For the one accepted...

there will be 2 left behind.

Since my last update, I have been working away at asking for letters, getting things signed, making appointments, asking advice and really trying to stay on top of it all. There are so many details that come up that no one seems to remember can happen. Actually, I have some amazing friends and support who are helping me with the details so that we don't get too far along and then have to backpedal through the mistakes. One instance was that I was able to spot a notary discrepancy on one of the letters and politely ask for a new letter before it even got to the agency. That saved us time. I drove an hour round trip to hand deliver my fingerprints because I am almost positive they are going to reject. That trip is going to eventually save us time (if I'm right about the unreadable fingerprints God gave me). And so on...God is helping me notice the little things, remember the big things and keep it all in perspective.

We got a phone call from our case worker today! She's coming Friday morning for our first visit. She introduced herself on the phone (the agency told me her name) and I about screamed in her ear! So ready for the home study to truly start. All the paperwork for the home study is in except for the girls' teachers' questionaires. They couldn't have been requested by the teachers any earlier since school just started Monday so I'd say we're doing well.

I went to my first adoption coffee tonight. It was a small group of 5. There are many more in our adoption community. It is so comforting to know that although our journey will be unique to us, we are in the same boat as many families. I feel loved and supported even now as a newbie to coffee nights. They are going to be my cheerleaders when I can't cheer for myself. They will be my teachers, my sisters and become a new family.

So back to the title of this blog. Patrick, our agency director, asked if we were ready to look at profiles. There are 3 boys that fit our criteria of 0-3 healthy boy. We received the first boy today. I can break your hearts and share him with you but what if we don't pick him? He's still there. He's so amazing and beautiful. He's 3 (so on the older side of what we were thinking) and he's been there since he was 1. He loves to be held and he loves older kids and playing with balls. Well there you have it, but is he our little man? We are going to ask for the other profiles since both of the other boys are younger and just came into the orphanage.

Please pray for us as God helps us make the heart-wrenching decision of which little man is for us right now. Please pray for the 2 boys that are left behind. Help them see they are loved and cherished. Pray that they find forever homes soon as well.

Dossier. That a fancy word for paperwork, isn't it?

There is no guarantee that this will be the way it will continue, but we have been encouraged to hear that parents whose paperwork was started post-earthquake and submitted to the Haitian government in November of 2010 are taking home their children! This news COULD potentially cut our wait time in half. We are not putting our hope in man, but our miracle making God could bring our family together sooner than we ever could have hoped!

This past Wednesday, we had our Dossier orientation. For all of you who just went, "huh?" I'll catch you up. When going through the adoption process, our family will submit a home study & dossier to the Haitian government. More on the home study as we walk through that in the next 6 weeks.

Our dossier is a compilation of legal documents that show we are who we say we are. The documents include a letter from us to Haiti asking for the privilege to bring home our son, birth certificates, marriage certificate, employment letters, bank letters & statements, tax returns, police clearance, Psychiatrist wellness letter, blood work and Doctor wellness letter, (overwhelmed yet?) Passport photos, 3 different picture IDs, and reference letters. If that isn't enough to send you into a locked bathroom and cry...Most of the documents must be notarized, certified and some authenticated! "What does that mean?" and more importantly, "How in the world are we going to get this accomplished in the next 2 months with the kids going back to school and ministry starting up in September?"

We are stepping out in faith that as we get all our tasks accomplished, Haiti will be able to get their tasks accomplished so that our son will not spend 1 extra day apart from us. Our agency director informed us that there are 2 little boys that fit our age requirement whose paperwork has not yet been completed. That means they haven't been there long. God knows if 1 of them is ours. Please pray with us that our little boy has been able to spend time with a loving, caring mother for his baby months/years.

Now if you will excuse me, I need to make my bite size to-do list so that I can take it 1 document (and day) at a time.

Special Field Report: Haiti's Orphans Held Hostage from Douglas Phillips on Vimeo.