22Jan10 - Gotcha day!

DZwart

Legacy of Elijah Officer
I've shared in the past that my wife and I started down the path of expanding our family through adoption in late 2007. After meeting with a case worker at Bethany Christian Services, we decided to proceed with an international adoption to avoid the uncertainty and extended timeframe involved with domestic adoption.

Finally, in March 2009, we received word that 2 little girls would be joining our family. We had seen their picture before and, along with several other families, had offered to invite the 8 and 3 year old sisters into our home. We were told that we were picked because the orphanage felt that our family with 9 and 6 year old sons would be a good fit for these girls.

The paperwork began to move on, but we were a long way from being done. Finally in November, we were given the chance to travel to the orphanage and meet them as well as filing paperwork with both the US Embassy and domestic courts.

By January 2010, very little progress had been made. All that remained of the first step of the formal process, was to have the president of their country sign-off on allowing an adoption to a family with biological children in the home, ironically, the reason we were picked for these girls, which was an added approval required for such families. We were told not to expect to be able to bring them home any earlier than May.

Then... the unthinkable... on 12Jan10 at 4:53pm EST, an earthquake in excess of 7.0 hit Haiti just east of the Capitol of Port-au-Prince and less than 30 miles from the orphanage we had visited in November. We were fortunate to have received word that the orphanage had survived and that no-one there had been injured before 5:30pm, pretty much at the same time we were even aware of the earthquake.

As the images started to pour in, though, we realized that this would have a significant effect on our adoption process. The presidential palace, where we thought our paperwork may be sitting, was destroyed, along with almost every other governmental building in the city. The head of the social services ministry, that oversees the adoption process, had been killed in a building collapse. We heard and read estimates that this tragedy could delay adoptions 2 to 5 years.

For days, my wife and I obsessively watched the TV and internet for news of Haiti, information on the plight of Haitian orphans and any updates about the orphanage, their need for supplies and the hope of a glimpse of our kids in a photo.

On Saturday, Jan 16, we learned that a friend, who had previously adopted from the same orphanage, was preparing to travel down there with supplies and provide assistance, as a nurse, however she could be useful. It felt good to finally get out of the house and feel like we were doing something to help when we visited the store to pick up a few supplies to contribute to the things she was bringing down.

Finally, on Sunday, we learned that Haitian President Rene Prevall had decided to allow all orphans already matched with families to leave the country to be with their waiting families. However, the US State Department and Department of Homeland Security still needed to decide if they would allow the kids in, and if so, how to handle them.

Monday, the Department of Homeland Security announced that they would grant Humanitarian Parole to all Haitian orphans already matched to US families! The girls homecoming was starting to seem imminent, but we still needed to find out how US Customs and Immigration (under the US State Department) would handle the paperwork.

Tuesday, it was announced that the orphanage staff would need to apply at the US Embassy in Port-au-Prince (damaged, but not destroyed) for the visas for each child. The orphanage our kids were staying at had over 80 kids bound for the US. The staff worked tirelessly making over 900 photocopies in an office tossed and turned by countless aftershocks and powered only by generator. Since they had one of the few working internet connections and satellite phones, they had also been barraged for over a week by news networks for interviews. Despite all the distractions, they were able to get the paperwork together for 81 of 83 kids that they applied for. One was not far enough along, so they didn't have appropriate documentation to receive a visa, the other was missing a few forms, but may yet be able to come.

Countless hours went in both at the orphanage and by several people here to set up a plane to go and pick up all 81 kids and bring them to Miami on Thursday night. Parents were told to be in Miami by 9pm on Thursday. We frantically set up arrangements for my parents to pick up our boys from school on Thursday afternoon and to buy 1 way tickets to Miami since we didn't know exactly when we'd be free to come home with them.

We arrived in Miami by 6pm Thursday and met up with others we have met along the way. We went together and checked into a hotel since we hoped to have them late that night. We had a quick dinner at the hotel and returned to the airport by 9pm in expectation of a 9:40pm arrival of the kids... The plane was late in leaving. We finally got word after 11pm that the plane was given the push it needed to navigate away from the unusually crowded terminal in PAP. It was almost 1am when we heard that the plane had arrived. The TV cameramen finally left hoping to get a shot of the kids, but we were asked to stay in an area not being used by any airlines for ticketing. We got sporadic updates through the night that usually said "just a little while longer" in one form or another.

Finally, at 8am, we got word that they were finally finishing the customs and immigration paperwork, photos and fingerprints on all 81 kids and that they would be brought to us soon. We were moved to a conference room where we waited almost another 2 hours. Shortly before 10am, they closed the doors and said the kids were being brought up. They wanted to make the process as orderly as possible. As the kids were preparing to meet us (having diapers changed and changing clothes for some of the younger kids), we heard them through the partition wall singing "Sing Alleluia" in Creole. It was a priceless moment. A room of over 100 people who had been waiting in the airport for the entire night grew silent to listen, then cheered with an uproar for our kids.

After a few moments, the director of the orphanage came in and said a few words, explained what the kids were up to and what had happened through all the hours of travel and processing, then explained that we would be called by our children's names to meet them in the hallway.

The next 2 hours were an amazing experience and yet a complete blur. January 22 is now our "Gotcha Day" a day we will celebrate like a birthday when our girls joined our family, despite a bit of paperwork that will still need to be completed. We spent the time talking to them and trying to meet their friends and figure out who we might be able to make play dates with (at least 14 families within 2 hours of our house). We watched friends who we met in Haiti from further away be with their kids.

God truly worked in this horrible situation to make a miracle happen for these families. 81 kids from 14years all the way to 2 months were united with their forever family. The youngest the orphanage had been able to work through Haiti's lengthy process before that day had been about 2 years old.

Since we returned home, our life has been absolutely crazy with 4 kids running around the house. Neither my wife or I has time to even take a deep breath until late at night, but we're thrilled.

Finally, I want to add two quotes from my friend (whose wife is in Haiti volunteering right now):
"God is good, all the time."
"This earthquake was big, but God is bigger"

I know this was pretty lengthy, but it felt good to write it all down.

Please pray for:
  • My family and all the other families in the US and Netherlands as we adjust to our new situations.
  • The families of Canada and France as they wait for red tape in their countries to be cut so their kids can come home.
  • The staff of the orphanage as they adjust to missing so many kids when they're used to loosing a couple at a time and start caring for the new ones who have already started to arrive.
  • All the volunteers helping there and their families waiting for them here.
  • The people of Haiti as they work to recover and rebuild.
 
Amazing and awesome story. Thanks for sharing it and for sharing your lives with those precious girls. Will be praying.
 
Amen! Glad to see that there is God's grace in this tragedy. When's the pictures?? :p
 
But when are they getting their visas for Tyria?

Awesome news, awesome read, and glad to hear such good news coming from such a tragedy...congrats to your family!
 
What you are doing is...pure and undefiled religion that pleases God. (James 1:27)

God bless you both.
 
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