Signed, Sealed, Delivered!

The past week has been full of answered prayers. I cannot remember a time in our adoption journey or our Haiti journey where everything has fallen into place better than we could have hoped. My wildest dreams never could have imagined all that has happened or the close of this chapter happening in the way it is. But praise be to our Father in Heaven who in His mercy chose us, chose this path for us to journey, has protected and carried us through, and has set our chosen daughter free! We are so excited!

Answered prayers!

Friday November 9th -  Eric and Elita Marguerite travel to the doctor by tap-tap to complete her TB test and pick up her medical report. They left before the rest of the family got up. I called Eric around 8:30 am and they were already finished and were having a daddy/daughter breakfast date at a coffee shop they had found! They found a passport picture making and copy place and checked that off the list as well, picked up some groceries and were back home by noon! That night I found a different flight for E.M. and I for $700 instead of $900 and my sweet parents helped us out with that cost. 

Tuesday November 13th - Our entire family arrived at the Embassy for our 10:30 visa appointment. The Embassy was completely packed. I have never seen it so crowded. The kids sat on the floor (because there were no more chairs) playing card games. I decided to venture up to a window and just ask which window we would be eventually called to since we were seeing the Consular section this time. Less than 10 minutes later we were called and greeted by a smiling woman who granted us a very pleasant exit interview and our request to process our visa the same day.  We were walking out of the building at 11:20 in record time. We went to lunch at a lovely restaurant near the airport and waited until close to 2:00 when we were due to return to the Embassy and pick up the visa. We said our goodbyes to Eric and the boys who were dropped off at the airport for their flight leaving around 5pm. I returned to the Embassy with friends who were waiting to hear the verdict about our Haitian friend they are sponsoring who was applying for a travel visa and had an appointment at the same time as us (but had not even made it inside the building when we were leaving so we had promised to pick her up later when we returned for our visa). Our friend was not granted her visa. This was sad news and our friends sponsoring her were sad and confused by the verdict. Because I had an appointment I was able to get them a pass inside the building to wait with me for my visa and in the mean time we were able to go to the other side of the Embassy and nicely demand to speak with an officer about why our friend was denied. I waited till I had E.M.'s visa in hand and went along to support my friends. Even though our friend's visa was denied it was really providential that we were able to speak with the head chair of non-immigrant visas about why. This was the second time she had been denied (providentially we had also been with her on her first appointment because we were being fingerprinted that same day in August!...what are the chances of that besides God!). Although it was a bittersweet day in that we got our visa and our friend didn't, having a better understanding of the situation and closure was a gracious blessing. It was a bittersweet day for Esmée as well. We really wish she was getting her visa now too. But in our prayers this night we thanked God for His goodness even when it doesn't seem good. We know His plans are good and we trust that He will finish what He started for Esmée as well. All in all it was a very good day! Eric and the boys made all their connecting flights to St. Louis, MO and joyfully greeted grandparents and McDonalds late into the night! 

Oh yeah one more thing. During lunch at the restaurant I checked my e-mail and got one from our facilitator saying that the lawyer would certainly help us in getting the IBESR exit letter instead of me having to spend the entire next day sweating at IBESR trying to accomplish that! Our friends staying with us were headed to the beach the next day and had invited us to go with them so now we were free to go! We stopped by the créche on our way home and dropped off copies of the visa and other documents the lawyer needed to do this for us! What a day!

Wednesday, November 14th - Celebrated at the beach while lawyer took our paperwork to IBESR! 

Friday, November 16th - Got word from our facilitator that the final document needed for travel from IBESR was in hand and I could come pick it up whenever I was ready. I asked if anyone would be heading our way because I don't have a vehicle. I got a response back right away saying that one of their staff was coming our way on Saturday and would gladly bring it right to me!

Saturday, November 17th - IBESR exit letter delivered! Got to see some dear friends who just happened to show up at the same time! 

Sunday, November 18th - Pulled out hair extensions, painted girls nails, and packed! 

Monday, November 19th - Last minute details planned such as new hairdo for E.M. and picking up a new bike that a friend is flying in for Esmée (that should make her feel better for sure as it is nearly all she has ever asked us for the past year!), stopping by Apparent Project, and spending the night with friends nearer to the airport.

Tuesday, November 20th - Elita Marguerite and I get on an airplane bound for the U.S.A.!

