Recent article on Haiti

Hi friends,
I know that those of you faithful blog checkers will be disappointed to see that while I am posting something, it's not adoption related. All we've heard is that the law hasn't passed and that it's not actually that you have to be 29, but that you have to be 30 in 2008, which Sean will be. It's not that the law has NOT passed (how many negatives can I put in one sentence??) it hasn't been discussed yet. We had been told it would happen in January, and realize fully that January is over. And so we wait.

Marialyn is in Haiti right now and has promised to check in on the baby and take some pictures. She's not coming home for a few weeks, but it's nice to know that there are pictures and a report coming.

This post is more about distressing Haiti stories that I've heard lately. One is that Marialyn said that the day she arrived two Americans were kidnapped and are being held for ransom. The other is about how Haitians have resorted to literally eating dirt because food prices have gone up from the rates that they could barely afford in the first place. Both of these stories remind me that things are so very desperate there and of what people will resort to when they have no food or money, not to mention medical help. So, if you think of it, tag on a little, "Watch over the people of Haiti" prayer to the ones I hope you say that go something like, "Watch over Bedeline and bring her to Minnesota SOON!"

It's hard to sit here in my cozy beautiful home with a full fridge and to know how to help, and others who have read the mud article have also asked what can be done. One way is through Friends of the Orphans, (http://www.friendsoftheorphans.org/)which is where Sean works and how we sponsor Herbie. Because he's on the inside we know it's reputable and that 100% of sponsorship dollars go right to the orphan homes. We've also been amazed at how many Haiti non-profits exist, so if orphans aren't your thing, you could always google Haiti and non-profit or relief and see what happens.

Please don't think I'm trying to convince you to give away your money, I just know that when I finished reading the article, I was left with a feeling of wanting to do more and wanted to give some suggestions if you felt the same. The link to the article is: http://news.aol.com/story/_a/hungry-haitians-resort-to-eating-dirt/20080129175709990001?ncid=NWS00010000000001

Aside from the endless waiting game, things are going really well for us. Our jobs keep us busy, inspired, energized, and feeling like we're in the perfect jobs for us. This Minnesota winter has been less than fantastic with it's endless darkness and sub-zero temps, but we've filled our time watching Indiana Basketball (go Hoosiers!) and political debates. We have been feeling very fortunate to live in the Twin Cities lately since in the last month we've been to an IU basketball game, the play Peer Gynt, a concert of Luther College's Nordic Choir (this is the choir Sean sang in during college) and a huge political rally. Not a bad place to be once you get over the frostbite and light deprivation!

I hope this finds you all well and warm. Trust that I'll post something the second we hear, which I pray will be sooner than later. Love to you all.

Tiny update

As you may remember we're waiting for a Haitian law to be passed that adoptive parents need only be 29 years old (Sean's current age). We heard tonight that the Haitian legislature began meeting last week and that this law is one of the first on the list to be passed. The lawyer also said that there's a chance that the papers will be signed on the same day that the law is passed. Keep in mind that this is not the last step. There are two other places that the paperwork needs to pass through before we're finished, but both will be relatively quick (meaning about 6 weeks).

That's all for now. We'll let you know when we hear more!

Some news

We heard today that our paperwork is impeccable and perfect, which was nice to hear, after all the work we had done to prepare it. What's not perfect is our age. We've known that Haitian law states that couples must be 35 to adopt, but had been told months ago that there were exceptions to that rule, and that we met those exceptions. But...in January a law is going to be passed changing the age to 29, an age that Sean reached just weeks ago. (Only one of us needs to be 29). One person at the agency where the paperwork has been has decided that he wants to wait until the law is passed next month before signing our paperwork. The rest of his team have signed off and it's all in his hands. The lawyer says he's doing us a favor and that this will make things go more smoothly in the next two step (yes, there are still two more steps).

We wish all of you a Merry Christmas and hope to see all of you in the new year!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This Thanksgiving we had so much to be thankful for. My brother, his wife, and their amazing baby boy came to spend Thanksgiving with us. We had a wonderful time and were grateful for the days to relax together and to play with Baby Owen. We're also so thankful for our supportive friends and family, and for having great jobs that we love going to.

