He is Home!

We have finally reached the end of our journey to bring Jimmy home.  It has been a long, exhausting road and we now begin our adventure as a family of five.  I am so thankful for all of those who have lead us, walked beside us, and sometimes walked behind us to push us on when we were just too worn to continue.  I was thinking about the war we fought to get him here.  Rob and I are just two soldiers in the army who fought.  If it had just been the two of us, we would have lost the first battle and been defeated; but we have never been alone.  We had all of you loving, supporting both financially and emotionally, encouraging, assisting, advising, and praying.  Together we were an army.  An army lead by God, His purpose, and His plan.  We thank you for all that you have done to get us to today.  We will never be able to thank you enough. 

Kyndal, Bethany, Rylan & Megan with their signs ready.

Man, I wish time would go faster.

He is finally here!

Our family is together.

HE'S COMING HOME!

We received the visa appointment date on Friday. It is on Tuesday. We are thrilled that it is soon but 4 days...aaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh. Rob flew out Saturday morning. He is in cap Haitien with Jimmy now. They will fly to PaP on Monday. Hoping they will be home by the end of the week.

HALLELUJAH!!

Writing about last week now, I have perspective; but had I written last week, I would have written about it differently.  Last Monday, May 6, we received an email from USCIS.  They wanted us to have the death certificate verified in archives.  I was disgusted.  How could they ask us to do one more thing.  It was ridiculous.  After a brave phone call, I realized yet again I am not in control.  So, we talked to our lawyer and he set to work at getting it verified.  Unfortunately, he was extremely busy and could not get to it right away; fortunately, he had an associate who could take it to archives quickly.  We of course had to pay him for his time.  $150, well spent.  He was able to get it verified and resubmitted to USCIS on Friday.  So then once again we waited.

Rob was certain we would get an email from USCIS on Monday.  Monday came and went no email.  However, this morning at 7:33 my phone went "ding-ding" to let me know I had an email.  I checked it as I always do when we are waiting for an answer from USCIS.  There it was.  Some of the most beautiful words I have ever read.

 

Dear Mr. and Mrs. Schlup,

USCIS in Port au Prince, Haiti is pleased to inform you that the I-600 petition, which you filed at this office on July 23, 2012 on behalf of Jimmy Charles, seeking to qualify him as your immediate relative has been approved. Your case has been transferred to the Adoption Unit of the Consular Section for the visa process. This completes all action by USCIS on the referenced petition. The Consular Section will soon contact you to follow-up on your case.

 

HALLELUJAH!!!!!

 

I began to sing a song.  "We got approval.  We got approval."  Kids heard right away and I went to tell Rob.  We were all so thrilled and relieved.  I messaged Jimmy, called my mom, texted friends, and of course notified the facebook world.  It was a good day.  Now we will wait for them to contact us with his visa appointment date.  Hopefully, we will hear tomorrow.  Then, we can begin to make arrangements for Rob to fly down.

 

We rejoice for this journey is coming to an end.  We rejoice for our journey as a united family will begin.

 

My mom posted this on my facebook wall today and I think it is fitting.

Commit to The Lord whatever you do and yours plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:3

 

The Meaning of Family

My Grandma Minnie passed away last week.  My family spent a few days together remembering Grandma and lots of memories.  Not only am I sad that I lost my grandmother, I am sad Jimmy was not there with us.  Not because he never met Grandma, but because he missed seeing what family is all about.  Families love and support each other in happy times and in times of mourning.  Jimmy missed a wonderful example of my family loving each other through a sad time.  He missed the hugs and the encouraging words.  He missed the laughter and the tears.  He missed being surrounded by the comfort of loved ones.  I have been blessed to have a large multi-generational family.  I know that what makes my great aunt grumpy and that my great uncle likes to drive fancy cars.  I know that my third cousin has a voice that can command a room and my cousin-in-law loves cherry pie.  These are some of my greatest blessings.  To know my family and have them be a part of my life is a treasure no matter how old I get. I have been told repeatedly that Jimmy will be grown by the time he gets here.  Well, even at 37, I need my family; and I will continue to need them no matter how old I get. I know that Jimmy needs a family too.  I am thankful I get to bring him into our family.  Not only will he be blessed by all of them, but I know he will be a blessing to all of us.

Our lawyer submitted the death certificate on Thursday.  We hope to hear something soon from USCIS.

My Grandma is the third from the left.  These are her siblings.

