Another update from Miami

First, Happy 7th Birthday to my big girl Kaylen! It's so hard to be here and miss her birthday, but we assured her that we'd celebrate with her when we get back - she has presents waiting for her. We're SOOOO THANKFUL that our friends who are staying with her made it a special day for her as well. She was sent off to school with birthday treats, and pizza and cake was had for dinner - even through the ice storm and power outages back home! :)

Today has been a good day. We met up with another adoptive dad for breakfast (or really brunch). He has a daughter at our orphanage and twin boys at another orphanage. When we got to the hotel restaurant for breakfast we heard Jock's name called from the other side of the restaurant to see another family we know having breakfast as well. What a blessing to meet up with these two families this morning. We prayed over our children and visited a while.

We spent the afternoon visiting with the adoptive dad and sharing information and news that we were receiving from various sources. The news was encouraging, but didn't know too much - just that our orphanage director, adoption lawyer, and a couple FHG folks that are in Haiti were working much of the day to get paperwork processed to try to get the 111 children at our orphanage processed for humanitarian parole or visas. Apparently there was some difficulty getting the children to the embassy because of the heat and the traffic, so we were concerned after hearing that some of the babies were getting sick in the hot vehicle so they turned back. We've been praying and following the news all day, hoping that we'd soon have good news to share.

After supper tonight, we were all exhausted, so we decided to hit the sack early - or at least get a nap before the next information update. Jock and I were still checking email and media websites, and calling Kaylen, and then we saw this...

Another press release was posted on For His Glory's website and was emailed to us tonight:

Press Release January 21, 2010
A Difficult Day. A Race Against Time
Blocked roads, heat and missing paperwork complicate orphans departure

(Port-au-Prince, Haiti) Because of State Department procedural requirements, on the morning of January 21, 2010, 114 children left the Maison des Enfants de Dieu (Children of the House of God) orphanage for the U.S. Embassy. Of the 114 children, 111 were the orphans eligible for humanitarian parole to the United States and three were orphans who have Canadian/Argentinean adoptive parents and may also qualify for evacuation. Eighty-seven toddlers and children traveled in a bus and 27 infants traveled in a van, accompanied by orphanage staff, representatives from the U.S. ministry, For His Glory Adoption Outreach (FHG), and members of the press. Dead bodies, debris and abandoned vehicles in the roads made movement very difficult. Temperatures inside the vehicles became extreme and began to make the younger children sick. After 2 hours of little progress, the difficult decision was made to return to the orphanage.

After returning the children to the orphanage, staff members returned to the U.S. Embassy and received permission to process the children's paperwork without the children being physically present. Humanitarian paroles for some of the orphans have been completed, however additional documentation was needed for others. The United States Customs and Immigration Service has pledged to work through the night with FHG staff to ensure that all required documentation will be available Friday in sufficient time to allow all 114 orphans to depart Haiti for the United States. Air Transportation from Haiti is being arranged for the evening of January 22, 2010.

Kim Harmon, President of FHG, stated she is "overwhelmed and amazed by the dedication and willingness of individuals within the U.S. Government to assist in meeting Friday's deadline." She continued to call for "everyone to pray, especially for the health of the children."

We are obviously hopeful and ecstatic about this news. Please join us in prayer that this comes to fruition tonight/tomorrow with no further roadblocks or delays, and that our children land safe and healthy in the US tomorrow night.