Status

Most obviously, this entry is not legit, because -- no picture.  : )  Maybe you'll read it anyway.  I have reflected over these past few days while working on home improvement tasks, and it dawned on me that I could be a bit more clear and give at least a few specifics about the current status of the kids' cases. 

ORR (the Office of Refugee Resettlement) under the jurisdiction of HHS (Health and Human Services) has legal authority over the children and oversees (indirectly) their care.  ORR has in their possession the multitudes of documents about our family and they are the office/agency who is responsible for approving sponsors to care for children who enter the US unaccompanied by legal guardians.  If we are approved, we would be able to bring the children home and then go through the legal channels within our home state of Illinois to process an adoption, and then jump through some hula hoops (or was it over hurdles?) with the federal government to apply for citizenship for the kids (although brand new legislation should be a big help).  All of this takes more time, additional papers, fees, patience, prayers, and such.

Buuuuuuut, before any of that can even be considered possible, HHS/ORR must conclude their collaboration with DHS (Department of Homeland Security) -- specifically CIS (Citizenship & Immigration Services), and DOS (Department of State; aka State Department).

[And, have I mentioned the sick, sick humor employed by the language gods -- clearly at my expense?  I've tended, my whole grown-up life, toward great dislike for acronyms. ]


Presently, the State Department is consulting with the Haitian government and has also made mention of planning to verify that the birth parents understand fully and completely the long-term ramifications of relinquishing their parental rights and choosing for their children the route of international adoption.

We (Chad and I) couldn't agree more that these things should absolutely, positively be done.  It has always been a deeply held belief for us that birth families should be preserved whenever possible and adoption should be a route to a healthy future only for those kids who have no other option for family care. 

Our prayer -- the prayer we ask you to lift up alongside us -- is that all persons in positions of care and authority regarding these children shall act with a sense of urgency and with the well-being of the children as their singular focus. 

Time matters to the children.  Every day that passes is another spin of the globe for them without family.  They can not heal deeply and can not grow to potential while institutionalized  .  .  .  They are fast approaching the 7-month mark of re-institutionalization following evacuation after surviving the earthquake, and all of this after having already waited for parents from within BRESMA orphanage for three years.  They watched 42 of their orphanage friends go home to forever families from the hospital in Pittsburgh.

Second prayer request -- that the children may somehow know that a family still awaits them -- the Mama and Papa they met in Pittsburgh way back in January.  If they could know this in their hearts .   .  .  have hope, kiddos!


For your attention span, your love, your prayers -- Meci.