Merry Christmas Little Mister

Yesterday, Christmas Eve, I had a chance to walk the dog between the kids going to bed and Santa's arrival. It was a cold crisp night, but also very clear and I could see lots of stars. As I was walking and looking at the stars, my mind drifted to my trip to Haiti and all the stars I could see each night there. The sky seemed very similar.

Now, Leslie and I know we will be adopting a boy, but we don't know our son's name yet. Leslie has taken to calling him Little Mister. We call Eli Little Man, so the term Little Mister for our second son just fits.

As I thought about the stars, I began to wonder if Little Mister happened to be looking at the stars on Christmas Eve as well. Oh, how we wish he could be with us to celebrate Christmas this year. We really wish he was home with us to enjoy the holiday.

All of these thoughts start rolling through my head on the walk and the next thing I know I'm overcome with emotion and start crying. The emotion is equal parts sadness (that he's not with us yet) and equal parts joy (knowing that it won't be long).

I hope he clings to the thought that it won't be that long. Merry Christmas Little Mister.

Creativity in woodworking

So, somehow, I became motivated to build a carrier of some kind to hold and keep upright, 1/2 gallon growlers. The local breweries have tasting rooms where you can get a half gallon of your favorite delicious local craft beer.

It's tough to get just one filled, so when you have two, it makes carrying them a challenge. So I went online and searched for some options. I found a couple of places that sell wooden carriers. In looking at them, it looked like something I could do. Plus it might give me an option to buy more cool power tools.

Here is the first one I created. This is made out of pine and finished with tung oil. There are dowel plugs to help give it a nice finished look.

Pine growler carrier with tung oil finish

One of the cool new tools that I bought was a stacked dado blade. You can see that in this overhead photo. There is something really cool about ripping a 3/4 swath through the piece of wood you are working on.

Notice the dado cuts

I've also created 6 (yes that is right six) more. But these are made out of rough cut cedar. I used the cedar because the walls of the tasting room of my favorite Indy brewery, Flat12, are cedar. The rafters in their building are also put together with pin construction. So the dowel plugs tie in that element as well.Working with the cedar also was nice because of the aroma.

Cedar growler carrier

Dossier received by GLA

We hit another milestone with the adoption process. On November the 28th, we were informed our dossier was received by GLA, our orphanage. This is great news. First it took very little time to have the dossier received once it was sent. Second, it means the next big step is the referral.

We've been informed that referrals take 1-3 months, so maybe by the end of January we will have face, name and description of our son. This will be the understatement of the blog, but that will be incredible. To know our son's name and have photos wow. At that same time I think it will make the process even harder, along with the patience aspect of this all.

Thanks for your continues prayers.

Documents being legalized

The paperwork journey is just about complete. About 10 days ago, a portion of of Dossier was sent to the Haitian Consulate in Chicago to be legalized. This is the final step for some of the documents. They first needed to be notarized. Then they got state sealed by the Indiana Sectratary of State's office. And finally, they will get legalized by a Haitian Consulate.

The US work is complete. Now we start in Haiti.

Once that is done the full Dossier and copies will get sent off to the orphanage, God's Littlest Angels. I think that will be the real test of patience as we shift into waiting mode. The next major milestone is child referral. This is when we get photos and a description of our son. As I typed the word milestone, I realize that the term is not significant enough. The referral put's a face to the child God has chosen to join our family.

In September, I had hoped to get the referral around Christmas time. I don't think that is possible now, given the timing. *sigh* This is teaching me patience right?

Dossier is ready to send

Did you ever wonder what 6 copies of our Dossier would look like? Well here you go.

 

 

 

Six copies of the Dossier

We made some progress these last few weeks. We completed all the Dossier documents and then sent a sub-set of them off to France to be translated into French. The total pages that were translated ended up being 53. That is a lot of darn French.

Along with all the original documents we also needed to create 6 copies. So, we worked today (10/23) to create the big pile that you see above in the post.

I also updated our progress chart. On Monday (10/24) the Dossier and 5 of the copies will go off to the National office for our agency. They will look things over and then send some of the documents to the Haitian Consulate in Chicago to be legalized. From there, the full packet is shipped off to the Orphanage and we start the process in Haiti.

Making Progress

As you can see we are almost complete with the USA portion of the process. This is exciting and scary at the same time. We've experienced a few bumps along the way in terms of getting the Dossier documents together and "official". However, now, it all gets turned over the Orphanage and the Haitian government. The unknown and inability to control any of it is the scary part. Yes, we had bumps with the documents, but we could control how they were put together. That sort of control is going to go away. Prayers for patience are always welcome, and I imagine, needed.

