Who needs roses.. I just want my babes!!!

Oh the waiting.........


  I know we are nearing the time when we will soon go pick up our little boys & maybe it's the knowing it's not too far off that has been making these past few weeks especially difficult.  JoJo, Joey & Jada are feeling the longing to bring their little brothers home as well.  Every morning on our way to school they pray... "just bring them home already.... please."  Amen!

It's so difficult to explain the complicated Haitian adoption process  so I wanted to try put a very simplified & generalized timeline to highlight where we are in the process.

Thank you so much for your prayers!

xoxoxo  Jen



1.)   Send in important document to Immigration, complete home study & send in several other documents. Lots of paper work.

2.)  Petition to Classify Orphan as and Immediate Relative -  More paperwork.

3.) Send in translated paperwork & send for approval from the Haitian consulate.

5.) WAIT & wait....


Then....

Step one

MFA Minister of Foreign Affairs:
Authenticates the documents: 1st step for you dossier - takes about 2-4 weeks


Step two:

Adoption Lawyer:  Preparation of file for IBESR.  There are many involved steps in step two.

Step three:

AOF investigation

Step four:

IBESR - Haiti's Social Services Department - more approvals

Step Five:

Parquet: Head Commissioner - Many lengthy steps involved in this step as well.

Step Six: WHERE WE ARE!!!!!!!

MOI: Minister Of Interior of Affairs

Passport application process - passports are issued with the adopting parents last name

adoption facilitator collects & submits the following:
four passport sized pictures
birth certificates
Attestation of Birth Certificate
Extract from the National Archives for the birth certificate
Relinquishment
process Verbal of Adoption 
Adoption Approval Judgement
Adoption Decree
Attestation of the Adoption Decree
Power of Attorney for Creche Director &/or attorney
Stamp from DGI
Notary letter for the Passport
Identification card for the facilitator 
Biological parents identification cards
Adoptive parents MOI form, identification & passport photos

Them MOI will grant authorization to submit dossier to Haitian Immigration for a passport

This can take 2-14 weeks (lately 4-8 weeks).  We have been here almost 8 weeks.  

Step Seven:

Passports

The adoption facilitator submits the authorisation from MOI to Haitian Immigration. Haition Immigrations issues passport.  This can take 2 days - 2 weeks if the machines are working properly.

Step Eight:

Child is taken to have Visa Medical Examination

Step Nine:

I-600 (American) 1-3 weeks

Step Ten:


Visa interview

Step Eleven:

Fly Home!

 Haiti

C

Making progress...

We are very excited & thankful that we are making progress in the Haitian Government with our adoption of Jimmy & Johnny.  A few weeks ago we found out that our need for a dispensation (extra step of approval because we have a biological child)  has been approved and we are now exiting IBESR (Haitian Social services) & are onto the final steps of bringing our boys home.  We have been told that timeline will take approximately 4-6 months. That is great news but we are praying for much sooner!!! 

It is rather difficult for me to explain the process and timeline of adopting from Haiti; I found an outline of the process we have gone through thus far.  We are onto Step 3!!!!!! Can't wait for all of you to meet our sweet boys!


Thank you for your prayers & support,

Joe, Jen, JoJo, Joey, Jada, Jimmy, Johnny & Judy 

STEP ONE – DOSSIER PREPARATION

-        Complete your home study

-        File your I-600A with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. When you file your I-600A, you will also schedule an appointment to be fingerprinted at the nearest USCIS office. 

-        Compile your dossier according to the provided list and samples. Please make sure any notaries you use follow your state’s notary requirements exactly. For an explanation of what must be included on a notary statement, contact your state’s Secretary of State office.

-        Have all documents certified by your state’s Secretary of State office. They will put a one-page cover sheet on each document certifying that the notary is legal.

-        Send a copy of your dossier to the Children of the World office to have Lynde Langdon look over it before it is translated into French.

-        Have your dossier translated into French, including the certification letters from the Secretary of State.

-        Send portions of your dossier to the Haitian consulate in Chicago to have them authenticated.

When your dossier is complete, each document required should have the following: Notarized original in English, certification letter in English, French translation of original and certification letter. The Haitian consulate will put an authentication stamp on the documents that require authentication.

Once your dossier is received, you will be matched with a child and receive a referral letter. You may decline a referral; if you do so, another attempt to match you with a child will be made. You must sign the referral letter and return it before your dossier will be submitted in Haiti.

