E&J's Homecoming

We officially took custody of the Elijah & Josephine late Sunday night - at least that's what date our papers have on them from the US Dept of Health & Human Services - Jan 24, 2010. Around 12:30 am, Monday morning, we were given the approval to leave the Sanford airport with the children. We headed back through the customs/immigration section of the airport, back through the rental car area, and then back to the baggage claim area, where there were media and extended family of some of the other adoptive parents waiting. (I've seen that clip of us on CNN (and maybe Fox News) multiple times now, and would love to have a copy of it on DVD if someone knows how to accomplish this.)

Jock got me settled in a chair with our two sleeping children so he could go fetch the rental car from the parking ramp. When he came back in, he sat with Elijah while I took Josephine with me. I had to get the rental car seats installed in the back seat of the car. Josephine SCREAMED when I sat her down instead of holding her to get them buckled in. Then she SCREAMED more when I sat her in her seat and tried to get her buckled in - all the while kicking and hitting and arching her back to attempt to get out. When Jock came out with Elijah, he was happy to get in the car (the boy loves cars!) - and immediately climbed up and sat down on the seat in between the toddler car seats. I told him in creole, "chita isit" (sit here), pointing to the toddler seat, and he happily complied.

We thought about driving to near the Orlando International Airport that night, so we'd be very close for our flights the next day, but we only made it a few miles before we saw a Hampton Inn sign that called our names. We were settled there in bed by around 2 or 2:30 am. E&J slept just fine between us in the king bed - although Josephine thought it would be fun to sleep on top of my head all morning instead of just beside me. :) We had scheduled a wake-up call for 8 am, but we slept through it. Jock woke up at 8:30, and then we hustled to get ourselves showered and the kids ready for the trip home. Jock grabbed breakfast at the hotel and checked out while I finished getting the kids ready and packed up. We got to the airport around 10:30, returned the rental and headed to check-in. We checked our bags of dirty clothes that we didn't need, and purchase another carry-on bag in case we weren't able to sit together. At the gate, they moved us to the row right behind first class with the extra leg-room, and we were right across the aisle from each other, me with Josephine in a 2-seat section and Jock with Elijah, with another guy on his other side.

That first flight, from Orlando to St Louis was not fun. I had forgotten to take my Dramamine, so I wasn't feeling the greatest. Josephine didn't like getting buckled into her seat, but once she was and I tightened it so she couldn't squirm out, she was fine. About a half-hour from the end of the flight, I noticed that smell that all Haitian adoptive parents know all too well. Josephine had pooped through her overnight diaper and her pants, so I had to wait for the front lavaratory to be free, before taking her in to change her. That's fun, changing a diaper of a scared two-year-old in an airplane lavaratory, who doesn't like to lay still while getting her diaper changed anyway! Elijah was having a grand time on the plane until he started looking at books - one of which was a baby photo book we'd taken for him on our last few visits to Haiti. It was like he suddenly remembered what had happened and what was going on and was struck with grief. He threw a huge tantrum for about 20 minutes before falling asleep, and then did the same for another 20 minutes or so when he woke up. Then he was OK. The poor man (who was wearing a suit!) that was sitting next to Jock was so humble though and very kind about it all.

We did, however, all make it to St Louis in one piece. I just wanted to find a chair so my stomach could calm down. We had a few phone calls to make, and then headed to our gate to catch our final flight - which was miraculously on time even though there was a blizzard going on in Des Moines! We gave the kids a snack, Jock got a sandwich for us all to share, and then he got some french fries, which we brought on the final flight home - LIFE SAVER!!!! E&J love french fries, and it kept them occupied for over half the flight! I had some really cute photos of them on the airplanes, but my camera told me that my memory card needed reformatting when we got home. :(