 The Isbell Family

Death Certificate Update

Our lawyer, Diony, was able to get a death certificate made and signed by the judge.  He received it yesterday.  He will now have it "legalized" in Port au Prince.  He expects it to take a week.  Hopefully it will be ready to submit to USCIS next week.
Please continue to pray for Jimmy as he waits.  Prayers for comfort and peace are appreciated as he continues to be stuck some place between his life in the orphanage and his life here with us. 

WAITING STINKS!

We received an email from USCIS yesterday.  To sum it up, they will accept the affidavits from Jimmy and his aunt as secondary evidence that his birthmother is deceased but want us to have a death certificate made and registered.  His mother never had a death certificate.  Because it served no purpose to her family, there was never one made.  USCIS however finds it very important.  So basically, they accept that his birthmother is dead, but they want a death certificate saying so.  UGH!  I am beyond frustrated and think it is ridiculous that they are making us do this.  It serves no purpose and adds more wait time. On Monday, our lawyer will request that one be made.  He says it is "no problem" but will take some time.  There is that word again TIME.  Time just spent waiting.  Waiting since we met Jimmy: 918 days (2 years, 6 months, 5 days).  Waiting since we applied for his adoption: 794 (2 years, 2 months, 4 days).  Time Jimmy has spent in the orphanage waiting to be part of a family: 3050 days (8 years, 4 months, 7 days).  That is a lot of waiting and I AM SICK OF WAITING!  I know it doesn't do any good to be angry, but I am today.  I am angry my son is waiting and praying to come home; and someone in an office, who gets to go home to his/her family every night, thinks it is essential that there is a death certificate in the file even after accepting secondary proof of death.  Again, UGH!

I will post again when we have something new to tell.,

Good decisions hopefully lead to good results.

This has been a week full of progress and reassurance.  On Tuesday, our agency told us that we better get a backup plan because their lawyer wasn't doing his job.  Although this was a little more than irritating to hear, we knew we made a good decision to hire the new lawyer.  Diony did travel to Cap Haitien and take care of business.  He had a long rough road there but was able to persevere through rain and car troubles to help us.  He went to St. Suzanne to look at the register book that would prove the validity of his birthmother's death certificate.  After searching, he found that the death certificate was indeed a fake.  Our agency lawyer paid someone to make it.  So, Diony traveled back to Cap to visit with Jimmy and his aunt.  We were quite nervous; however, he got lots of new information from them which he believes will be more than substantial to receive approval for our I600.  He is now back in Port au Prince and plans to submit the new evidence in the morning.  We are cautiously optimistic.

Different path, Same destination

After much prayer and agonizing, we have come to the decision that we cannot wait for our lawyer to get the documents we need.  We have learned that his abilities and ethics are to say the least questionable.  Although our agency still has faith in him, we do not and will take the actions necessary to get our son home.  We have contacted another lawyer willing to travel to the village where Jimmy's mother died to get the document there as well as to Cap Haitien to get an affidavit from several family members.  We will submit these as proof of his mother's death.  The downside to this is that it of course will cost more money.  $3500 to be exact.  I cannot tell you how sad it makes me that this has once again come down to money. We have been so blessed by those willing to help us through this.  We have been gifted the money for the lawyer and that is such a relief.  We will be saving up for the homecoming travel, which will be roughly $2500 depending on how long Rob will need to stay and how much airline ticket prices fluctuate. 
Please pray for peace and comfort for Jimmy.  Rishard left the orphanage yesterday and will return to Oklahoma later this week.  Jimmy is extremely anxious as well as confused.  He doesn't understand why it is taking so much longer for him to come home.  It is so hard to explain it all when you don't even understand it all yourself.  Hopefully, his wait will be short and peaceful.  Thank you for your prayers on his behalf.

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As of today

As of Saturday morning, we still have not received the paper we need for Archives.  We have not heard anything today from our agency.  We are considering hiring a new lawyer to get us through this step in the process.  We have already paid our agency in full as per our contract.  So, it would mean that we paid for the original lawyer through our agency plus an additional $3500 for a new one to gather the proof of Jimmy's birth mother's death.  We are unsure what to do at this point.  We will make a decision soon. 
We rejoice with our friends, the Hoovers, as they have a visa appointment for their son, Rishard, on March 25.  As you know, Rishard and Jimmy have gone together through each step of this process.  They were expecting to come home together as well.  However, that is not going to happen.  When we started the process there was 1 family in process and 4 more started after us.  All of those families will have their children home once Rishard leaves CHCH.  I hate that Jimmy has to stay behind yet again.  I would love to just fly down and be with him until it is time for him to come home; however, just not a possibility for us.  I get daily messages from him asking when and why.  When he heard of Rishard's appointment date, he thought he had one as well.  It is heartbreaking to tell your child that everyone else gets to go home to their forever families, but you have to be without yours a little longer.  None of it makes sense and none of it is fair.  I am tired of trying to convince everyone else it is ok.  Because it is not, especially not for Jimmy.

