April '08 Process Update

Well, we haven't actually gotten our process update yet. I was checking my email quite a bit more than usual this week watching for it, but we are told we should have it this weekend. I'm not expecting it to be much different than our last update. However, I have heard from others that are adopting children from Maison through an adoption agency, a bit of good news. It stated that the dispensations have come in, but that Mme Beaudin went on vacation for a week. I think that *should* mean that when Mme Beaudin is back from her vacation, there should be a flood of IBESR approvals very soon. We are praying that this is true, and that we hear the wonderful news that we are out of IBESR very soon!

If we get out of IBESR, we may be going back to Haiti this summer. We haven't said too much about it, but right now they're recommending that we sign our I-600 papers in Haiti, rather than in the states and having our local USCIS office try to coordinate with the US Embassy (or Consulate?) in Haiti. The I-600 is what gets the children's US immigration studies started, and that can be happening at the same time that we are waiting on the Parquet/Courts steps and the Passport step (the remaining Haiti government steps after IBESR). That way, once we have the adoption decrees and passports, we can just turn that info in, and get their visas and bring them home right away. Clear as mud, right?!

Well, right now, it's likely that just one of us might be able to go. One of us does not have enough accrued vacation to miss 5-7 more days of work and still have a few left over to not have to worry about getting sick or to be able to take a day or two off over the holidays. That would be hard to stay home while the other one travels, but we wouldn't be alone - we would be with a group of other adoptive parents.

This option would probably also be better for Kaylen for us to not have another extended trip away from her. I think the 12 days away from us in February/March was hard on her, and with her starting Kindergarten in the fall, it probably wouldn't be the best situation for her to have to re-adjust to things, instead of enjoying her fun daycare summer before she starts school. It also would help to conserve vacation time for when they do come home - which we're thinking would be around the beginning of 2009, assuming the courts, passports, and final visas would take around 8 months total. We're soooooooo praying things go much more quickly than this, but also trying to prepare ourselves for the possibility also.

We're trying to trust in God's timing through all this. Here is an awesome devotion I found recently, that reminds me that He knows when it's the right time for all of us, and is using this time to prepare our hearts and our Children for that time when they come home.