When we arrived in Des Moines, we were congratulated by some of the others on our flight, who realized what was going on - and also by a few other passengers in the terminal. We stopped off in the restroom, before heading downstairs to meet Kaylen and a small blizzard-braving crowd of family, friends, and media. It was so good to see familiar faces and to be back (almost) home. While we visited with people, friends of ours grabbed our checked bags from the baggage claim, someone pulled up our van to the doors, installed the car seats that'd been hastily just set in the back seat, and brought in our winter coats. When it was time for us to go, it was interesting seeing E&J's reactions to the winter weather gear and to the blizzard. Elijah's was caught on camera by one of the news crews. I was carrying Josephine to the car, holding her head down on my shoulder, but she wondered what was going on and turned towards the snow blowing in her face. She quickly turned back towards me with a wierd, "What is that?!?" look on her face. :)

After a treacherous drive from the airport, we finally arrived back home late Monday night, January 25th. Well, it really wasn't all that late (around 7 pm), but it seemed late. After little sleep over the previous week, anything after dusk felt like it was 2am! Elijah & Josephine fell asleep in the van on the way home, and they were completely out - they didn't even wake up when we unbuckled them and carried them inside. So we peeled off their winter coats and plopped them down on the living room floor. Friends from our church brought us dinner - very welcome after living on airport food for the previous three days - and being gone for a week, with no food in the fridge. They also stocked us up on bananas and milk - awesome!!!

After supper we got Kaylen to bed and then got E&J settled in bed with their warm PJs. At about 10 pm, were about ready to collapse (actually I think Jock already had), when Kaylen was up again. She'd puked all over herself and her bed! I think it was all nerves, but at any rate, we had to get her cleaned up and clean bedding before we could get ourselves to bed. Luckily she was fine, but we couldn't send her to school on Tuesday. That was probably good though, because it gave us all time to settle in at home together, and to really start to be a 5-member family.

About the kids... coming soon...

Yes, I know I've been delinquent. Things got crazy at our house about last Monday night. I do have some tidbits about their first week here, stored up in my failing memory. More so that I don't forget for them, but also to share with you all. Things are going well, but things have been very busy. When things aren't so busy, I'm ready to sleep. Hmmmm... I know, all you moms out there who already have multiple kids or have had babies are shaking your heads in agreement here and laughing right now because I'm just figuring this all out, but that's OK. Anyway, I hope to start posting stuff about them in the next few days. Maybe I'll be able to keep my eyes open during their naptime tomorrow to get some of the stuff down I'm wanting to share. Stay tuned...

Kids still in Haiti

Please remember to keep in your prayers the children that remain in Haiti, waiting to be evacuated to the US on humanitarian parole - and also their adoptive parents waiting to bring them home to their forever families - not only at the FHG orphanage, but at MANY others!

There is more information on FHG's website regarding getting the remaining children from our children's orphanage home to their adoptive families. I did hear, however, that the paperwork was not lost after all - good news. Kim Harmon, FHG's President, was also interviewed by Soledad O'Brien at the beginning of last night's Anderson Cooper 360, to shed a little light on what's going on there. You can find the video of that interview here. (This show also showed us coming out of the airport with our children, and several others - as well as clips of video of some of the children at the orphanage before they were evacuated last week.)

Some of you have heard about UNICEF's role in Haiti. Here is some perspective from three different sources:
http://randybohlender.wordpress.com/2010/01/26/wwunicefd/
http://livesayhaiti.blogspot.com/2010/01/no-place-for-politics.html
http://thehowertons.blogspot.com/2010/01/prayers-for-ronel.html

They're Home!!!

After the last update, it's been a whirlwind! We did fly to Orlando on Saturday, and then traveled to the Sanford airport, arriving around noon. The children landed there around 4:30 that afternoon. Then the drama started. Many families were waiting for their children to be released to them at the Sanford airport. About 1/3 of the children were released to their families between 5:00-7:00 am Sunday (yes we all waited up all night being told, "a couple more hours..." multiple times). Then they halted things and processed another 1/3 of the children who would be flown to meet their families in Colorado.