It's just one thing after another.

National Archives is now requesting an additional piece of documentation.  They want a copy of the record book with the judges name that issued the death certificate.  Who knows how long that will take. It has been 30 days since we received the intent to deny from USCIS.  30 days ago I thought Jimmy would be home with us for spring break.  Now, I have no idea when he will be home.  I am at a loss today and struggling with the waiting.  I will update again when I know something new.

Positivity & Peace

What's new?  Not much.  We are still waiting for National Archives to get the extract for the death certificate.  It will be two weeks tomorrow since we submitted it to Archives.  For some positive news, our agency rep (Kathi) was able to visit with Madame Dormond of USCIS on Tuesday.  They had a good conversation and Madame Dormond assured Kathi that they are ready to move forward with the approval as soon as they receive the extract.  So, we are hoping the extract gets done very soon and we get approval quickly thereafter. 

God has given me peace about everything yet again.  Peace that passes all understanding.  Peace that calms the soul and heals my hurts.  Peace that only comes from God, our Father.  Although I still shed tears and feel the ache of missing Jimmy.  I have faith in God.  I know He is a keeper of promises.  He promises that he will "work for the good of those who love Him and are called according to HIS purpose."  I know that we were called by Him and that He has a purpose and a desire for Jimmy to be part of our family.  I will hold fast to His promise and the peace He so generously pours on me. 

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you.  I do not give to you as the world gives.  Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." 
John 14:27

"I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world."
John 16:22
 
"For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace." 
Romans 8:6

Let's try this again.

Our lawyer did travel to Cap Haitien yesterday.  He was able to get another original death certificate.  In his words, he was "lucky to have same guy who wrote first one."   He submitted the request for signature confirmation this morning.  He wrote in the email that "he is trying to expedite the process in order to get to an end in this endless proceeding."  I believe he will be just as happy for this to end as we will be.  He must get another extract (with the correct signatures) and submit it along with the new death certificate to USCIS.  I am hoping that is done by next Friday, March 1.  Then praying and crossing our fingers (and hopping on one foot if that's what it takes) that we will get approval and a visa appointment in record time.  We are hanging in there and appreciate you hanging with us.  I will update as soon as I get new information.

The latest

So, we made it through Karnaval and were told that our lawyer was going to Archives on Thursday.  On Friday, we were asked by our agency to send an email requesting copies of the death certificate and extract from USCIS.  Our lawyer had misplaced his copy.  Grrr.  We had a copy of the death certificate at home and before leaving for the weekend sent it to the agency.  On Monday, we were asked to send another email to USCIS requesting the originals.  The story from our lawyer is that the extract he received had been expedited and was not done properly.  He now needed the originals to go back to the Archives to be done again.  Now, we are uncertain if this is all true or not; but at this point, not much we can do besides go forward.  I emailed the embassy and followed up the email with a call to request the death certificate yesterday.  I was able to talk with a USCIS representative that was a little impatient.  She told me in no uncertain terms that we would not be getting back the FRAUDULENT death certificate.  It was incredibly frustrating and discouraging.  However, here is the plan.  Our lawyer will travel to Cap Haitien tomorrow to obtain a new death certificate.  In order for him to get it, the same man must be in charge.  Once he gets the new death certificate, he will have it reArchived.  Then we will resubmit it as proof that his mother is indeed deceased. 

I hope this all works.  I am so ready to be done with lawyers, agencies, USCIS, and all the other nonsense.  Please keep us in your prayers.  Thank you!

Hope and Lots of Determination

We heard from our agency this afternoon.  If you will remember, I posted about how we needed an extract for Jimmy's Birthmother's death certificate; and that we got it in just two days.  Well, the agency rep was mistaken.  Our lawyer has not obtained the extract yet he was waiting to see if we needed it.  GRRRRR.  Unfortunately, we didn't know he was just waiting; or we would have told him to go ahead and request one from the courts. 
Anyway, back to the present.  Because it is Karnaval time, we will have to wait until Wednesday to talk to the lawyer.  It will probably be Thursday before anything gets done.  We have thirty days to give USCIS more information or they will proceed with the denial of our I600 application.  Our lawyer will request the judgement for the extract from the courts asap. 

