Patience

Walker Walker and Brison Michigan yuk! FalanciaThe Girls Sivencia Falancia and Sivencia Jiovenda

Hi everyone!

I know it has been awhile since I have posted, but there has been little change. Our paperwork is currently being legalized and we are anxiously waiting for it to go into MOI. The time frame for MOI is 3-5 months and is our last big step until we go to get them. After MOI there are still some other things that need to occur, but hopefully those won't take to long. We are hoping and praying that they are home sometime in early summer. But for now life goes on and we are enjoying being a family of four. I remember back to when I was pregnant with Walker and how much I cherished that time alone with Brison. Although, I can't imagine Walker not in our lives, time alone with each of your kids is special. That time will become even more stretched when there are five kids running around.

God is so good and kind and giving! Patience is a fruit of the Spirit that He placed in each and every one of us, when we accepted Jesus into our hearts. He continually asks us to exercise our fruits with the daily struggles of life. It is not always easy, but He is glorified when we do!

Please keep our girls in your prayers. Falancia's birthday was yesterday, she just turned 7 and Sivencia's is today, she turns 3. The following is from the update we just received on the girls yesterday. Enjoy! Love you all! Alli

Falancia has been called upon to be a helper in the preschool classes in the morning before she goes to school. Kiki is Sivencia’s preschool teacher and she loves having Falancia in class to be a helper. Falancia is great with the younger kids and is really becoming a great helper for the teachers, nannies and myself. Falancia loves the praise by everyone and is very willing to help out in any situation.

Jiovenda has moved up in school with the Haitian teachers. She is now in class for four hours in the afternoon with a teacher named Mona. This is the same creole class that Falancia and ten of the other big kids are in. Jiovenda really seems to enjoy class and does well. She does however seem to pick on Falancia a bit in class so we make sure that before class is started that they are sitting at two different tables.

Falancia’s hair is growing out very nicely and she now has enough hair to have it braided so she patiently sat while her nanny, Bernadette braided her hair using thread. Falancia was so proud when it was all finished and ran outside so show me. When I called her over to see it she started getting shy and ran towards me covering her face with her hands. This was a very special moment for her because before she was one of the only big kids that didn’t have enough hair to have it braided.

The girls are healthy and doing well.

Confusion

Me, Adeline, Lovely, Brian, Walker, Ellie, and Brison

We got some great news about our adoption, out paperwork is moving super fast! We made it through the courts in three weeks. The only problem is that I thought we were past this point already. I thought we were moving onto MOI after Parquet, but I midread my information. After Parquet (which it left on December 31, 2007) it moved onto the courts (which it left last Friday, the 25th). This the email we got last Friday...

From LaDawn (at the Bethany main office) - Great news to start the morning ... the Shira dossier is through in the courts, and is moving on for the Attestation Signatures on the girls' Acts of Adoption today! Once the Attestation Signatures have been received, the adoption documents all need to be legalized, and then GLA can apply for the girls' passports. The Shira are another step closer to having their daughters at home! A big Congratulations to them!!!

From Léa (at GLA)- This has to be the fastest adoption I've seen! I am sending this dossier for attestation signature tomorrow. I am happy for Brian and Allison!

So we are very happy about the progress of our paperwork, we just thought it was in a different spot. I don't know how long the attestation signature takes and then the documents have to be legalized. THEN the paperwork goes to MOI (see last blog entry about this).

Praise God for sending our paperwork through as quickly as He has! Hopefully the girls will be home sometime this Spring!

We got to visit friends who recently brought home their two girls from Haiti (they now have 6 children). That was very exciting! We got to hear more about the girls and about the orphanage and what to expect when we travel. The above picture is from our visit with them. When we walked through the door, the oldest immediately asked us if we were Falancia's mom and dad. They thought we were bringing the girls when we came to visit, but their parents told them that our girls were still in Haiti. Shelby, their mom, told me how she met Falancia and told her she knew her mommy and daddy. Falancia proceded to follow Shelby around for the remainder of her visit to the orphanage for that day. We can't wait to go get our girls!

Well, thanks for reading! Hopefully we will get an update on the girls soon and I will pass it along. Thank you for all of your prayers!