The next big milestone is referral. That is when this will begin to feel real and tangible.

What kind of morning will it be?

As I go to bed the night before, I always wonder, "What kind of morning will it be?" Will it be cold and windy and surprise me so that I am inappropriately dressed? Will it be crystal clear so that the sunrise is breathtaking? How close will be be to that October morning in 2005, when the temperature was mild, the sky clear and the sunrise beautiful?

The early mornings remind me of Dad. He was the definition of a morning person and when we worked for him the mornings always started early. Need to get that good jump on the day.

Watching the sunrise on October 1st is my annual tradition to remember Dad. Oh, this is certainly not the only time I think of him.For example. with all the adoption "stuff" going on these past few weeks, I often wonder what advice he would provide and how he would keep me sane. He was a great sounding board and I miss being able to share with him.

October is also prime football season and he loved college football. Today would be a good one for Dad. OSU versus Michigan State. Penn State playing IU. Then a night game of Purdue versus Notre Dame. He'd have a rooting interest all day long.

Today's sunrise wasn't bad. Still not to the quality of 2005, but beautiful enough to warrant a photo.

Enjoy!

2011-09-11 Adoption Update

It has been a while since an update on our progress was posted here on the blog. Things continue to move along at a steady pace. To us it seems like a crawl, but we realize we can't control the actions of others.

With our Home Study complete and approved, we filed a 1-600A with USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services). This is an initial application for international adoption. It is a document that states our intent to adopt from Haiti with the US government. This is the initial steps for our son's visa. This takes about 30 days to complete, so hopefully we will have the Dossier completed by the beginning of October.

I did get an interesting lesson in a service the State Government can perform. If you have a document that has been notarized, but that notary needs to be confirmed, you can have the Secretary of State validate it with a Sate Seal. The Secretary of State looks at the notary's signature and compares it to what is on file with the State and then they applied a state seal.

Here is a chart the shows our progress. Hopefully this is a nice visual representation of where we are. We do need to get some documents translated, but we are hopeful they will be sent off by the end of this week

 

.

When we complete this chart, we move on to all the steps in Haiti. I have another chart for the steps once we get the Dossier sent to the orphanage in Haiti, God's Littlest Angels. That is when the exercise in patience will really come in.

Don't get caught up in doing

I had the opportunity to attend a church leadership retreat yesterday. As part of the kickoff, the youth team showed a video of photos from their recent trip to Fondwa Haiti. It really brought back memories for me. Seeing familiar places and faces from my trip in those photos. The youth leader ended this portion of the retreat challenging us to avoid getting caught up in the "doing" of life and be more caught up in being present in life. My time in  Haiti last year provided me that opportunity. I wasn't so concerned with doing and was able to really focus on the moment and the experience.

I think that is a good challenge for us in everyday life. Not necessarily when we go on a mission trip or on some service focused event. But, how can we be present in all that we do throughout life?

This is the one year anniversary for my trip to Haiti. That trip took the conceptual idea of adoption and turned it into a reality for me. Coming home from the trip a year ago, I became convinced that adoption was the right thing for our family.

As we go through the adoption process, it can become very easy to focus on and get caught up in the doing. As an example, our main focus right now is getting all the paperwork together for our Dossier. What an example of "doing". There is even a checklist list for us to mark off what is done.

I need to pause and shift my focus away from the doing, away from the checklist and move it to the process and all that we are learning and gaining from it. Now doing is a necessary part of life. Checklists aren't bad things. We need to do to generate money for the household, keep that house clean and educate our kids. All necessary and important things.

But, wouldn't life be so much better if the focus was on being present with those around us? Something that I certainly need to remember in my life.

Whatever You're Doing (Something Heavenly)

"Whatever You're doing inside of me
It feels like chaos but somehow there's peace
It's hard to surrender to what I can't see
But I'm giving in to something Heavenly"

Sanctus Real

Huzzah!

Our Home Study has been approved. According to the Adoption Agency we are approved to adopt from Haiti. This is a big relief, not so much from the stnadpoint of not being approved, but rather from the standpoint of a milestone being crossed.

Now we move on to the governmental paperwork and paper trail.

Huzzah indeed!

Awake My Soul

"In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die.
Where you invest your love, you invest your life.

In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die.
Where you invest your love, you invest your life.

Awake my soul, awake my soul
Awake my soul.
For you where made to meet your maker."

Mumford & Sons

Walking a tightrope

Are you familiar with the Flying Wallendas? The circus daredevil act that does crazy stunts on a high wire without a safety net?

