming a central authority, just to name a few. Haiti is already operating under all these new laws and regulations so hopefully once the US government does their review they will find that Haiti is in compliance and adoptions will continue between US citizens and Haitian born children.

One of the biggest changes to adoption in Haiti is that The Hague does not allow for pre-identified children to be placed for adoption unless it is a relative adoption.  

This is where I got a bit nervous.  Our adoption for W is a pre-identified case.  

There should be no contact with a child prior to being approved by the US government, and a family cannot meet with or have contact with a biological parent/family.

Whew!  Ok, we're good.  We've only "met" our guy via videos and photos and stories from other families who know him.

The US government will give their guidelines and suggest that Haiti honor all cases in process, and we are hopeful that they will, but in the meantime, I will be working closely with the crèches in Haiti so that we get our pre-identified cases into IBESR before March 31. 

We are already in the IBESR review process, as of December 3rd.

I want to note here that members of USCIS and DOS (i.e. U.S. Immigration and U.S. Department of State) will be traveling to Haiti sometime in the next couple of weeks and meeting with government officials and IBESR and going over the current laws and the implementation of the Hague.  They will discuss grandfathering cases on this trip, along with many other things in conjunction with moving ahead with international adoptions under the Hague regulations.

Lastly, I think it is important for everyone to be aware and be prepared that from this point forward the two week visit trip will be required.  Once your case is approved with IBESR and you are officially matched with a child, you will be required to travel to Haiti for the two week visit trip. 

Our family is waiting and praying, and praying and waiting to hear that we've been approved with IBESR!

A social worker will observe you with your child/children  {eeek!}  and make a report that is submitted to IBESR as the final portion of the matching process.  {Ohhhh I hope that last part is fast!}  We do not have word as to how IBESR is monitoring these trips, but from this point forward we know that it is a requirement. 

We are hopeful that we will be able to travel to Haiti before the winter ends!  This is our continual prayer. :)

I just want to end by saying that I am very optimistic that Haiti is Hague ready and that they will be able to continue processing adoptions after March 31, 2014. There should only be a few changes to the process at this point, as many have already been made and we have been able to work through them. I am planning on forging ahead with a positive attitude!"

Yay!!  This is very good news!!  Thank you SO much for this encouraging and informative email. :)

I felt SO much better after reading her email.  But I did have one more very pertinent question:  How would this affect adoptions currently in IBESR (like ours)?  Will IBESR halt with processing cases currently the system until Haiti is Hague approved?  Gulp... 

I shot our coordinator a quick email and she responded very quickly:

Good question Jennifer and the answer is they will in fact try to process as many as possible!

Hallelujah!  That sounds really, really hopeful.  

"...process as many {cases, like ours} as possible {before the March 31st deadline}!"  

Like maybe we receive our approval soon and actually travel to Haiti before the end of March to meet W!?!  Oh my heart...  

Our dear friends, if you've made it to the end of this post, Bless you, you are awesome!  I know my posts tend to be long.  (My sweet hubs agrees with this--ha!)  There are just so many thoughts swirling around in my head and heart. ;)

I do ask one thing:  Will you please pray continually with us for W and this whole adoption process? 

Thank you all! 

image from poweryourparenting.com

Two Days & Three Little Lives

Warning:  this post is emotional.

My heart is full today as I reflect upon the lives of 3 precious children and their families.  It is full with the mixed emotions of love and happiness, concern and sadness.  Each one of these little lives is in the midst of huge change in their world.  I've been talking with God, both thanking and praising Him, and imploring Him to intervene.

...I am thinking about the toddler girl in Haiti who is meeting our friends, her future adoptive parents.
...I am thinking of the 7 year old Taiwanese girl now living in America with her forever family, the girl who was almost our own.
...I am thinking of the heartbroken 9 year old boy and his dad, who may be losing each other.

One of these situations brings great joy!  One a mixture of happiness and concern.  And the other brings sadness with a little "dare we hope" mixed in.

The toddler girl in Haiti...is experiencing a first time visit with her future family. Friends of ours are spending two weeks in Haiti, interacting daily with their future daughter.  This is referred to as the Socialization Visit.  This trip is brand new to the Haiti adoption process, and our friends are one of the very first families required to attend this period of "observed bonding".  Our sweet friends have loved and prayed for this girl for many months, yet this is her first experience with them-- like an arranged marriage where only one party knows anything about the other.  And the sticking point is that a complete stranger, a Haitian government social worker, is meeting with our friends and their future child to observe them bond.

