In May 2019 we started the process to adopt internationally. We were thrilled when we were matched with TWIN GIRLS!! :) October 2023 we were finally granted the approval to fly our family to Liberia and adopt them. October 24, 2023 they became OLIVE & JUTTE BUTLER! November 2023 we went to our appointment at the US Embassy in Liberia to file our i600. Weeks went by while we were living in Liberia (others were getting approved) and we had not heard anything. Brandon called the Embassy to try and get an update and they told us "they were waiting on a missing document from the local officials and then they would be ready to make a decision". (The only way we were able to get anyone to answer their phone was if we called after hours and used the emergency line. Then they eventually quit answering us there). The lack of communication the US Embassy is giving families in country is ridiculous. After about six week of waiting, we decided to fly our two boys home and then we would come right back and fly the girls home. We were a little nervous of flying 4 children home all under the age of 5. Our oldest son is autistic and he was ready to get back to his routines. He loved his sisters but was ready to be back in school. Our girls were excited to go see their friends one last time before they "get on the airplane with Mommy and Daddy". Little did we know we would be home for weeks and weeks and still hadn't heard anything. This was DEVESTATING. We had to spend Christmas without them…with so many gifts under the tree that are still unopened. The Embassy would not give us any clear update. Out of no where we received an email in January stating our case was not clearly approvable and they would be sending us to USCIS. We didn't understand why? They didn't provide any kind of explanation. We then found out a few days later, the US Embassy told the Police in Liberia to investigate our case and our agency for Child Trafficking. This lead us to believe that is why they would not approve our girls to immigrate to the US. I am confused how you can send us to immigration (which forces us to wait BEYOND LONGER and hire an attorney) and then require an investigation. This seemed very backwards to us. Shouldn't you investigate before saying it wasn't approvable. Not to mention, they interviewed the birth mother to our twins without an interpreter present and English is not her first language. These birth families deserve the right to an interpreter but don't get me started there… How can you gather child trafficking and she can hardly understand you. Not to mention, Liberia English is VERY DIFFERENT than US English. Our daughters are Butler's in Liberia but our own country won't grant them a VISA to the US to live here with us. Here we are 7 months from adopting them and still have yet to receive any response from the US Embassy or USCIS on our case? Other families adopting from Liberia have received their documents in the mail from USCIS in 2-3 months. (also don't get me started on we have to wait for immigration documents to come in the mail. They won't email it.) We have been waiting for 5 months and have not heard anything. Due to this outrageous claim, our adoption agency is now under suspension and cannot collect any fees or allow any adoptions to be completed. Not to mention, Liberia has now halted all adoptions due to these claims made by the US Embassy. How can the US Embassy make such claims without evidence to back it up? I won't go into more details but I can tell you our adoption was completed by Liberian Law and American law. They were not trafficked. Their birth mom made the most difficult decision and put them up for adoption for private reasons that I am not going to type but THEY WERE NOT SOLD. Our daughters are getting bigger and older! They are now 5 years old…they deserve to be reunited with their parents and brothers. They deserve to start Kindergarten in August with the other children their age. We have decided to start the process of fundraising again so we can start the litigation process and if we can raise enough to travel to Liberia to visit them and try and demand answers on this ongoing police report. We would need around $5000 to travel to Liberia for a week. We have contracts that have relayed that the current investigation is in our favor but it still has yet to be released. We feel we may need to get meetings set up to help push this along. Our girls deserve answers as to why they cannot come home. They need to see us again soon. They have been through enough trauma. We have hired an attorney who just won in district court against USCIS representing another family who had been fighting similar claims for five years last Monday. He is already moving things for us!! If we can get an approval this will allow not only Olive and Jutte to be reunited with their family, but it will allow Liberia to open their doors again for adoption and all families waiting to complete their adoptions with our agency. Everyone thinks my girls are not home because of Liberia but that is not the case. This is being stopped by THE UNITED STATES. All of these orphans deserve to be sons and daughters again.
I used to worry will they ever come home but our new attorney is like "WE ARE GETTING THEM HOME. WE WILL FIGHT THIS." Gods got this. He loves them more than I do.
We are currently hoping to raise $5000 to travel to Liberia for a week. If we do not receive an approval, we will need $20,000 in attorney fees.
Thank you so much for your love, support, and prayers. Olive and Jutte already have so many people who love them. I can't wait for them to come home! You will love Olive's squeals and Jutte's snort when she laughs. We decided to make this account so people who felt called to donate/give could in a better platform. People will also appreciate the tax deductible gift. :)
God has this battle. TRUSTING HIM.
Take you at your word by Cody Carnes has been a go to worship song for me. "I'll take you at your word. If you said it I believe it. I've seen how good it works. If you start it you'll complete it".
