Our home study is complete! It is being sent to USCIS (immigration) today and I emailed a copy of it to Liberia.
I also contacted Senator Klobuchar's office to help us expedite the approval of our I-600A. The I-600A can typically take about 3 months to be approved, but we are hoping for much quicker!!
For those who don't know, the I-600A is the document that will give Nate and I approval to bring an orphan into the country. It does not specifically approve James to come in to the country. That approval will be the next step after our adoption is complete in Liberia.
Please pray for a quick process through the courts in Liberia and a quick approval from USCIS!
Thank you!!
Tuesday, July 30, 2013
Monday, July 29, 2013
Who Is This Chubby Little Boy?
We received this picture today. Check out the cheeks on James!! I hardly recognized him! The orphanage was able to get a high calorie feeding for him and it is obviously working well!
We were excited to receive this update and thought that would be all we would hear from the orphanage today, but nope!
I received an email around 7:30 this evening from the orphanage director asking me to call her ASAP. There was also a missed call from her on my phone. My heart just dropped and I tried not to freak out as I anticipated the worst.
It turns out that little James pulled his feeding tube out this afternoon!! He had to be brought to the hospital and had it reinserted. It all went well, though, and he is back in the orphanage tonight. Hopefully he learned his lesson and won't do that again :).
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Background Check Complete! (posted by Nate)
Christina called me a few minutes ago to inform me that our background check is complete! What this means is that the homestudy is also essentially complete. All that is needed now are a few signatures from staff at the homestudy organization. This is a huge answer to prayer, as this background check had the realistic potential of taking a couple months.
Big pat on the back to Christina, for the great work she did getting all this submitted. All I had to do was show up at the sheriff's office and get my fingerprints taken!
Also, I doubt Peter from Senator Julianne Ortman's office is reading this, but thank you (to Peter) for contacting the Department of Health, yesterday, to request that the background check be expedited.
Moving forward: The estimate, now, is that the homestudy will be ready to be sent off to immigration and Acres of Hope some time next week.
God continues to move the process for James along. Thank you God!
Big pat on the back to Christina, for the great work she did getting all this submitted. All I had to do was show up at the sheriff's office and get my fingerprints taken!
Also, I doubt Peter from Senator Julianne Ortman's office is reading this, but thank you (to Peter) for contacting the Department of Health, yesterday, to request that the background check be expedited.
Moving forward: The estimate, now, is that the homestudy will be ready to be sent off to immigration and Acres of Hope some time next week.
God continues to move the process for James along. Thank you God!
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Home study ALMOST done!
Our home study is completely typed up and ready to go once our background checks come back. Our applications for checks were submitted 7 days ago. These can take up to 8 weeks, but our agency received notification that ours was put into processing today, so we are hoping that is a good sign that it will go quickly!!
I wanted to give a quick update on our fundraising. As of today we have received $4200 towards Samuel and James. We are blown away by this blessing. We could not do this if it were not for your generous hearts. During our home study, our social worker asked us about our support system and whether or not those around us approve of our decision to adopt. LOL!! That was an easy question to answer!!
I received word from the orphanage today that James is doing well and has gained about a pound in the last month! Praise God for that!! We are hoping to get a few new pictures of him in the next couple of days.
I'm just so happy that things are moving in the right direction!
I wanted to give a quick update on our fundraising. As of today we have received $4200 towards Samuel and James. We are blown away by this blessing. We could not do this if it were not for your generous hearts. During our home study, our social worker asked us about our support system and whether or not those around us approve of our decision to adopt. LOL!! That was an easy question to answer!!
I received word from the orphanage today that James is doing well and has gained about a pound in the last month! Praise God for that!! We are hoping to get a few new pictures of him in the next couple of days.
I'm just so happy that things are moving in the right direction!
Saturday, July 13, 2013
Plan B (or C or D or E... I don't know, I've lost track :)
Basically, nothing has gone the way we thought it was going to go since last April when we first heard about Samuel. We have been through many ups and downs and uncertainties. We have definitely learned that we are NOT in control.
So, new plan. This time we go into it with the full realization that it may not work out the way we hope, but that doesn't mean that we still don't hope!! We must continue to hope and pray that this will work out, all for the glory of God. This is big picture stuff that we are living in right now and we can't get bogged down in the fact that the details are not going our way. We are going to move ahead with adopting James now. We had hoped to adopt him at some point, but the goal initially was just to get him to the US so he could obtain medical care. We have decided not to pursue further attempts with immigration attorneys to possibly get him home more quickly. There are just so many uncertainties there and we don't want to waste any time, money or energy on something that we feel will likely not be successful.