Embassy signed and sealed immigration packet to give to immigration in Florida and IBESR exit letter has been delivered! 
Off we go!

Answered prayers for our Chosen girl!

Remember I asked for prayer over the weekend about the following? Check it out!

Monday November 5th - We received I-600 approval (our petition to classify Marguerite as our immediate relative...even though she has owned our last name for the past year) The very day we prayed for!

Tuesday November 6th - Chatted with a friend online who was also waiting desperately to get her I-600 approval. Told her about our hopeful travel plans and my concern that tickets would be too expensive and airmiles too many to take my 3 kids that have passports since our timetable is looming toward Thanksgiving holiday. Didn't know what to do or how to plan. My friend found tickets and graciously donated airmiles/taxes and fees for Eric to escort Ethan and Evan to their PaPa and MeMa in Illinois on November 13th. Eric hasn't seen his parents in a year and 1/2 so this is a huge additional blessing! Thank you God for precious, giving friends! (Eric will return to Haiti to be with Esmée around the time Elita Marguerite and I need to leave). Answered prayer! Praying for my friend to get her approval too!

Nice lady at the consular gave me clearance letter to get the visa medical done (though she did not give special clearance to forsake getting every vaccine known to man ALL AT ONCE...in Haiti! There is a waiver for such but only for children under age 10.) Called and called to try to get a dr. appt asap. Finally got through to one. The closest one to us. And he said to come at 8am the next morning! Answered prayer!

Wednesday November 7th - The doctor said he could have the medical report completed by early Friday morning when we come back to finish her TB test. 

Called the nice consular lady while still at the doctor and told her when the medical report would be picked up. I nicely asked if there was any way we could get a visa interview for November 13th. We  celebrated answered prayer thus far with pizza and pedicures (promised after all those shots)! Came home to an e-mail with official visa interview packet for November 13th! Wow! 

Thursday November 8th - Looked for flights all day (now that we have a visa appointment it was possible to guess when we could be cleared for travel). Was starting to get frustrated with Thanksgiving air travel prices when I saw the e-mail we had been praying for that my friend had received her I-600 approval too! Decided not to be frustrated cause we have so much answered prayer to be thankful for!

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Still praying for...

1. Getting to doctor in the morning to pick up and pay for medical report and complete TB test. The car we have been borrowing does not have good enough breaks to continue to risk driving it. Eric will take E.M. by tap-tap very early tomorrow morning. Then they need to find a good copy machine and passport photo shop. I know that sounds trivial but getting that done in Haiti without transportation isn't so simple. 

2. Need to come up with $900 for airfare for E.M. and myself or 70,000 American airline miles. I have a ticket on hold till November 9th at midnight. Praying if that's not the right one then I will find another cheaper one fast without spending another day online neglecting my children.

3. Visa interview on Tuesday November 13th to go well for us and another friend who is applying for a travel visa at the same time and we are riding together. Pray for my guys to get a ride to the airport and make it to Illinois without delay so they don't have to spend the night in Miami. 

4. Pray that I will figure out what we need to do to obtain the IBESR exit letter which is the final document we need in order to board the plane. Pray that it doesn't take long for me to figure out or long to obtain.

5. Please pray for Esmée as this is a difficult time for her. She doesn't fully understand why her adoption process is held up when she and Elita Marguerite went through the adoption process together. We are all excited for her sister and sad for her. It is the definition of bittersweet. We are hoping Esmée's new process goes much more quickly than her last because our family has already been approved once in the offices that take a long time to get through. But it will still be a long time. Please pray for her to feel much loved and not abandoned during this time. 

Pray for our Chosen girl to have a great trip to the United States! 

When I say states I mean IL, VA, TX and all the others we have to go through to get to and from these! 

Pray we get to see as many family and friends as possible!

*We aren't going to be cocooning though we usually recommend it in most cases. It's just that we've been doing that for the past year in the comfort of her homeland Haiti! She is ready to meet everyone and shop and eat and watch as many movies as she pleases is allowed. 

Smile! Your about to get pumped full of diseases vaccines! 
If you know me well you might guess how degradatated I have been over this!  And believe me when I say I tried to figure out a way around it, but alas she was too old for the waiver and I was too unwilling to try and conjure up her old vaccine records. It was a necessary evil. I told her that as far as I am concerned she will never have to have another shot again!