It's Not For Sissies!

I have been told TWICE that "Haitian Adoptions aren't for sissies!"  The first time that I was told this, I chuckled.  By the second time, I just sighed, hung my head and agreed.  Why, oh why, is it SO VERY hard to bring an orphan into your loving family?

That is probably the most commonly asked question I get:  Why will it take so long to bring Sam home?  The answer is not very simple and, actually, there are many factors in this.  One would think that, with the thousands of children sitting in orphanages in Haiti, that the government would be THRILLED to find a loving family for these children to join.

Let me explain a little bit as to why this process of bringing Sam home is tough and long - and why I will have a lot more grey hair when this is done...

The first part of the problem is the lack of technology there.  The documentation is still processed by hand.  Even the birth certificates.  And then, if someone misspells something (name of the child or parents) the process has to start all over again.  Each document and process has to be re-done. 

And how much time does that take you ask?

Well, you may have heard about the never-punctual "Island Time"? ... yeah, Haiti is even a day late and buck short to that.

The new and major snag in our adoption of Sam is coming in the form of new rules that have been set by their IBESR office (the Haitian equivalent to DCF or Child Protective Services).  Under pressure from powerful international entities (namely UNICEF - and don't even get me started on them), IBESR has ruled that ALL adoptions in the ENTIRE country can only be processed through 19 adoption agencies. 

And it gets better... these 19 agencies can only submit ONE dossier per month!  Yes you read that right, my friends.  This is their new 'quota system'.

Got that math???

Only 19 children, in the thousands of orphans in Haiti, will start the process of joining their family each month.  That is a total of only 228 children A YEAR!  So sad, to say the least.

The glimmer of hope - and boy am I holding to it dearly - is that they are calling this a 'pilot program' and we are hoping that they see the light and scrap it SOON.  Like yesterday!

Our next snag... because one just isn't fun enough... The orphanage that Sam is at has always -for the past 25 years- done independent adoptions.  Meaning, they have always processed their adoptions themselves.  Without an agency.  Well, as luck would have it, they banned this practiced EXACTLY (I'm talking the week of) when we took our dossier down there.

So where do we go from here?

Good question.  Our orphanage - our creche, as they are called in Haiti - has to link up with one of these magical 19 agencies.  I have been in almost-constant contact with agencies and our orphanage, in hopes of creating a partnership that will lead to the submission of our dossier into the Haitian government.  We just need to continue praying that our 'creche' can partner with an approved agency.  Soon!

I know that THIS is where we are supposed to be.  I know that Sam IS our son.  I just have to have faith that we are going down the path that our family has been led to.  That this bumpy road and tough journey will all be worth it.  I have no doubt that one day, I will be looking back at this time of unrest, pain, fear, and uncertainty and know that I held to the convictions that God has laid on my heart.  One day, these trials will be a small blimp on the radar.  I will be holding my daughter and sons in my arms and not even remember these times of despair.

Would my life be A LOT easier right now to let go and just enjoy the life that I have been blessed with?  You bet!!  But what would I loose in doing that?  The life that God has planned for me and my family.  Our son that needs a family to call his own and a future for him that -right now- is uncertain.

NO!  I will not choose the easy way out!  I will continue to fight and find a way!  Because he -and all of the orphans in Haiti- are worth it!  This is my calling.  This is my passion.  I am a mother.  I am Sam's mother!