So we have had a busy week getting everything in order. I have been working with a wonderful home study agency, who has been very helpful and has been moving very quickly on our behalf. We already had the social worker in our house this week to start with the homestudy. With their help, the homestudy should hopefully go quickly.
The one hold up will be our background check. We just had a background check done in December when we were licensed as foster parents, but we still need to complete a new one. These backgroud checks will sometimes take up to a month to get results back. Our homestudy will not be complete until our background check is in. Please pray for a quick background check and that we will be able to somehow expedite this portion of the process. Once the homestudy is complete, then we apply with USCIS (immigration) for a preapproval for an orphan visa.
At the same time that we are waiting for immigration approval, our homestudy will go to the Liberian courts to process our adoption. This process could normally take up to three months, but we are very hopeful that our immigration process may be able to be shortened due to James' medical needs.
Once we have USCIS approval and once the Liberian courts have completed our adoption then Nate will travel to Liberia (again) and we will have a US Embassy appointment (again)in Liberia to obtain an orphan immigrant visa.
So, that's OUR plan! Now let's all watch and see what actually happens :) Thank you all for your love and support!!!
So, new plan. This time we go into it with the full realization that it may not work out the way we hope, but that doesn't mean that we still don't hope!! We must continue to hope and pray that this will work out, all for the glory of God. This is big picture stuff that we are living in right now and we can't get bogged down in the fact that the details are not going our way. We are going to move ahead with adopting James now. We had hoped to adopt him at some point, but the goal initially was just to get him to the US so he could obtain medical care. We have decided not to pursue further attempts with immigration attorneys to possibly get him home more quickly. There are just so many uncertainties there and we don't want to waste any time, money or energy on something that we feel will likely not be successful.
So we have had a busy week getting everything in order. I have been working with a wonderful home study agency, who has been very helpful and has been moving very quickly on our behalf. We already had the social worker in our house this week to start with the homestudy. With their help, the homestudy should hopefully go quickly.
The one hold up will be our background check. We just had a background check done in December when we were licensed as foster parents, but we still need to complete a new one. These backgroud checks will sometimes take up to a month to get results back. Our homestudy will not be complete until our background check is in. Please pray for a quick background check and that we will be able to somehow expedite this portion of the process. Once the homestudy is complete, then we apply with USCIS (immigration) for a preapproval for an orphan visa.
At the same time that we are waiting for immigration approval, our homestudy will go to the Liberian courts to process our adoption. This process could normally take up to three months, but we are very hopeful that our immigration process may be able to be shortened due to James' medical needs.
Once we have USCIS approval and once the Liberian courts have completed our adoption then Nate will travel to Liberia (again) and we will have a US Embassy appointment (again)in Liberia to obtain an orphan immigrant visa.
So, that's OUR plan! Now let's all watch and see what actually happens :) Thank you all for your love and support!!!
Saturday, July 6, 2013
A note from Nate
First off, I'd like to thank my wife, Christina, for her great work on this blog. I'm back from Liberia (returned Thursday at 5pm) and was impressed to read all of the detailed updates she posted while I was with James in Monrovia. As I read her blog entries, I find myself reliving the stress and heartache of battling both physically and spiritually to try and bring home our newest child; an amazing boy who needs life saving surgery.
I also want to point out that I know it had to have been difficult for Christina, stuck in Minnesota, with no way to help me in my attempts to secure a visa for James. She was a constant support via text and phone during my two week "vacation" while taking care of our three busy children.
Normally, Christina is the one to write these posts but given the fact that I was the one in Liberia, we thought it'd be good for me to write a note.
I feel like I could write a book after this experience, but for your sake I'll try and highlight the key questions people have been asking:
Q: Why was James not allowed to come back with me?
A: His visa was denied (twice). While I was extremely hurt and upset with the U.S. embassy employee who denied it, I've since learned that it was a blessing in disguise that he made the decisions he did. I was informed yesterday that had Jame's tourist/medical visa been approved, it would have made it much more difficult for us to eventually adopt him. How horrible would that have been? The embassy could not legally or ethically approved the visa we were attempting to get. There was no way to prove he would be coming to the U.S., without intent to help him immigrate to our country.
