Bondye Bon - God is Good

Necklace I purchased as a reminder to pray every day and to have something to touch and hold on to during this LONG, LONG process!

God called me to this!  He loves Haiti.  He knows who my child is.  He is in control of the timing.  He is GOOD, ALL THE TIME!  Amen!

No referral yet, thinking of my child

So, as I hear of things happening in Haiti recently, it hits me at a different level.  My paperwork is for a child between the ages of birth to 3, so the child is very young, and maybe these things won't have an effect.....but this week alone:

• A 4.6 earthquake, knocking things off tables and rattling the orphanage.
• Border closing between Haiti and Dominican due to violence towards Dominicans
• Political unrest

I sit here and think how someday I will want my child to know the history of Haiti and events that happened during the short time he/she lived in Haiti......To be Haitian is to be STRONG!  The people of Haiti are over-comers!  God will not give us more than we can handle!  I know I could not handle what the Haitian people have been through!

Just some thoughts tonight....

2 Strand Twist

I know many of you are already familiar with this style, but for those who are not, its a nice change from braids, easy do do, and great for girls and boys' hair.

Once I got the braiding down, my goddaughter wanted the twists.  Can't believe now I actually had to have someone show me what to do, because it really is so easy, but there are some tricks to make it look better and last longer.

Products.....there are a couple products that are cheap and work well....once is called Loc Gel and the other is Twist and Lock.  They don't benefit or hard the hair, as long as you don't keep the twists in for too long.  At about a month the hair can lock when using a locking gel.

The most AMAZING product for African American hair is a line by Miss Jessie.  There is good reading on why it is so good.  Used to be only available online but now you can buy it at Target. The purple Curly Pudding is the product to use for the 2 strand twist.  Very little product is needed and it is good for the hair and scalp, it just runs about $38 per jar.

Do people steal this stuff?!?!  Notice the anti-theft tag on the side!

My lovely model is Keyvee, a former 5th grader and currently we are discipleship pals :-)

After washing her hair, I keep it fairly wet....thus the towel around her shoulders.  I start by making a part along the hair at the neck.  Sections will be squared.  Each section with be separated into two pieces.  Product is worked through the hair and then the two strands are twisted all the way to the end.

Continue to part new rows until hair is fully twisted.  You can blow dry at the end and a hair lotion can be worked through to soften the twists.  If you go with Miss Jessie's, then use the Baby Butter Cream.  

Oh how I wish my hair could do this!  It's amazing to me every time I twist it!  

Genie Locks - Hairstyle for Tweens & Teens

Last year I learned about Genie Locks...I had been braiding weave (synthetic hair) into girls' hair for years.  Lots of fun and LOTS of time! I saw a woman one day with a style that looked like she had grown perfect, girly dred locks overnight!  So I inquired and what I found was still time consuming, but simple to do and gives a hairstyle that last 1-2 months!

What you need:

• A willing head!
• Leave in conditioner
• Red Heart Yarn (this yard does not shrink after being wet and with this style girls can go swimming, get hair wet in the shower, etc)
• Scissors
• Lighter
• Some kind of towel if you don't want to hurt your fingers

I take the yarn and wrap it around the legs of a coffee table or chair so that all strands are the same.  If you have a cat that you find out there is no myth to a cat loving yarn!  Watch out!  After wrapping the yarn you take it off of the chair and then cut it at one end.  

If you have braided single braids from the scalp into your daughter's hair, then you can do this too!  Working with the yarn is much easier than synthetic hair.  The key is the start the braid with hair and yarn as close the the scalp as possible.  Take the THREE strands of yarn and at the scalp, begin to braid with the hair.  

Once you get the hang of braiding the yarn in, you go for it, parting the hair until the whole head is done!  She wanted some color in her hair, so she picked out what she wanted.  I added one strand of color with two strands of black and I only added this to about a dozen braids or so, as not to make her look like Rainbow Bright! When you have braided to the desired length, simply take two of the strands and make a knot.  Later on you will cut the yarn beyond the knot off and then burn the ends.  

She is SLEEPY now and so am I, so we

will burn the ends off tomorrow

and take the finished product pics :-)

So after all braids are in, it is time to get a lighter.  I usually blow the flame out and work on the end with my fingers but I was wise to think of using a wet rag today!  Made it go so fast and didn't cause me pain!  So, I burn the end of each one up to the knot I tied at the end.  I blow out the flame and then press the rag around the end to seal it off.

Finally it is ready to put into a style.....pony tail?  Down?  Braid the braids?!?!

