After many years in Haiti serving at Children of the Promise as the nurse and then the special needs house mom, God brought me and Lucas (4 years old) to South Carolina in a whirlwind of unexpected events. Most recently, we had been fostering Joshua (15), KK (14), and Jerry (11), and were heartbroken to be leaving them. I prayed and wept about whether I might be able to adopt KK, waiting to be legally eligible and knowing I couldn't care for all three on my own. And then in August my sweet KK passed away, just a few weeks before I was legally able to begin the adoption process.
But God has not allowed me to be paralyzed by grief or regret. Instead, he has tenderly but persistently pressed Joshua and Jerry into my heart and mind. They need a forever family. God has already poured his love for them into and through me. It seemed so complicated, though. How could I care for two boys with profound special needs as a single mom? What if the process is too slow and Joshua ages out? Or dies? How will I afford the international adoption fees? Would it be fair to Lucas? I'd need a fully accessible home and a wheelchair van. I'd need an army of support. It would be so much easier if only…
But he finally helped me realize: it's actually not complicated at all, is it?
I play piano on the worship team at my church and we're introducing a new song by Bryan and Katie Torwalt called Simple Kingdom:
"Your kingdom is simple
As simple as love
You welcomed the children
You stopped for the one
We want to see people
The way Jesus does
Your kingdom is simple
Lord, teach it to us
Your kingdom is backwards
It flows in reverse
What You call a treasure
This world calls a curse
The small become great and
The last become first
Your kingdom is backwards
Lord, teach us to serve
As it is with Your kingdom
Let it be with Your church"
God has given me the incredible gift of seeing Joshua and Jerry the way he does, their great worth and their great need. And his kingdom is simple, so I'm stepping forward in great faith.
My dossier is ready to be mailed to the adoption agency! If you aren't familiar with the process of international adoption, the dossier is loads of paperwork (about 2 inches!) that I gathered, completed, and had notarized (sooo many notary stamps!) that will soon be translated into French and sent to Haiti. It feels amazing to have this done!
I've also received some encouraging news! We knew that Joshua's upcoming birthday in May was a deadline of sorts, and I previously thought we needed to have his referral from Haiti completed before his birthday. Well, we actually have more time than I thought! Once the home study is finalized (yes, still waiting on the social worker), it will be submitted with my I-800A application to USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services). This is basically a pre-adoption approval and can take 3.5 months to process. When I heard that, my heart sank, because that won't even be done before Joshua's birthday, let alone the referral! However, I recently learned that as long as the I-800A is submitted before his birthday, I have 180 days after its approval to get the referral! This is still a long shot because Haiti is processing things at an incredibly slow pace, but it significantly widens the window of opportunity, and I am grateful for any extra days we have!
Once again, I am reminded that everything is truly in God's hands. He will move mountains, or he has really good reasons why those mountains should stay put. I must simply trust his goodness and continue to obey.
Hello!
I am so grateful for all the prayers, support, and words of encouragement I have received during this process so far! The home study has been completed, and we are now waiting on the social worker to finalize her report so that it can be filed along with my I-800A to USCIS (US Citizenship and Immigration Services). This is a petition to receive pre-adoption approval before my dossier (a giant stack of paperwork) is sent to Haiti.
Throughout this process, I have been keeping open hands and an open heart as I step forward in obedience toward what I know God is asking me to do. He desires obedience but has not guaranteed a particular outcome; I trust that he knows what is best for the boys and for us! The next hurdle is getting my I-800A approval quickly enough to submit my dossier to Haiti and be officially "matched" with Joshua and Jerry. This all needs to happen before Joshua turns 16 in May and is no longer eligible for adoption by Haitian law. Join me in praying for these next steps!
You may notice that the fundraising goal is decreased significantly. A very generous donor has provided enough for the entire dossier preparation and fees to submit it to the Haitian authorities. What a blessing!