We definitely feel the blow of this set back but we will trudge on.  I had someone tell me that God must have big plans for Jimmy in the US, because Satan is working very hard to keep him in Haiti.  That gives me great determination to fight harder and trust God more.  Thank you for your prayers today and in the days to come. 

DENIAL!

It looks like our journey through this adoption is taking a scenic route through a bad part of town and will not be ending anytime soon. I am numb right now. I had hoped we were at the end of all of this and now the finish line seems so far away. Please pray for us and that this mess will be worked out.

We received an email from USCIS today that our I600 has been denied.  They have deemed Jimmy's birthmother's death certificate to be fraudulent.  Therefore they will not be granting us a visa.  I have contacted our agency and am waiting to hear back.  I will update when I have new information.

Happy Waiting Anniversary

We announced our intentions to adopt Jimmy two years ago today.  Since then I have posted 99 times.  99 posts about waiting, documents, court dates, waiting, travel, celebration, waiting, passports, medical exams, waiting, interviews, disappointments, and WAITING.  As our journey nears its end, I am thankful for every joyful, heartbreaking, faith-building moment.  I have grown as a mother, a wife, and as God's child. I know God has been able to use us to help others grow as well.  Although I never fully understood what an undertaking it would be when we began, I am so grateful for the journey.  I also look forward to the adventure when Jimmy comes home.

Update:  Jimmy went for his medical exam on Wednesday.  There were some difficulties like forgetting the tb test results in Cap, C4C forgetting the passports, and missing the first appointment; but God worked it all out.  He and Rishard were able to fly to PaP with the CHCH nanny, Marjorie, and back all in the same day. 
               I spoke with USCIS yesterday. They said that our file is still in review and that because we had to get the death certificate extract it was taking longer to verify that.  The lady I spoke with asked me to call back next Friday and she hoped to have good news.  The offices will be closed Monday-Wednesday for Karnaval (Mardi Gras).  So we shall see.
                Jimmy is on a youth retreat this week.  Every year at Karnaval time, the area churches send their teenagers to a youth retreat so they will not be part of all the non-Christian activities going on.  I am thankful Jimmy has the opportunity to go and hope it is a distraction from his waiting. 

We want to extend our most heartfelt thanks to those who helped us financially this week.  We are still overwhelmed by the generosity of others.  We are able to pay for all the expenses and do not foresee the need for another fundraiser.  Hallelujah!!! 

I will end with a couple of pics of our boy and ask that you continue to pray for our family.

Jimmy, October 2010 when we first met him.

Jimmy, January 2013

Waiting For Your Approval

After looking at the blog, I realized I have not kept you very informed lately.  I will try to catch you up.  We obtained the abstract for Jimmy's birth mother's death certificate within two days, such a blessing.  All of our documents were then submitted to USCIS for our I-600 approval on Tuesday, January 15.  I called a couple of days ago and was told our file is in review.  So as usual we will wait.

Jimmy will need a medical exam to get his visa.  His was able to get his TB test done in Cap Haitien this week.  He tested negative, thankfully.  He will now travel to Port au Prince on Monday to see the Embassy approved doctor to have the rest of his exam and tests.  He will also receive all his vaccinations.  This is all required for US entry.  Please say a prayer for him.  It will be a long day, and he will be exhausted physically and mentally.  I hate not being there with him.  I know he is 15 but his mom would like to hold his hand and comfort him a little. 

Once we receive word that we have I-600 approval there are two more steps.  We will be given a visa appointment date.  Chances for Children will represent us at the appointment.  He will receive his visa then but we must obtain an exit letter from IBESR (Haitian adoption dept.).  The letter is required to leave the country.  It will take up to five days after the visa appointment to get the letter.  Once we have the letter, Jimmy can come home.

One last thing, we I hate talking about but I guess it is part of it.  Several people have also asked so I will inform you of where we stand on funds.  We thought we had everything covered and would not need any more.  However, the cost of his medical exam and the cost of travel has put us in need of more money.  We are praying for God's guidance and provision in this area.

Prayer Requests: 
~Patience 
~Jimmy's medical exam
~Funding

Again, we appreciate your support and prayers.  We can't wait for Jimmy to meet all of you who have prayed for him over the past two years.