STEP TWO – HAITIAN ADOPTION

-        Travel to Haiti to appear in court, deliver your dossier and file your I-600 at the U.S. Embassy. You must have an approved I-171H from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services before travel.

-        Dossier completion on the child: Our Haitian attorney compiles the necessary paperwork for your child to begin the adoption process.

-        First legalization: The courts must give the attorney approval to pursue the adoption.

-        IBESR: The Institut du Bien Etre Social et de Recherches, the Haitian social services agency, must approve the adoption. If you do not meet the requirements of Haitian law, IBESR must receive a Presidential Dispensation before it can approve your adoption. This can take a year or longer.

-        Courts/Parquet: The Haitian courts approve the adoption and issue the final adoption decree.  There are a series of legalizations and hearings before the adoption decree can be issued.

STEP THREE – IMMIGRATION

-        Haitian attorney applies for a Haitian Passport for the child

-        Haitian attorney takes child’s birthparents to the Embassy for interview with U.S. immigration officials.

-        After the passport is received, attorney delivers the dossier to the U.S. Embassy and the child must go for medical appointments with an Embassy-approved physician.

-        U.S. Embassy schedules a visa appointment for your child.

-        Travel to Haiti to complete visa appointment and bring your child home!

Post Haiti... 1st trip

Wow, we  totally have mixed emotions since returning home from Haiti.  Overall, the travel part was very stressful.  We had a series of delayed flights and we were in a bit of a fog by the time we arrived in Haiti.  On our way there we found out some tragic news  that our  dear friends, Levi & Kelly Hoyt  lost their baby daughter, Kadence Love.  We were completely heart broken for them and conflicted with lots of emotion since we were away and traveling to meet our twin boys.  Our hearts continue to grieve with them. 

We were still able to still make it to the Orphanage, Children Of The Promise in Cap Haitian where our boys reside.  It was "magical" seeing them and holding them for the first time.  We had seen so many beautiful pictures of them over the past year and had wondered what it would be like to meet them and hold them... it was just a dream come true.  They are healthy, happy full of fun 2  1/2 year old boys.  Their personalities couldn't be more opposite of each other.  Johnny is a little more serious and cautious but was very chatty & sweet. Jimmy is a huggable teddy bear and loved to round up all the babies in the orphanage and tell them what to do and where to go.  Both of them seemed to think they ran the place.  ;)  They will fit in well with their big brother Joey who seems to think the same thing at the Anderson home.  

As far as when we get to bring our babes home is still a mystery.  The Haitian Government is a chaotic and slow place.  My mommy watch is saying "NOW" but I know that prayer and patience and ultimately trusting in Jesus and His timing is what I/we need to Surrender.  

We appreciate your continued prayers and support, it means so much!!

Love, 

Joe, Jen, JoJo, Joey, Jada, Jimmy Johnny & Judy

Jimmy & Daddy

Johnny

Jimmy

Johnny

Well, it's an exciting countdown for our family as Joe and I plan to travel to Haiti in two weeks to go sign papers at the U.S. embassy in Port-au-Prince. We will then take a small plane to meet our twin boys at their orphanage in the mountains of Cap Haitian for the first time!  This will be the first of two visits to Haiti; the second trip (in early October) we will bring them home forever to join our family.  It has been over a year of waiting and as you can imagine our hearts have been longing for them.  They are two years old and & as cute as can be! We are naming them Jimmy & Johnny to continue our "j" theme in our family.  :-)  

We humbly asking for two things:

1.)  Please pray for us; for safe travels, safety for our kids in MN as we are away.  Also, for the bonding process for our boys to us & us to them.  

2.)  Financial Support.  This has been an expensive process & our goal from the start to pay for this ourselves as we have cashed in our retirement account, have had a fundraising sale
& have been diligently saving.  We still need approximately $15,000 to cover travel expenses and remaining fees.  It is easy to fund raise for others adoptions through our non-profit Surrender Ministries  www.surrenderstory.com  but not so easy for our own adoption, as you can imagine. 

To help us bring Jimmy and Johnny home, please give online here: DONATE NOW

Or mail to:     Jen Anderson 
                     13121 Hallmark Court 
                     Apple Valley, MN 55124



Thank you for your support!  We will continue to keep you posted with pictures of our upcoming visit to Haiti... can't wait!!!


Love,

Joe, Jen, JoJo, Joey, Jada, Jimmy, Johnny & Judy