After that - nothing happened for a LONG time! Oh the roller-coaster of emotions! Sunday afternoon, there were 17 families (25 children) remaining, and they finally called all the families into a conference room to discuss the procedures - which had changed from what we'd been told early that morning. Then they started paperwork and got this new process started for us. We got to see our children briefly late that afternoon, but then sat several more hours before the children were FINALLY released to us at about 1:00 am Monday morning. We got to a hotel around 2, slept for about 6 hours, then got up to head back to the Orlando airport to fly home to Des Moines, via St. Louis. Our flights were all on time - amazing, considering the blizzard that was going on at home. Some family and friends were able to make it to the airport to welcome us home.

We are so blessed. Thank you all so much for all you've done for us - the prayers, avocating with calls to senators/congressmen/State Department, the meals, caring for Kaylen, calls/notes of encouragement, flight costs, welcome at the airport, etc. We're so blessed, and are praising God for the wonderful things he's made of the disaster in Haiti. We continue to pray for families who don't have their children home yet. The news of the halted exits is heartbreaking, and I pray that this new step is quashed quickly and they can get their children home ASAP! These kids need their moms and dads and the stable love and support that they can provide.

As far as Elijah & Josephine - they are doing great! Things have been interesting for all of us trying to adjust to everything new. I'll post more about that later, but wanted to get some photos out here for our friends and family who haven't seen us yet. These were taken tonight after supper - the kids seemingly broke out of their shell after a fairly somber day, and got all wild and silly and giggly. It was so fun! Love these two - God is good!

Praise God!!! Today should be the day!!!

We got a call just after midnight that our kids are going to be on a plane with about 80 others today. They're scheduled to depart Port-au-Prince around 11:30 this morning, landing near Orlando at 2:30 this afternoon. We're told to be prepared for a very long day of processing once they land before they are in our arms. Our arms are longing for them, but we will wait what it takes.

We did get a little sleep, and are up early this morning to pack our bags and get through security. We'll be flying to Orlando this morning, then making a 30-minute drive to where they're coming in - rented toddler seats and all, so we can make the 30-minute trip back to Orlando, then our trip back home to the Des Moines area - probably arriving on Sunday afternoon.

That's the plan anyway. Please pray for us as we make the journey - that our hearts are prepared to receive our children, and their hearts prepared to join us. Please pray for the other families that are meeting their children today along with us. Please pray also for the families that are still awaiting word of their children's travel. There are about 25 children from our orphanage who do not yet have their visas/humanitarian parole approved, and my heart aches for their families. May they all be united soon!

Friday

The kids are not flying into the US tonight as we'd hoped, but they do have most of the kids' approval processed. They're working to get the remaining kids' approvals processed. They may be sending 82 on one plane, and the other 25 on another plane -- or they may try to keep them all together.

There were some conflicting reports this afternoon/evening, but the official news is that we'll be told as soon as there is news to tell. Still not sure when/where. We may need to fly elsewhere, but will be up early tomorrow to check for more news. Will post when we know something more. Thank you for your prayers. Please keep them coming.

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.

Update from Miami

Just wanted to share what we know. We had some conflicting reports yesterday about the kids/adults traveling to the embassy, but it was clarified for us yesterday afternoon. We decided due to the weather and because Des Moines is a hard place to get out of at a moment's notice, to travel to Miami yesterday. From the time we decided to go to the time we got to Miami, it was about a 13-hour timeframe, so that gives you an idea - and we were already packed and ready - and that's with some AWESOME travel agents on our side, working their best to get our flights. We actually had flights booked from DSM thru Dallas/FtWorth to Miami, but that one was delayed and we would have missed our connection, so as we were driving to the airport and standing right at check-in they confirmed our switch to an earlier flight thru Chicago. That one wasn't delayed, we got on our connection to MIA, and then sat on the runway for an hour while they fixed the seal on the door of the airplane before take-off. But with no connection to make and a guaranteed hotel room waiting at the airport, we were good at that point. A HUGE shout-out to the folks at ITA Group for helping us with our flight and hotel arrangements. There's NO WAY we could have done that ourselves!!! So, we are here in Miami, very tired, because we arrived after midnight (EST), then were up a couple more house trying to catch up on the day's news.