I was refelcting today on my thoughts and mindset with the adoption and realized that I feel like a member of the Wallendas. No, I am not writing this blog post perched on a pole about to walk out on a tightrope. However, I feel like I am balancing my emotions and they are resting on that highwire way up there without a saftey net. Let me try and explain.

On one side, I am trying not to get ahead of myself. Our home study is not complete. What if the agency comes back and says we are not qualified to adopt. (Crazy, I know, but these are my emotions folks). What if the process drags on and on for years? Do we have the staying power and patience for this to go on this long. What if Haiti ratifies the Hague and the process changes dramatically or even worse, adoptions get shut down? How will we cope? How long can we continue in the process with no end in sight?

On the other side, the more I read about GLA (the orphanage), the more I am encouraged by the care the children receive. These kids are loved and well cared for and the orphanage follows the rules and is looking our for both the adopted child, the adopting family, and the birth family. We are hearing reports that Haitian Social Services is moving more quickly on adoptions. This brings hope that our wait might not be as long as expected. We also hear that there are not many requests for boys, and that means that the referral for our son could be right around the corner once GLA gets our paperwork. And, God has called Leslie and I on this journey. That is incredibly powerful and uplifting.

Can you see how I am stuck in a balancing act? Stick with me. It's going to be a crazy balancing act on that high-wire. I know that when it is all over, we can all give a huge standing ovation.

Adoption Update - July 25th

When we last touched base with our Adoption Specialist, the word was our home study would be complete around July 23rd. So far, we haven't heard an additional update, but Leslie and I are both hopeful that it will be complete this week. As I have mentioned in previous posts, the completed home study feels like a milestone, an acheivement.

We should not be looking at this journey in the form of achieving milestones. I imagine that taking that approach will shift focus from the process itself. Dave preached in church on Sunday and his sermon was about achievement versus attentiveness. He challenged us to focus on being attentive (at home, at work, running errands) and not to focus on achievement. He used the story of Mary and Martha to contrast the difference.

My challenge then becomes how to I act more like Mary (who was in the moment with Jesus) and less like Martha (who was fixated on completing her chores)? That is tough in this process. Being achievement minded gives you some sense of control. And that "control" is something you cling too with all your might, especially when so much of the adoption is up to other people, organizations and governments.

So, prayers for continues patience and strength to be attentive. Prayers for the leaders in Haiti. And prayers for the kids at the orphanage (God's Littlest Angels).

3-2-1 Blast Off

We launched model rockets last night. It was "awesome". That was what Eli said all night and continued on into the morning. It really was fun. The kids each built their own rocket that I helped with. And of course I had to build one for myself. It was as much fun as I remember as a kid.

The Rocketeers

It reminded me of my first launch as a kid. I remember Gunga and Apopps being there. So, Mom and Dad laid out a blanket. There might have even been some picnic food. We got everything all set up for the launch. We didn't know what to expect, but we weren't prepared for how quick the rocket left the launch pad. I think everyone expected a slow lift off like the Space Shuttle.

Well, I did the count down, hit the launch button and the rocket took off with a ppfffsssstttt. Right into the sky. We also miscalculated the wind. So, when the chute deployed, the chase was on. I had to run and run and run to chase that thing down. By the time I got back to the family the car was packed. What a memory.

Eli's Bandito

Katie's Viking

Brad's Hi Flier

How do you choose?

I haven't had an update in a while on the adoption process. Sorry about that.

This past Tuesday we had our fourth and final visit with the adoption specialist. That means that she can now work on completing her home study report. We should have that in 3 weeks or so. Once that is complete we can move forward with the Immigration paperwork. It also allows us to apply for grants/loans and some of the financial aid that might be out there for us. Getting the home study complete is also a milestone and passing milestones provides the feeling of progress.

Our next set of tasks are compiling all of the dossier paperwork. This is the paperwork that goes to Haiti and starts the formal process there. This is were it gets fun. We get to go back to the doctor. We get to see a licensed shrink so he/she can report that we are not insane. We get to gather formal birth and marriage certificates. We get to talk to our bank. And we also get to gather a bunch of photos. Sounds like we will be on the grid in both the US and in Haiti now.

The other neat part of all of this is some of the documents need to be notarized, some need to certified by the state of Indiana and other have to be translated into French. Yeah, there is a little sarcasm in those last comments. While I am frustrated by some of the process, I know deep down that this is what God wants for us and something that needs to happen. Keep the eye on the prize right?