Umm not awkward at all.  Not a bit emotionally demanding, intimidating, exhausting or confusing (for both child and parents).  No big deal, because it's not like heads and hearts are full of emotions trying to grasp the enormity of the situation.  And besides, it's not like the social worker will be writing a report whether or not to recommend the couple to become parents to this little girl or not.  Ugg.  Double ugg.  Oh how I feel for my friends!  (psst! this is what we will be doing with W, hopefully before the end of winter)

Adoption is an amazing, beautiful thing.  It is God's idea, in fact.  But adoption is also borne from pain and loss.  Something awful happened in a child's life to create the need for her to be adopted.  Therefore, creating a healthy bond takes time.  Building true attachment takes even more time.  Hurts don't heal overnight and trust develops with time after time, after time, after time, etc.  So now imagine trying to start this journey of connecting with your future child..with an audience.

I say all of this to ask for prayer for my friends.  Please pray for God to strengthen and sustain them, to give them wisdom and peace.  Please pray for this sweet toddler as she tries to comprehend who these people are and why they have entered her life.  Pray that the seeds of trust and love would be planted deep within her heart...so that one day when my friends return for their daughter, she will be ready to start the forever family journey with them.  God chose this little girl for their family a year ago (no, before time began), and I believe that He is working out all the details.  He is creating beauty from ashes!

About the 7 year old Taiwanese girl I mentioned... I found out yesterday that she finally got her forever family a few months ago.  Before that she was being raised in a home for HIV and AIDS patients.  Beautiful, smart, funny, sweet little girl, longing for a family...long overlooked due to her diagnosis of HIV+.  Why is this little girl significant?  She is significant because our family almost adopted her.

Yes, in 2012 "Jane" almost became a Johnson.  She would have practically been Noelle's twin, as their birthdays are only 3 days apart, and their size and physical features are also similar.  A Taiwanese friend and orphan care/adoption advocate contacted us in early 2012 to tell us about a little girl that lived in the care center where she worked.  She dearly loved (loves!) "Jane" and wanted to know if we would be interested in adopting her.  Loooooong story short, we did end up starting the process to adopt her.  We told very few family members and friends, as we hoped to get further into the process before we shared the news.  We were also debating how to share her HIV+ status with people.  We had educated and prepared ourselves for raising a child with HIV, but were aware that this reality could be difficult for some to understand or accept.

Note:  HIV is actually a chronic condition rather than a dreaded disease.  It is very manageable condition that is treated with daily medications.  People who properly manage their condition live long, full and healthy lives,,,AND it is essentially impossible to pass the disease along to others even in close family interactions.

About 4 months into praying and hoping and saving and staring at her photo, we had to come to the recognition that God was calling us in another direction.  It was sad and disappointing for us to pull out of the adoption (yes, there were tears), but we knew God was working out a bigger plan both for her and for our family.

So...yesterday I was thrilled that our friend in Taiwan contacted me to say that "Jane" is home with a forever family in the U.S., is happy and doing extremely well.  I got to see some photos with her and her 3 brothers--so cute!  And ok, I cried some, but happy tears this time.  Even better, she was evaluated by doctors here in the States and was recently determined that she does not have HIV!  Well, Hallelujah and Glory to Jesus!!

As for the 9 year old boy...  G.  G is the 9 year old son a friend of mine named B.  Well, truly, B started out as a coffee customer of mine about 3 1/2 years ago (at my previous part time coffee shop "gig" and now at my current "gig") but "regular customer" quickly turned into "friend" for me and another Christian co-worker.  The story is that B has pretty much raised G since babyhood.  G's mother is quite familiar with the "inner" workings of the criminal justice system, and B was the bail bondsman on her case.  Here's the catch-- G is not B's son.  B saw a messed up mama and a needy baby and stepped in.  These fellas are truly father and son, as much as I am mother to my daughters.  B has been the loving, stable person in this boy's life, all his life.  He has been fighting for custody for years, as G's bio mom runs from trouble to trouble, in and out of jail.  Last year, her poor life choices finally caught up with her...she is going to federal prison for several years.  B thought that now, surely now, he would be granted custody of this boy.  He had gotten his life right (doing his best to walk with Jesus) a year or so ago.  G was doing so well with him during their part time living arrangements.  The few family members left in bio mom's life had shown a complete lack of interest in G.  Being granted permanent custody seemed like a no-brainer.