Q: Why would the adoption agency have directed us to come to Liberia and attempt to bring James back under this type of Visa, when it would have ruined our chances of adopting him?
A: I believe there was some major misunderstanding in the info that was communicated to the legal rep for the agency. This was the first time the agency tried to go this route with adoption. I don't believe they had any bad motives - I just think there were some communication issues.
Q: Would I, Nate, do this trip/experience over again, had I known it would not work out?
A: Yes! While it was heartbreaking and horrible coming home without James, knowing his need for medical care, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to bond with him. To go from the first couple days, when he didn't want to be near me - to the final days, when he laughed with me, cried with me, insisted on sleeping next to me in bed (instead of the pack and play), etc - it was something I will never forget. I thank God for allowing me to bond with James, meet his birth mom, and experience the country and culture he comes from. I wish, of course, there had been some way I could have known the visa would not work out - this would have saved me a ton of stress while in Liberia - but again - had I known - I probably would not have traveled, and bonded with him.
Q: The U.S. embassy says on their website that Liberia is dangerous. Was it?
A: No. The Liberian men and women, (and children) I met were some of the nicest people you could ever meet. I walked the streets after dark more than once, and did not feel the least bit nervous. Traffic was often horrible, but no one got mad at each other. My entire time there, I only saw people angry with eachother on two occasions. One of those was in the midst of a traffic accident. The only thing that made me uncomfortable was the way everyone - and I mean everyone - would stop and stare at me when I was out walking. It was a bit creepy.
Q: Did you get sick?
A: No! I ate a number of things Americans are advised not to eat (e.g. fish, lettuce, water) and never once felt the least bit ill.
Q: How were the mosquitos?
A: I've been bitten 5 times since arriving home (including once while typing this blog entry). In Liberia - only once!
Q: What was James like?
A: He is strong willed! Despite his inability to talk (due to his injury) he does not hesitate to make it known one way or another when he , wants or needs something. He is handsome, and serious. He is shy, but will shake hands with strangers. He likes sugar (especially lollipops and sugar cubes). He likes to cuddle, and be held. He also loves stroller rides along the beach. I got a glimpse of his humor, my last day in Liberia. I put some headphones on and pretended to dance. He tipped his head back and laughed a broken laugh, clapping his hands.
Q: What was James initial response when meeting me?
A: He didn't want to be near me. He cried. He was upset. I was a scary looking white guy!
Q: What are the next steps?
A: We will be pursuing the adoption route. Our local senators will be helping us speed up the process. As to when we expect the process to be complete, we are not sure. I'm hoping by the end of summer. Please pray for us!
Q: How can you help?
A: Prayer is always greatly appreciated, and our #1 request. Now that we will have to go back to Liberia again, soon, that adds added expenses
(travel is not cheap) so prayer that more financial help will come in is awesome.
Q: Highlights in Liberia?
A: I'll type those up in my next blog entry! James was the biggest, of course!
Thank you everyone for your prayers. I often felt like it was a spiritual battle. I don't believe Satan wants this awesome little man to join our family, or get the medical care he needs. I felt your prayers, and experienced cool things like seeing a gross infection around James' feeding tube completely disappear within 24 hours. It's nice to be home, and tough to be away from James...
God bless.
Nate
I also want to point out that I know it had to have been difficult for Christina, stuck in Minnesota, with no way to help me in my attempts to secure a visa for James. She was a constant support via text and phone during my two week "vacation" while taking care of our three busy children.
Normally, Christina is the one to write these posts but given the fact that I was the one in Liberia, we thought it'd be good for me to write a note.
I feel like I could write a book after this experience, but for your sake I'll try and highlight the key questions people have been asking:
Q: Why was James not allowed to come back with me?
A: His visa was denied (twice). While I was extremely hurt and upset with the U.S. embassy employee who denied it, I've since learned that it was a blessing in disguise that he made the decisions he did. I was informed yesterday that had Jame's tourist/medical visa been approved, it would have made it much more difficult for us to eventually adopt him. How horrible would that have been? The embassy could not legally or ethically approved the visa we were attempting to get. There was no way to prove he would be coming to the U.S., without intent to help him immigrate to our country.
Q: Why would the adoption agency have directed us to come to Liberia and attempt to bring James back under this type of Visa, when it would have ruined our chances of adopting him?