To the title of this post. When we meet with the agency on Tuesday, they informed us that they were working with a second creche (orphanage) in Haiti. On the surface this sounds great right? Two orphanages, more options for potential children to be matched with.

Well, we had to pick one of the two orphanages to work with. For some reason, this weighed heavy on my heart. I had the feeling that we would choose incorrectly. We'd pick the wrong orphanage and the child that was supposed to be with us would reside in the other orphanage.

We found out today that we DON'T have to choose after all. The new orphanage let the adoption agency that they are not interested in working with us because of our biological kids. Because we have Katie and Eli, there is an extra step that our application/process needs to go through with the Haitian government.

I am relived that we don't have to pick an orphanage. At the same time, I need to be prepared to have my big boy pants on because I am sure this won't be the last tough decision we will need to make.

June Garden Update

The garden is really coming along nicely. Tons and tons of lettuce. The leaf lettuce has come in and is a nice contrast to the volume of Romaine that we have. I recently added jalapeno peppers to go along with the green bell and cascabel. I also added a roma tomato plant. The trellis is new since the last post and as you can see the snap peas have grown up nicely.

Peas, cucumbers, onions, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower.

Leah (my sister) and I were talking recently and she reminded me of being able to pick peas fresh from Grandpa Manbeck's garden and eat them on the spot. Eli and I sample one of the peas last night and with the help of that conversation, the flavors and experience brought back a rush of memories.

We've been able to have an onion and broccoli as well. There was also one lone grape tomato that Eli said was yummy. All delicious. Can't wait for the carrots to be ready to harvest and the cucumbers to start climbing the trellis.

Beans, peppers, tomatoes and herbs.

Mid-May Garden Update

The garden is really humming along. Eli and I did have one mishap from planting too early. We lost the first tomato plant we added too frost. I just couldn't help myself and planted too early.

We have harvested some romaine lettuce. Used it in a salad and also on Tuesday for Taco night.

The newest and maybe most fun edition is a pepper plant from my friend Needham. Needham works with my and lives in North Carolina. He is in Bloomington, IN this week helping IU with a project for work. There is a pepper lady in Bloomington and Needham is a hug pepper fan. So he bought some peppers for himself and picked up a Cascabel pepper for me. When harvested I am going to dry and then grind these peppers and use them in chili and similar dishes.

Happy Cascabel Pepper.

Here are some photos of how the rest of the garden is going. From bottom left, we just planted cucumber seeds. Then there are peas (Eli and I need to create a trellis). There is broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, then spinach, lettuce, romaine, onions, then some carrots, more lettuce and a broccoli.

The other box is not quite as full yet. Starting at the bottom left we have a grape tomato plant, the cascabel, then some beans we planted as seeds and a bean plant Eli grew in school, and finally a regular tomato.

2nd Home Study Meeting is in the books

We continue to make progress in the Home Study process. On Monday, Leslie and I meet at the BCS offices with the Adoption Specialist. We each meet with her individually as well together as a couple. In this meeting we focused on our childhood, how we were raised, what we remember about growing up. All in all an interesting exercise. You don't spend a lot of time thinking about these kinds of questions.

So what are the next steps? Well, we have our 3rd of 4 meetings scheduled for 6/2 at the house. This one will involve the kids. We are starting in on the initial educational requirements. We have an online set of classes that will fulfill 10 of the 30 credit hours we need. We also need to get working on the second set of paperwork. This is for the Dossier. The Dossier is all the paperwork that goes to Haiti.

Keep those prayers coming. For now, we need prayers of patience and perseverance.

Enjoying the "firsts"

So, up until recently, Eli has expressed very little interest in riding his bike. By 6, most kids have mastered this skill. But Eli, he'd rather zip around the neighborhood on a Razor scooter. Well Sunday, peer pressure won out.

He came into the house on Sunday afternoon and asked me to remove the training wheels on his bike. He wasn't alone. There were three other neighborhood kids with him, all wanting to teach him to ride a bike. We got the training wheels off no problem and then came the learning part.

To my amazement, he was riding in on his own in less than 5 minutes. Once I could convince him to let me help him get started, that was all it took. I helped him with his balance and away he went.

Now, you can't get the kid off his bike. He even showed up to meet me in his bike helmet last night when Leslie and Katie went to choir practice. So later that night we took a friend of his and went on a long ride around the neighborhood. And believe me, the kid has little fear on the bike and acts like he has been riding for months.

I've got to say that while there is some sadness that we are working through some if the big kid "firsts" (losing a tooth, riding a bike, etc.), I'm more excited about how both kids are maturing and growing as individuals. It is incredibly heart warming to witness and be a part of.