Love,
Allison

3 Weeks!!!

We got some great news at 4:30pm on December 31. Our paperwork came out of Parquet after being in there for only 3 weeks! Considering we know some people that have been stuck there since April, we are thrilled! We were expecting at least 2-3 months, if not longer. Earlier that day I had just read Matthew 8:13, where Jesus says, "...it shall be done for you as you have believed...". I said a prayer after that, "Please God, bring the girls home tomorrow." Then I got realistic and prayed, "Please God, have our dossier out of Parquet by Valentine's Day". I prayed this knowing that God can do anything and will honor our requests if we truely have faith in Him. He delivered my Valentine's gift an hour later. Isn't God great!?! Honor Him and He just loves to give us gifts.

So now our paperwork is onto MOI (Minister of Interior), this is where the girls' passports are issued. This is suppose to take 6-8 weeks, but some have been there since May. Back in September there was a huge backlog of like 300 dossiers. The dam seems to be breaking and dossiers are being signed and passports are again being issued. Please pray that this trend continues. The longer kids stay at the orphanage, the more the orpanage has to turn away others. These kids being turned away, most likely die from malnutrition. So the sooner our girls come home, the sooner another three children can enter the orphanage. It is just a vicious cycle. Anyway I digress, once the passports are issued, we are onto the US Consulate for the girls' visas. This is another area where there has been a hold up, but we are hoping the kinks are being worked out there as well.

So right now Brian and I are praying that the girls are home around Springbreak, which is in the beginning of April. I would say this is the earliest we expect them, but it is all in God's hands. Like I keep saying, He will bring them home at the perfect moment! Needless to say, this is earlier then we were recently expecting, so now we are starting to "nest". Making lists of things that need to be done before they get here. First probably being a new and larger vehicle...

So please keep us in your prayers, as you are all in mine. Thanks for listening and caring!
Love,
Allison

Merry Christmas!!!

Got some new Chirstmas pictures! My heart breaks and I want them here for the holidays so bad when I look at these pictures. We got an update on them and heard what they will be doing for Christmas. Sounds like they will have so much fun and activities that they won't have time to think about where they are. Hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!!! I love you all!

Allison

Onto Parquet

Falancia

Sivencia Jiovenda

Finally!!! Our paperwork is out of IBESR and onto Parquet. Traditionally Parquet takes about 2-3 months, but we know some people that have been in there since April. We are praying that we are not one of those. Parquet has not been processing dossiers with people that have biological children, we are unsure why because that is IBESR's decision to make. So, although we are happy that our paperwork has moved on, we are also nervous about it being in Parquet. Well, like we always say, it is in God's hands and He will get us the girls in His perfect timing. Anyway if everything goes smoothly the girls will be home sometime this summer, but we all know how that goes! Please keep us in your prayers and pray for the people working in Parquet that God will soften their hearts for these children and want to get them all home as quickly as possible!

Good News

Hey Everyone!
Just got some great news, our Power of Attorney that needed to be redone is now with the lawyer down in Haiti and it is about to join the rest of dossier. Our dossier is being held at IBESR and we were hoping to have it out of there by Halloween until this delay occurred. Now if it makes it out of there by the end of November, we are only a month delayed due to the error on the POA. This is wonderful news, we thought it was going to take longer. Praise God! Will let you know when our dossier comes out of IBESR and visits its next Haiti government office. Thanks for your thoughts and prayers! Have a Happy Thanksgiving for those I won't see or talk to.
In Him,
Allison

Noel and Pictures

Many of you have asked about the effects of Tropical Storm Noel on the orphanage. They got some wind and rain, but since they are up in the mountains a bit they did not feel the full effects of the storm like the coast did. Everyone at God's Littlest Angels faired just fine. Thank you for your prayers.

As for our paperwork, the Power of Attorney that needed to be redone made it down to Haiti within a week. Praise God! The Consulate and the translator processed it super quickly. We are not sure where it is in Haiti though. Hopefully it will get to IBESR quickly, which is where the rest of our dossier is. I will let you know when we find out. Hopefully this littls glitch won't back us up to much.

We received our monthly update on the girls this week. They are doing well and staying healthy. Looks like Jiovenda has lost a front tooth.

Brison has been doing well in school and we go for our first conference next week. He has been also taking piano lessons and seems to really enjoy it. We bought an old, used piano for $50 and we all love it.

Walker loves preschool and enjoys spending time with his big brother. His favorite saying now is, "whatever Brison is having/doing, I will have/do". He loves his big bro (see how long that lasts).

That is about it, had a nice Halloween and looking forward to Thanksgiving and Christmas. Thank you again for your thoughts and prayers.

Love,

Allison