Here's what we received from For His Gloryyesterday:
Orphans Intend to Depart Port-au-Prince... Again
Confusing and complicated orphan process delays orphan's departure

(Port-au-Prince, Haiti) On January 20, 2010, staff from the Maison des Enfants de Dieu (Children of the House of God) orphanage accompanied by representatives from the U.S. ministry, For His Glory Adoption Outreach (FHG), attempted to obtain humanitarian parole from the U.S. Embassy Port-au-Prince for 133 orphans. The orphanage staff and FHG representatives were turned away because of confusion about photo requirements for each child. Additionally, they were informed that humanitarian parole would only apply to approximately 111 of the 132 children from the Maison des Enfants de Dieu orphanage. These are the orphans who have a "United States qualified referral" dated prior to the earthquake on January 12, 2010.

In accordance with specific instructions received today, orphanage staff and FHG representatives will depart for U.S. Embassy Port-au-Prince in the early morning of January 21, 2010, with the 109 children eligible for humanitarian parole. We anticipate they will receive authority to depart Haiti via air by the early afternoon and will provide further information on the actual schedule as soon as we have it. Three of the remaining 24 children are being adopted by parents in Argentina and Canada and are waiting for those countries to announce their evacuation procedures. The remaining 18 children at Maison des Enfants de Dieu orphanage will remain in Haiti since they have not yet been referred for international adoption. The orphanage receives request each day to accept new orphans, however their ability to accept children orphaned since the earthquake is very limited. Orphanage staff today reported they were out of diapers, low on food and they remained concerned about security at the orphanage.

Kim Harmon, President of FHG, underscored her call "to all who care about these precious children to pray earnestly for their safety and that the complicated humanitarian parole process can be successfully completed tomorrow. We are thankful to the Lord for where He has brought us and for everyone's tireless prayer and work to accomplish His will in bringing these children home soon. We pray that the wait will not be much longer and continue to work to that end."

FHG is a ministry to the people and children of Haiti. Our ministry is dedicated to fundraising and assisting the orphanage, Maison des Enfants de Dieu, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.

Please pray with us, believing that today is the day!

PRAY!!!

The following Press Release was received from For His Glory after I went to sleep last night... followed by the JCICS statement from yesterday evening. Your prayers are needed more than ever today as they attempt to reach the embassy and stand in long lines to try to reach home. In addition a 6.1 earthquake hit near Port-au-Prince this morning, and here at home we're having an ice storm so there's little chance we'd be able to get out of Iowa today - the DSM airport runways are currently closed, along with all schools, etc. Thank you for your prayers!

Orphans Intend to Depart Haiti
Orphans begin procedures to depart Haiti at U.S. Embassy

(Port-au-Prince, Haiti) On January 20, 2010, 133 orphans from the Maison des Enfants de Dieu (Children of the House of God) orphanage will begin the difficult process outlined by the U.S. Department of State for humanitarian parole and onward transportation to the United States. In accordance with instructions received from the State Department, as relayed by the Joint Council on International Children's Services (JCICS) at 8 p.m. today, orphans along with orphanage staff members have been instructed to arrive at the U.S. Embassy as early as possible on Wednesday morning. JCICS warned that no food, water or facilities would be available for the children while processing at the U.S. Embassy Port-au-Prince.

JCICS further relayed that orphanage requests to the U.S. Embassy for security and transportation for the children have been denied by the State Department. The U.S. ministry associated with this orphanage, For His Glory Adoption Outreach (FHG), was also asked to stop requesting security, transportation or even water at the orphanage location. Following discussions with staff and board members in Port-au-Prince, the difficult decision was made that all 133 children, including approximately 60 children under the age of 3, will begin early in the morning of January 20th to walk the over 2 kilometers to the U.S. Embassy Port-au-Prince. This decision was made due to the limited staff available and the increasingly dangerous security situation at the orphanage in Port-au-Prince. The staff will carry as much water, food and baby formula as possible with them for the orphans while processing at the U.S. Embassy. JCICS relayed that once processing is completed, the orphans will travel to the United States on "cargo jets to locations that are not often known until an hour or so before the flight leaves."