Which brings me to the thoughts swirling in my head about the adopted child. How old will they be? Have they been born yet? What firsts will we get to be a part of? How many of those firsts will be different than Katie and Eli? Can we get Katie and Eli to be as engaged and excited about all of this as us? Do we really know what we are doing in trying to adopt?

I suppose the length of the process is also designed to help bring some amount of clarity or peace to these swirling questions.

First Meeting scheduled with the Adoption Specialist

Can I get a huge huzzah from the crowd.? Yes indeed folks, Leslie and I are scheduled to meet with our adoption specialist this upcoming Monday. Whew! You can probably feel the satisfied exhale by me from where you are sitting/standing/laying.

I've got to confess, the lack of perceived progress in this journey has been starting to get to me. All we have been doing is filling out mountains and mountains of paperwork. If it isn't a psychological questionnaire, it's a Child Project Services form for all the states we've lived in since we were 18. Oh, and there is the criminal background check from the Westfield PD and that thorough physical workup from our doctors. Good news, we don't have TB! Can I get another huzzah?

I know this will be a long process and I know I have to have patience. I guess I just wanted to feel like things were moving forward. To date, it feels like the wheels have been spinning and gaining no traction. I think I will begin to feel that traction after our first visit on Monday.

When Leslie spoke to the Adoption Specialist yesterday, she got the sense that we'd be done with all our interviews/sessions withing 5-6 weeks. That would be wonderful. Once that is completed, guess what is next? Yep, more paperwork.

If all dogs go to heaven, what about all people

I was part of a very inspiring conversation last Wed with some men from St. Lukes around the topic of "Is there only one way to God"?

With this topic we also got on the subject of how do you get to heaven. I've long been of the belief that everyone gets to heaven. And, yes I mean everyone. Hitler, Pol Pot, the Chinese farmer who lives a good life, but is not exposed to Christianity, you, me, everyone.

I struggle with the concept that someone who doesn't have the opportunity to know Jesus and Christianity, but lives a Christ like life doesn't make it to heaven. So, for me, where do you draw the line? How do you judge who gets in and who doesn't? Now, believe me, I realize that I am probably unable to conceptualize what God has in mind for us, but this is still something I think about and struggle with to some extent.

So, if everyone gets into heaven, why live a good life now? Why not whoop it up and not be burdened by consequences? Now, I am not suggesting something along the lines of Pol Pot, but why not be greedy? Why not do what feels good now and not worry about the consequences to others along the way. Well, I believe one of our purposes in this life is to bring a small slice of heaven to those you come in contact with now.

So circling back the conversation Wed night, someone explained the concept of hell this way. We pass through hell on our way to heaven. During that time, God burns away all the bad parts of us and "cleans" us before our ascension into heaven.

This concept really resonated with me. It provides purpose for our life here and now, and addresses what happens with the "bad" people on their way to heaven. Poor Pol Pot wouldn't have much left when we got together for a game of shuffle board in heaven.

Maybe I am having my cake and eating it too, but I find comfort in the idea that everyone goes to heaven, but you don't get a free pass (making it there in tact) if you are a bad person along the way. An believe, me, I'll be quite a few pounds lighter myself if this ends up being true.

More pictures of Paulette and Daniel's house

We have an update. The house is not complete, but you can see that the bulk of the structure is done. As I understand it doors, windows, stucco and paint need to be applied. But, even as it looks now, what a difference from the home I saw when I meet them in September of 2010.

The other exciting thing for me, is Dave Williamson said that these kind of home builds might be the bulk of the work the mission groups from Family Health Ministries do in Fondwa. This is such a great way for a group to connect with a family in the community and see their work make a difference.

Rear view of the house

Top view of the house

Side view of the house

Starting a Garden

Eli and I built a couple of garden boxes late last year for a vegetable garden. We planted a few things and got some spinach and carrots, at Christmas of all times. With spring on the way we have planted some more things for this year. I bought some starter plants and have the following going.

• Spinach
• Lettuce (Romaine)
• Brocoli
• Cauliflower
• Sweet Onions
• Heirloom Tomato\ (Mr. Stripey)

Here are some photos of the garden getting ready to go.

 

Soon, we will plant our seeds carrots, lettuce, spinach, peas, beans. I'll also come back soon and plant peppers and more tomatoes. Then we will try and tackle a compost bin.

Extreme make over - Haiti Edition

Time for another update on Paulette and Daniel's house.

Before and after

As you can see their house is almost complete. Here is a quote from my friend Matt that I think sums this up beautifully. "Great picture showing the contrast between where they have been living, and where they will be living.  Great work!"