So close, yet so far away.

We are getting so close to Jimmy's homecoming.  The only thing we lack is his visa.  To get the visa, we must pass through a few hoops. We have run into an obstacle with Jimmy's birthmother's death certificate.  Here is what our agency explained to us.

The death certificate extract for Jimmy's birthmother has not been sent from the province where the death certificate was recorded. This is not uncommon when birth certificates or death certificates are done outside of PAP. By this I mean, that a death certificate had to be created for Jimmy's mom this year and what USCIS requires is proof that this is a legitimate death certificate. The proof comes when the record book from the province is turned into National Archives showing all of the recorded certificates (birth, marriage, death) from that area. In remote areas it can sometimes take months to get these back after the end of the year. So we have to request a judgment and that process takes 2 weeks. This unfortunately, is nothing that can be predicted. We had hoped it would be received by Archives in time, but since it has not, we now need to take this step. So, your file is most likely going to be another 30 to 60 days in process.

We are only a week or so away from USCIS having all of our paperwork. Then we will have to get them the death certificate extract then we wait for them to approve the I600 (1-2 weeks).  Then we enter the embassy process where your visa will be issued. This will be at least 2-3 weeks.  Jimmy will also have to travel to PaP yet again for a visa medical exam.  Not sure when yet but sometime after I600 approval.

Although the extract adds more time to our wait. We will wait and it will be worth it.  Our friend, Cindy Hoover, reminded me that as long as we are seeking God every day it will work out.  He will work it out.  Please pray that we continue to seek Him until the end of this process and after as we begin the journey of our forever family.  God called us to this place many months ago.  We made the choice to follow Him and allow Him to show us the way.  Along the journey, we have tried to keep our eyes on Him.  Did we lose sight of Him on occasion?  Yes; but when our eyes were on Him and we were seeking His way it has all worked out. 

Here are some pictures of Jimmy taken by Hunter Kittrell.  Thank you so much Hunter for doing such a great job.

New News

We received an email on Saturday from our agency.  Here is what it said.

We are awaiting the translation of the final adoption decree and other necessary documents that USCIS must have before they can approve your I-600 application. Your translations will begin next week, but I'm not sure when we can expect them.

Once the translations are completed, Kelitta will turn in the remainder of the documents requested by USCIS to approve your I-600.

The only possible catch we are aware of at this time is that Jimmy's birth mother's death certificate does not have an extract (official Haitian certification). There is a good possibility that USCIS will accept the death certificate that is in our possession for the I-600, however, I am trying to get an estimate from Robert on what it would entail to get the extract completed through a judgment in court in terms of time and cost. Once I hear back from him on that, I will let you know. The judgment is expected to take three weeks to complete, so it will delay the process for you if USCIS does request it. One question I have for you, if, depending on the cost, you want to move forward with Robert's team trying to receive the judgment in the meantime so as to not lose time waiting to see if USCIS requests it or not. It is certainly your choice, and I know finances will be a factor, but I guess I just wanted you to think about it now so that you have explored all your options.

At this point I don't have a timeline of how long to expect once all the documents are submitted to USCIS and the I-600 is approved. However, once approved, you will receive an email from USCIS stating that your I-600 has been approved and has moved over to the Adoptions Unit at the Consulate. 
After a few business days, you should then hear from the Adoptions Unit at the Embassy requesting a visa appointment for Jimmy. The Haiti team represents you at the visa appointment. After the visa appointment, then it may be as long as five days before IBESR issues the letter allowing Jimmy to leave the country with you. Only after the IBESR travel letter is issued are families asked to travel for the pick up trip.

 

So, that is the new news.  Not great news, but at least it's news.  We will also need to send two payments with the paperwork we are to provide. One is for his visa and all the necessary things that go with that.  The other is our final payment to the agency.  I am stressed about making these payments as well as if we need or choose to get the extract for his mother's death certificate.  Up to this point, we have been able to pay for everything without borrowing money.  Whether it was out of our pocket, fundraisers, donations or work; we have been able to write a check for all the expenses.  I know God is going to provide what we need this time as well.  It is just hard not to think about it and stress.  (For those of you interested, it will be $540 for the visa and $2000 for the agency.)

Please pray for us as these last steps are completed.  Pray for us to find a way to earn the money and make the payments as soon as possible.  Also, pray for the wait.  Jimmy is so patient and understanding.  There is a peace between all of us that is only explained as the Spirit.  We appreciate everyone's kind words and prayers.