Kim Harmon, President of FHG, acknowledged that "this arrangement is far from ideal for the safety and well-being of the children. We are calling to all who care about these precious children to pray earnestly for their safety tomorrow."

FHG is a ministry to the people and children of Haiti. Our ministry is dedicated to fundraising and assisting the orphanage, Maison des Enfants de Dieu, in Port-au-Prince, Haiti.



JCICS STATEMENT
January 19, 2010 8 p.m. est

UPDATE: Haiti

It is once again my job to be the barrier of bad news. Another day come and gone and no change. Despite extensive Congressional support and all of your calls to your Members of Congress we have hit roadblock after roadblock. At this point we respectfully ask that you stop contacting your Members of Congress requesting their assistance with obtaining security, transportation, and water for the location. The Department of State has not and apparently will not provide the small assistance that we have requested.

Given the current circumstances, at this point we are recommending that someone from each orphanage escort the children who qualify for humanitarian parole or adoption visas to the U.S. Embassy in Port-A-Prince. We recommend that the orphanage staff arrive with the children and any adoption paperwork that has not been destroyed as early as possible in the morning in order to attempt to obtain visas or parole for the children. Please understand that this option may not be considered safe and that the U.S. Embassy did not allow some orphanages onto the premises today. Additionally, please note that it has been reported that there is no food, water or facilities for the children to use while at the Embassy. As noted during our conference call earlier today, these are our recommendations only and should not be used to replace your or your orphanage director's good judgment.

It is our understanding that any children processed by USCIS in Port-A-Prince are leaving on U.S. cargo jets to locations that are not often know until a hour or so before the flight leaves. At times children have left Haiti without the knowledge of their adoptive parents.

This is currently the worst case scenario for the children's well-being and safety but at the moment there are no other options.

As we receive more information we will continue to share it with you. While the situation at the moment is terrible I can only hope that our collective efforts produce some positive news. Despite the roadblocks Joint Council has not given up on the save haven and we continue to advocate for its creation and a more transparent and safe process in uniting these children with their adoptive families.

Rebecca

Oh my goodness!

Our emotions are on overdrive as we continue to do all we can to advocate for our children, and as we prepare for them to come home. I've barely had a dry eye all day!

We were on a JCICS conference call this morning. We got some documents and photos printed that we'll need when we travel. We got our things packed (mostly) for the trip - diapers, clothes, shoes for the kids, papers for evidence of our adoption, camera, laptop, a few snacks, etc, etc, etc. Last night I got E&J's car seats ready - have yet to put them in the van though.

I'm overwhelmed by the support we've received these last few days. Our Bible study group is providing dinner to us tonight and tomorrow night if we're still here. We've had TONS of hits on our blog - 40 times what we usually had before the local news stories ran. We've had offers for help in many other ways. My aunt emailed with another offer, and I'm again wordless. My best friend called me this afternoon, and I could barely make out a squeak with the offer she presented me with - and then had to email her to have her repeat it in an email to make sure I heard what she was saying.

I have few words, other than THANK YOU!!! Thank you for your prayers and support - they mean so much!

As far as news, we're still awaing word on our children's visas. It seems that we were far enough along in the process that they're going to expedite the children's visas instead of offering them humanitarian parole. We're hopeful that this will happen, and will be happy, as it will mean that our adoption will be final when they're home. In the case of humanitarian parole, there will be more to do to get the adoption final when they're home.

It seems that when they have their visas in hand, they will be flown to somewhere in the US, and we will have to meet them where ever they land. We're praying that we are able to fly without delay and get there as soon as possible. There's supposedly freezing rain forecast for tomorrow, so we're praying that doesn't cause us problems. The joys of winter travel!

Please keep pray for ALL of Haiti's adoptive children to get home to their adoptive families ASAP! There is more information about what you can advocate for on the main page of For His Glory's website and on JCICS' website and blog. I don't see a synopsis of the JCICS conference call on there yet, but there was more information about the visas vs humanitarian parole than what's on their website. If I see more later, I'll try to post a link - or you can just watch for it.