Just a few more things to finish and Ty Pennington can scream, "MOVE THAT BUS".

This is a very powerful example of the kind of difference we can make in the lives of others. God is GREAT!

My Dad and Chief Godfroy

This week is Spring Break for the kids. So, with some time off from work, I decided to tackle one of the final steps in gracefully shutting down my Dad’s business Manbeck Nurseries.

When Dad officially closed the business he rented a storage unit for 6 years to store all the paperwork he might need if the auditors came a calling. Leah and I had already been through the unit and purged ¾ of the boxes that we deemed non-sensitive. So that left 30 or so boxes that needed to be destroyed appropriately.

I pulled the seats out of the back of the van and headed off to Celina, OH. Now this is a route that I have driven many times. I travelled part of this route when going to school at Purdue. Along the way you go through Montplier, IN and get to see a giant statue of Chief Godfroy. When in school, it became a superstition that you needed to salute back to the Chief or else risk bad luck (poor exam scores, a flat tire, etc.) So, I felt it appropriate to grab a photo of the Chief along with my normal salute.

Chief Godfroy

Now, this won’t be the last time I take this route and get the opportunity to salute the Chief, but I am running out of reasons to head back to my hometown. My Dad is gone. My Mom and Sister live elsewhere. Even my friends growing up are moving on. Part of that thought makes me sad.

I also got an opportunity to think about “stuff” on the drive. I’ve gotten some absolutely terrible news from friends lately. One friend’s brother passed away at 36 years old. And another friend is dealing with the news about a brain growth and all that comes with that. I also know that a friend from my trip to Haiti is trying to adopt from there, but is challenged with not meeting their marriage requirement. All those things make me sad, but also serve as a reminder to me that you need to capture and enjoy the moment you live in now. All we have is now.

And that brings me back to Dad. What I wouldn’t give for one more round of golf? One more Buffett concert? One more dinner on his flame free grill? Dad, I miss you like crazy. I hope you were looking down today and smiling on how Leah and I have tried to gracefully close the Nursery.

High level timeline on the adoption

On March 22nd, we submitted our application with Bethany Christian Services (BCS). I guess that means we have officially started the adoption process. Included in that application paperwork was a contract, so it has to be official right?

Well, today we had a call with someone from BCS who explained what the next immediate steps will be and also laid out a general timeline. By early next week, we will be assigned to an Adoption Specialist. The Adoption Specialist will be responsible for completing the home study and walking with us through the whole process.

We also learned that BCS has a national office in Grand Rapids, MI and that in that office they have someone dedicated as a program coordinator for Haiti. This person stays in contact with the Haitian government and the orphanage that works with BCS, God’s Littlest Angels.

We got a ton more paperwork to fill out and we need to start on completing 30 hours of education. Ten of those hours need to be completed as part of the home study process.

Here is the rough timeline that was laid out for us.

It will take three months to complete the Home Study. (Beginning of July)

It will take another month to review and finalize the Home Study. (Beginning of Aug)

The next step is Immigration approval and that will take two months. (Beginning of October)

After the Home Study is complete we begin work on a Dossier for the Haitian government and for the orphanage. That dossier needs to get translated into French. It will be about 6 months from now when the completed Dossier will get sent to Haiti. (Beginning of October)

It will take a month for the orphanage to legalize the dossier. (Beginning of November)

At this point we can get matched with a child. This process is called referral and that can take anywhere from 6 to 10 months. (August of 2012)

The person we talked to today, began to prepare us that it could take up to 2 years after referral to be able to bring the child home to the States. (August of 2014).

Wow that seems like a long time from now. Both Leslie and I realized that the one thing we can control in this whole process are the papers and steps that we need to do. Delay on those things will only add to the timeline. We are thinking that this is like a trip to the amusement park. You run to the ride and stand in line for a long time only to ride the ride and then rush off to a new line. Wish us luck on our quest for a FastPass.

More Photos on the progress on Paulette and Daniel's House

David Williamson passed along some additional photos of the progress on Paulette and Daniel's house. You can really see the progress being made on the construction.

Something struck me as I was looking at these photos. Look at the photo of the masons working creating the wall. Pay attention to the view in the distance and see how beautiful it is. Now imagine that land and view in Southern California. How much would that piece of property cost?

Prepping the foundation prior to concrete.

The foundation being poured.

Blocks waiting to be turned into walls.

Mason's working on the walls

The family.