Obviously we were hoping to be thankful for the arrival of a certain beautiful girl, but for that we'll have to continue to wait. On last check in the IBESR has still not signed our paperwork. We know that it will take at least six weeks after it has been signed, which pushes our travel date into January at the earliest. It's been difficult to realize that we'll be celebrating Christmas without her and the waiting gets harder each day. We were happy tonight, however, when we talked to our friend who is also in the Haitian adoption process, who said that we somehow got through the US process much more quickly and easily than he ever has. We're not sure which factor made this happen, but are grateful nonetheless.

We hope you all had a great Thanksgiving as well. Know that we are thankful for each of you, for your support, and for your prayers.

Good News!

We got notice today that US Immigration has approved us and has sent our approval to the Consulate in Haiti! I know there was a blog posting months ago saying the same thing, but they had to approve two parts, and this was the second one. This is a huge relief, after the letter we got last week asking for something we wouldn't be able to get from Haiti for weeks, not to mention translation, etc. Apparently they decided we were fine without that. They are also asking for background checks on someone we've never heard of, so we're not quite sure what that's all about, but we're so grateful and relieved to have some good news.

We're still waiting anxiously for the IBESR to sign, as that's all that's holding things up now.

They say that God won't give you more than you can handle, and I think I was about to give up on the whole thing this afternoon...and then I got the email with the approval notice. This has been a long and difficult journey for us both and we know we're not at the end yet, but it's nice to think that we may be getting to the end-ish. I know that it's been difficult for all of you to watch us go through this and not know what to say or do. Know that we appreciate so much the regularity with which so many of you check the blog, these days we appreciate most the LACK of questions we've been getting, and most of all we appreciate the prayers. As a friend put it the other night, "Everytime I log on to the blog-and I do everyday-it's a reminder to send up a prayer." We've got a site tracker on the blog and are able to see the number of people who look at the blog and also what states and countries are represented. It's so powerful for us to know that people all around the country, and a few outside the US, are checking in. Thanks.

Not much to report

On the U.S. side, we mailed a letter to Immigration on Friday trying to clear up questions about the things they've asked for. One of the things they want we can't get from Haiti for a few weeks, so we're hoping that will be soon enough.

On the Haitian side, our lawyer went to the IBESR (agency where the papers have been since July) a few days ago to see if they'd signed it now that the they have our psych eval. They have not. Marialyn instructed the lawyer to let us know the minute they sign.

Sean celebrated his 29th birthday yesterday! I surprised him with our first subscription to cable tv, including the Big Ten Network so that he can watch every single Indiana University basketball game this season.

That's all for now. Keep the prayers coming, please!

Hurricane Noel

Thanks to all of you who have emailed about the recent hurricane, Noel. Although it caused much devastation and dozens of deaths in Haiti, all of the friends we met on our trip are safe. It's devastating to read the stories about parents having to choose one child over another as the water swept them away. The deforestation of the majority of the country played a role in the damage of the heavy rains. We are relieved that it has moved away from the area.

The lawyer received our paperwork (thanks again DHL!) on Friday and said she would bring it to the 2nd agency (the one that the paperwork has been in since July) on Monday. We're hoping that she did and that they immediately signed it so that she could take it to the next agency right away. We're also realistic, and know that "immediately" and "right away" rarely happen.

In the meantime we've been trying to understand a request we got from US Immigration asking for a document we already submitted as well as another form of documentation that we don't even understand. I'm starting to feel like it will be a miracle if this all goes through. But...crazier things have happened, so start praying everyone.

On a happier note, I just got back from a four day trip to my home town in Indiana. A group from my church here went to a conference that my dad played a major role in, so it was wonderful to see many family members (including my amazing 7 month old nephew!!!) as well as attend the conference.

We should be getting some news of something soon, so keep watching and please say (at least) a few prayers for the "paperwork people" as I call them, the baby girl, and the two of us. Thanks.