A: I believe there was some major misunderstanding in the info that was communicated to the legal rep for the agency. This was the first time the agency tried to go this route with adoption. I don't believe they had any bad motives - I just think there were some communication issues.
Q: Would I, Nate, do this trip/experience over again, had I known it would not work out?
A: Yes! While it was heartbreaking and horrible coming home without James, knowing his need for medical care, it was a once in a lifetime opportunity to bond with him. To go from the first couple days, when he didn't want to be near me - to the final days, when he laughed with me, cried with me, insisted on sleeping next to me in bed (instead of the pack and play), etc - it was something I will never forget. I thank God for allowing me to bond with James, meet his birth mom, and experience the country and culture he comes from. I wish, of course, there had been some way I could have known the visa would not work out - this would have saved me a ton of stress while in Liberia - but again - had I known - I probably would not have traveled, and bonded with him.
Q: The U.S. embassy says on their website that Liberia is dangerous. Was it?
A: No. The Liberian men and women, (and children) I met were some of the nicest people you could ever meet. I walked the streets after dark more than once, and did not feel the least bit nervous. Traffic was often horrible, but no one got mad at each other. My entire time there, I only saw people angry with eachother on two occasions. One of those was in the midst of a traffic accident. The only thing that made me uncomfortable was the way everyone - and I mean everyone - would stop and stare at me when I was out walking. It was a bit creepy.
Q: Did you get sick?
A: No! I ate a number of things Americans are advised not to eat (e.g. fish, lettuce, water) and never once felt the least bit ill.
Q: How were the mosquitos?
A: I've been bitten 5 times since arriving home (including once while typing this blog entry). In Liberia - only once!
Q: What was James like?
A: He is strong willed! Despite his inability to talk (due to his injury) he does not hesitate to make it known one way or another when he , wants or needs something. He is handsome, and serious. He is shy, but will shake hands with strangers. He likes sugar (especially lollipops and sugar cubes). He likes to cuddle, and be held. He also loves stroller rides along the beach. I got a glimpse of his humor, my last day in Liberia. I put some headphones on and pretended to dance. He tipped his head back and laughed a broken laugh, clapping his hands.
Q: What was James initial response when meeting me?
A: He didn't want to be near me. He cried. He was upset. I was a scary looking white guy!
Q: What are the next steps?
A: We will be pursuing the adoption route. Our local senators will be helping us speed up the process. As to when we expect the process to be complete, we are not sure. I'm hoping by the end of summer. Please pray for us!
Q: How can you help?
A: Prayer is always greatly appreciated, and our #1 request. Now that we will have to go back to Liberia again, soon, that adds added expenses
Q: Highlights in Liberia?
A: I'll type those up in my next blog entry! James was the biggest, of course!
Thank you everyone for your prayers. I often felt like it was a spiritual battle. I don't believe Satan wants this awesome little man to join our family, or get the medical care he needs. I felt your prayers, and experienced cool things like seeing a gross infection around James' feeding tube completely disappear within 24 hours. It's nice to be home, and tough to be away from James...
God bless.
Nate
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
I Hate This
Nate is on his way home without James. I honestly didn't think it would come to this, but this is how it ended up.
We will spend the next couple of days figuring out our next steps. We could try to fight this whole visa thing and hire an immigration attorney. But we have no idea what the result would be and it could end up wasting valuable time and money. It may be that our best option is to go through the full adoption process for James right now. That will take awhile, which is why we didn't chose that route to begin with. We didn't want to waste time, especially after Samuel's death.
Ultimately, I have to remember that James is one of God's precious children. I know that the nannies at the orphanage love him and will give him the best care that they can.
Thank you so much to everyone for your kind words, thoughts and prayers. We could not get through this without you.
Tuesday, July 2, 2013
I Would Like This Nightmare To End Please
So much going on. So much to process. So much of a rollercoaster.
Nate, Wayne and Shannon were told today that James and Shadrack's visas were denied because their case wasn't "compelling" enough to warrant this type of visa. Nate asked him "You mean the fact that my son might die isn't compelling enough to grant him this visa?" And the answer was no. Nate and Wayne and Shannon had taken the boys to the US Embassy doctor, who issued them a medical report saying these boys need to leave the country ASAP. The consulate who looked at their case didn't even look at these reports. He was the same consulate who denied James' visa the first time.