Progress on Paulette and Daniel's House

As I eluded to in an earlier post, the Men's Ministry group from church (SLUMM) donated the proceeds from the 2010 Fish Fry to help build a house for Paulette and Daniel. This was a family I meet on my trip to Fondwa in Sept of 2010. Here is a photo of their house from that trip.

Paulette and Daniel's "home" for 8.

Me with the family.

Here are photos of the foundation for their house being laid out and dug. I can't begin to describe how this warms my heart. I hope the pictures help tell the story and add some warmth to your day.

Foundation being laid out

Foundation being dug.

Kudos to the Crazy Socks

Katie's basketball team won their first playoff game tonight against a very good team that they lost too, two weeks ago. I am most proud of how they play with energy and joy. I've had the privilege of working with the girls as an assistant coach. They have been a real joy to work with.

This experience has also helped to put and keep things in perspective. I'm dealing with some stressful things at work. I have been overjoyed to have the games to look forward too at the end of a not so pleasant "day at the office."

GO CRAZY SOCKS!

Ups and Downs of International Adoption

We got this news from BCS (the agency we are using) regarding potential changes in the way Haiti handles adoption. We pray that this is positive news for all current and future adoptions from Haiti. We also continue to pray for patience in our current situation.

"We verified with our partner that Haiti did sign the Hague.  For those families contemplating an Haiti adoption, they need to be aware that there will be additional unknowns in the process.  We do not know if/when Haiti will pass a new law (we knew that there was a new adoption bill before the Haitian Senate, but did not know if it would be passed).  Ideally, Haiti would pass a new law that would conform with the Hague prior to them ratifying the Hague.  If they ratify the Hague prior to a new law, adoptions would essentially stop until the new law was put into place.  Another risk would be if they passed a new, Hague-compliant law that was not really workable, that the government could not practically put into place (or would take them excessive time to put into place).  Also note that if Haiti ratifies the Hague, the US has to accept Haiti as Hague-compliant in order for adoptions between the two countries to take place.

At this time, we do not know the Haitian government's intentions - if they intend to ensure that a workable new law is put into place prior to ratifying the Hague; or if they intend to ratify the Hague first.  Our partners will be updating us as they receive additional information."

Fondwa Update 2011-03-17

As I mentioned in a previous post, the St. Lukes United Methodist Men (SLUMM) raised money from our Fish Fry to help a family we meet in Fondwa build a house. Well here is an update on from Pastor David Williamson on the construction the last few groups have been able to do on Bos and Jesula's house. Bos and Jesula served us pate in their "house" in the rain. What a fabulous experience. The money SLUMM raised is going to build Paulette and Daniel's house.

From David Williamson - "Some of you here at St. Luke's have been asking if I had any photos of the construction at Bos & Jesula's house.  Here are a couple photos from mine and Jamalyn's work trips in February.  I just spoke with Bos a few days back and he says the house is now all finished with the exception of setting doors and windows.  There's a group there in Fondwa now working on Paulette and Daniel's house (they are pouring the foundation and starting the walls this week), and I've asked them to send us photos of both the houses when they return.  Just thought you'd like to see what you've helped make possible!"

Haiti Mission Trip August 2010

At the end of August 2010, I had the opportunity to go on a mission work trip to Haiti with some other members of my church. Our group was made of members of our Men’s Ministry organization at my church, members from a charity group here in Indianapolis called Kids First and others from the North Carolina area. We were lead by a pastor from my church who spent 2 years in Haiti as a missionary. He and his wife continue to work with the missionary group that organized the trip, Family Health Ministry, and go back to Haiti 4 times a year.

This trip had special meaning for me. When the earthquake devastated Haiti in January 2010, my church had folks on a work trip in the country. When natural disasters like the earthquake, Hurricane Katrina or the Tsunami in Southeast Asia happen, my heart goes out to those affected. However, this situation had my staying power for my wife Leslie and I. I felt like this mission trip was a real opportunity for me to be able to help in ways that dollars sometimes fall short.

Our trip was 7 days in length. We flew to Miami on Sunday afternoon and then left early the next morning for Port-Au-Prince. When each packed two duffel bags filled to their 50 pound limit with supplies. For our trip, that meant that we were able to take 1500 pound of tools and supplies. The flight from Miami to Port-Au-Prince was only 2 hours. When we landed, we exited to a terminal that was similar to the terminals that we all see when travelling in the states. However, that is when the similarities ended. We were bused to different building that was really a large airplane hanger. This is where we cleared customs.