The official custody hearing was this morning.

When B walked into the coffee shop, he looked like a beaten man.  I was making a drink at the espresso machine at that moment, so all I could say was, "What?..  What?.."  B couldn't speak.  He merely repeatedly shook his head.  I could not believe it!  Talk about messed up, unjust, wrong decision by the judge!

Some time later I was able to speak with B.  He said that G was in custody of the state and would presumably enter the foster care system.  One word for these fellas, my little friend and my grown up friend--heartbreak.

OK bloggy friends...Eric and I have prayed with B for many months about this situation and are praying even more now.  Will you join me?  I know God cares about G and B and their future!  Let us pray that true justice will win for this boy who needs a family, and this man, who loves Jesus, and wants to be that family!

I told you this post was an emotional one.  I'm sorry if I've been a downer here at the end (lots of other things to praise God for, tho!).  I just want to get ya'll involved in praying for these 3 situations.  Thank you.  Love you guys!  ~Jennifer

Haiti Themed Necklaces

This summer I discovered the love of jewelry making-- necklaces/pendants, bracelets and earrings.  It has been a wonderful creative outlet for me!  I am also blessed to say that I have sold several pieces and continue to have custom orders.  And interest in my jewelry continues to grow!  It seems I may have the start of a good Adoption Fundraiser to help bring our son home from Haiti.  {Thank you, Jesus!}

This is a sampling of my Haiti-themed necklaces, using several different techniques and components. 

Designed and Handmade by Jennifer

Please visit our FaceBook page and click on "photos" to see a few other styles.  I also have many more designs on my personal page.  If you are interested in making a purchase or have a custom request, please post a comment here and I will contact you privately. :)

W's First Care Package

This is one of several very sweet photos we received of W with his care package

In early December, a group of adoptive parents traveled to the Chances for Children (C4C) creche in Haiti to visit their children.  As my hubby and I were unable to go, we asked another C4C adoptive mama who was going on the trip to take down our first care package and some creche donations with her on the trip.  She actually lives in the same city as us, so it worked out great!  We were so excited and greatly anticipated the news of his response.  This would be the first time he would see our faces and learn about his future family!

We included several small gifts, including a local t-shirt and a very special Christmas book.  It's one of those Hallmark books that records your voice reading the story.  Eric and I and our girls all got involved in reading the story.  We also introduced ourselves in the beginning and sang "Jesus Loves Me" at the end.  We have received two videos of him singing "Jesus Loves Me", so we thought this would be the perfect song for him to have in his book.

We were later thrilled to hear about his response to our package and the big news of a forever family. Our local friend who delivered the care package and another adoptive friend (who lives in the same state, only a couple hours away) took W aside to a quiet place to present him with the package.  One sat with him and explained each item and the photos.  The other took photos of his response.  He was quite shy at first--I can only imagine!  What huge news for a child who has always been an orphan to suddenly see the faces of the people who will become his FAMILY!  He did seem to love the gifts and was so proud to have photos of us and his two sisters, his future kitty cats and his house.  He hurried off to show all his friends, and he showed anyone who would look, the pictures of his new family!  We are told that he made sure, however, to keep a careful hold on them when people looked. :)  The book also turned out to be a huge hit...with all the kiddos at the creche.  Apparently it got passed around all day!

Another fun part of the story is this.  The C4C creche has a large map of the world in one of the hallways.  Each child has a sticker where his adoptive family lives.  W several times proudly showed our local friend where his sticker was--on the state of Tennessee--nearly on top of his buddy D's sticker!  And close by to A's sticker (our other friend's son--who is now home!).  What an awesome connection these boys have!  They are all born in Haiti, get placed in the same creche, and out of any place in the world they could end up, their families are all close together in Tennessee!

Thank you Lord Jesus, for your wonderful blessings, your wonderful plans. :-)