So we felt devastated and trapped. The only thing left for me to do was to contact Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken's office. Thank you sweet sister Catie for starting that process for me when I was paralyzed in sadness!! We have an emergency file pending with them and are praying for a last minute miracle!!! Their offices were extremely helpful and have all of our information to contact the embassy with. Thank you to all of our friends who called and emailed and got them to take us seriously right away! No need to call their offices any more, as they are working on it, but if you feel like emailing them in support of us, go for it!!
Nate will still be arriving home on Thursday regardless of what happens. If James is issued a visa after Nate leaves, then Roosevelt from the orphanage will bring him to the US. We will also be meeting with immigration office in St Paul once Nate arrives home and work on applying for a different visa if need be.
So why is this happening? Shouldn't all of this have been figured out before we even got to Liberia? YES!!! I am extremely displeased with James' orphanage. They insist that the US Embassy told them that this was the process to take to get these kids to the US. However, the embassy denies saying that. I had asked the orphanage director and deputy director SO MANY TIMES if the embassy situation was worked out and they INSISTED that it was.
But there is really no use pointing fingers or placing blame. We are in this situation now and there is no turning back. We can throw blame around all we want, but that won't get James home.
Some may ask "Where is God in all of this?" "Why isn't God answering our prayers to bring James home?" We have to look at this from a big picture perspective. This world doesn't revolve around us and there is more to this situation then we can see or understand. We so badly want what we want, when we want it, but there truly is an eternal plan at work and God has more work He wants done in this situation. We may not understand it and we certainly don't like it, but we can praise God that He continues to be at work.
"And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 We must hold firmly to this!!!
I got to talk to James again today... this time he talked back AND Nate said he smiled. I was pretty much useless with tears for about an hour after that. My poor kids think their mama has gone crazy. Good thing Grandpa and Grandma are here to fill in the parenting gaps!
Nate, Wayne and Shannon were told today that James and Shadrack's visas were denied because their case wasn't "compelling" enough to warrant this type of visa. Nate asked him "You mean the fact that my son might die isn't compelling enough to grant him this visa?" And the answer was no. Nate and Wayne and Shannon had taken the boys to the US Embassy doctor, who issued them a medical report saying these boys need to leave the country ASAP. The consulate who looked at their case didn't even look at these reports. He was the same consulate who denied James' visa the first time.
So we felt devastated and trapped. The only thing left for me to do was to contact Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken's office. Thank you sweet sister Catie for starting that process for me when I was paralyzed in sadness!! We have an emergency file pending with them and are praying for a last minute miracle!!! Their offices were extremely helpful and have all of our information to contact the embassy with. Thank you to all of our friends who called and emailed and got them to take us seriously right away! No need to call their offices any more, as they are working on it, but if you feel like emailing them in support of us, go for it!!
Nate will still be arriving home on Thursday regardless of what happens. If James is issued a visa after Nate leaves, then Roosevelt from the orphanage will bring him to the US. We will also be meeting with immigration office in St Paul once Nate arrives home and work on applying for a different visa if need be.
So why is this happening? Shouldn't all of this have been figured out before we even got to Liberia? YES!!! I am extremely displeased with James' orphanage. They insist that the US Embassy told them that this was the process to take to get these kids to the US. However, the embassy denies saying that. I had asked the orphanage director and deputy director SO MANY TIMES if the embassy situation was worked out and they INSISTED that it was.
But there is really no use pointing fingers or placing blame. We are in this situation now and there is no turning back. We can throw blame around all we want, but that won't get James home.
Some may ask "Where is God in all of this?" "Why isn't God answering our prayers to bring James home?" We have to look at this from a big picture perspective. This world doesn't revolve around us and there is more to this situation then we can see or understand. We so badly want what we want, when we want it, but there truly is an eternal plan at work and God has more work He wants done in this situation. We may not understand it and we certainly don't like it, but we can praise God that He continues to be at work.
"And we know that in all things, God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 We must hold firmly to this!!!
I got to talk to James again today... this time he talked back AND Nate said he smiled. I was pretty much useless with tears for about an hour after that. My poor kids think their mama has gone crazy. Good thing Grandpa and Grandma are here to fill in the parenting gaps!
Visa Denied
Visa denied again. I haven't heard why yet, haven't talked to Nate yet, just heard over text. All we can do is pray for a miracle. Not sure what the plan is from here.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)