After clearing customs and grabbing our supplies, we exited the terminal area and loaded everything into a truck and van. We had 2 hours ride from the airport to the community. Once we left the airport area, there was an immediate assault on the senses. For me, sight, sounds, smell and touch were all put into overdrive. We were immediately confronted with sights of tents cities like I had seen on television. About every third building looked to have been destroyed in some way by the earthquake. The traffic was busy noisy and full of diesel fumes. Along with the diesel, I could also smell and see trash piles. Some of the trash piles were burning. And as we moved out of Port-Au-Prince and moved into the mountains, I was able to get a real sense of the beauty of Haiti. Despite the beauty, I was constantly reminded of the poverty and devastation from the earthquake.

The community that we went to is called Fondwa. It is located about 35 miles southeast of Port-Au-Prince. When I thought of a community or a village, I assumed that most of the residents were located in one central area. However, the island that Haiti is on is quite mountainous. The community of Fondwa is really a small village area at the top of a valley. There are around 8000 people that live throughout the valley.

The group that organized the trip, Family Health Ministries, helps support a school and orphanage in the community. The kids in the orphanage attend the school, but the school also serves the community as a whole. Some of the students walk 90 minutes each way to get to school. The area where we stayed and had meals was part of a community center. This are also contained the temporary housing for the children in the orphanage. We were quickly greeted by lots of happy smiling children excited to show us their dormitory.

Unfortunately both the school and the orphanage building were destroyed in the earthquake. The two big projects that our group was going to help with were painting some temporary wooden structures and help complete a temporary school. Painting the structures would add years to their useful life. By completing the school, we were able to created 8 classrooms.

One of the exciting parts of working on these buildings was the help we had. The kids from the orphanage helped us paint. You could see a real sense of pride in their work as the painted their dormitory. At the school site, we had some of the adult men in the community helping us. For some of the men, this was an opportunity for them to learn carpentry skills that they would be able use later on with other building projects. Most of the men on the trip took tools and supplies from their homes to use in the construction of the school. When the school was completed, each and every one of us present one of the Haitian workers with our tools. The smiles from these men was fulfilling beyond words.

While the work we did and what we were able to complete was rewarding, the real value for me was in the relationships I was able to make. On two different mornings, we enjoyed coffee with one of the families in the community. The is nothing quite like coffee when the beans are grown on the bushes five feet away from where you are enjoying it. One family also wanted us to enjoy some food with them. It happened to be raining the night we went so they insisted we come into their house to stay dry. Now, their house was an eight person tent. Their previous house was destroyed in the earthquake. So, imagine 15 people in tent. While it would seem cramped and unwelcoming, it was quite the contrary. The hospitality of this family, made us all feel welcomed. We were served pate, which is a fried dough pocket filled with chicken and onions. It was my favorite meal of the trip.

We had another opportunity to experience the hospitality of the community. Dave, our group leader, took eight of us to visit the family of one of his friends, Paulette. Paulette’s family also had their home destroyed in the earthquake. The home we visited consisted of a pole structure wrapped in US Aid tarps. The structure was barely big enough to hold their double bed. Yet, they welcomed us in with opened arms. Seeing how this family of eight lived and how they welcomed us was another highlight of my trip.

On our last full day, we took most of the orphanage kids to the beach in a town south of Fondwa called Jacmel. Imagine an open air truck filled with 25 kids and 8 adults. The kids sang the whole way to the beach entertaining us along the way. While they tried to teach us Haiti songs, we taught them numbers like, “Who let the dogs out?” and “You’ve lost that loving feeling”. The kids don’t get an opportunity to go to the beach very often so this was a real treat for them. They loved the water, but don’t know how to swim, so each of us had at least one child clinging to us the entire time. The laughter and joy of that day was overwhelming and it was the perfect way to end my trip.

We travelled home on Sunday. As we traced our way back through Port-Au-Prince to the airport, I was greeted by another assault on the senses. This time the experience sunk in a little deeper. It is hard to comprehend how so many people live in the conditions we saw as we travelled through the streets.

The Men’s Ministry group I am part of has an annual Fish Fry in October. Because a handful of the members of that group went on the trip to Haiti, we elected to use the funds from the Fish Fry to help rebuild a house for a family in Fondwa. The money we raised, along with some funds from the Kids First Foundation are going to help rebuild Paulette’s house. The work on this house will begin in early March, and it incredibly rewarding to see the progress on this project and get updates from the groups that return to the community.

The T3 foundation at T2 help offset the cost of my trip and I am very grateful that I work for a company that values this kind of effort and is willing to help fund it. My experience has had an impact on me and I hope that I am able to do something like this on small and large scales on an ongoing basis.