Can you help?

My "shrine" to Haiti as my mom calls it :-)

James 1:27, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.”

We are called to look after the orphan and the widow.  Does that mean we all must adopt?  No!  But with the resources we each have, we can all help somehow!  

• Can you pray for my little one in Haiti?  
• Can you be a part of a work day that will care for a widow and raise money for an orphan?
• Do you have connections with airlines or have miles you could give? (there will be a total of 4 1/2 trips from Minneapolis to Haiti needed).
• Can you give a one time financial gift? ($1? $10? $20? 100?)
• Would you like to give monthly for the 2012 year?

Once I get a picture of my kiddo I will send out snail mail...send me your address if you want to be added!

EVERY penny helps!

If you would like to give financially to my adoption, I have an account set up with Lifesong for Orphans where your giving will be tax deducible.  Checks can be mailed to:

Lifesong for Orphans

Kraft Adoption #2438

PO Box 40

202 N. Ford St.

Gridley, IL 61744

(add Kraft Adoption #2438 in memo section of check)

If you feel led to give monthly during 2012, there is an option on the Lifesong page to do so electronically.

http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/donation.html

If you are interested in the work day to help an orphan and a widow, contact me: jlkorange23@yahoo.com......In March we will meet and send letters out to get sponsors for the work day that is tentatively scheduled for early May on a Saturday.

Thank you for your prayers, time, financial gifts.  Hopefully very soon you will see a little face on this page!!!!

Abbreviations

This one is mostly for me....but in the future when I refer to something like IBESR....you can look here because this tells you what everything means.  Copied this from another site....

Pre-IBESR - We are preparing your dossier to go into Haitian Social Services. There are some legal documents that must be made after you accept your proposal and some of them must be legalized at the Ministry of Justice. If we have problems getting a document, this can delay this step.

IBESR - Haitian Social Services

Parquet - Pre-Courts, they interview the birth parents and give permission for the dossier to go through the Haitian court system.

Courts - The dossier is in the Haitian Courts having the actual adoption declared and legalized.

Attest or Attestation - After court papers are finished, the Act of Adoption must be sent to the National Archives and they declare that the signature on the Act of Adoption is legal.

Legal or Legalization - All court papers must be sent to the Ministry of Justice to be legalized. They declare that the signature on all of the paperwork actually is the signature of the Judge who signed it.

MAE - Ministry of Foreign Affairs must legalize the signature of the person in the Ministry of Justice who signed your paperwork in the step above.

MOI - All Adoption passports must go through the Ministry of the Interior for approval before Immigration will print the passport.

Printing - Your dossier is in Immigration waiting for the passport to be printed.

Visa - Your dossier is in your country's Embassy waiting for a visa to be issued

How long til my child comes home you ask?

We are on step 14!!!!  THE VISA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  If you are reading this, then you have an interest in me and this adoption process.  So I ask first before you look over the lengthy details that you pray for me and this entire process!  I have grown discouraged over the past 70 some days as I was told I would get my child referral in 3-5 weeks or so....and well it's been much longer.  While I want the process to go as fast as possible, especially for the sake of the little one as have learned a child's development is delayed one month for every three months spent in an orphanage, no matter how fabulous the facility may be.  So, I ask you to pray!  Pray for the Lord's timing in moving things from one stage to the next.  Only He knows why I have waited so long for a referral, a time that to Him is not long at all!  So here is the "expected" time frame AFTER all documents have a arrived in Haiti.  The time it takes to complete a Home Study and compile a dossier varies but I am told I finished in record time!  :-)

1. DONE  11/28/11  Arrival – Dossier arrives in Haiti at the orphanage.  We review it to ensure all the required documents are present and legalized by the Haitian embassy in the originating country. (Time is approximately one week.)
2. DONE 1/9/12  Legalization at the Minister of Foreign Affairs – We prepare the dossier for legalization at the Minister of Foreign Affairs office.  They legalize the signature of the Haitian Consular Officer who legalized the dossier at the foreign Haitian Embassy in the originating country. (Time is approximately two to four weeks.)
3. DONE 10/28/11- 9/7/12 Waiting for a referral – Once the dossier is legalized, we hold it until a proposal is ready for the family.  (Time varies, based on requested age, gender, length of waiting list, etc.)
4. DONE 9/7/12!!!– The referral is sent to the family, private adoption agency or government authority.  The family responds with questions or acceptance of the referral.  Upon acceptance, we prepare the dossier for IBESR and send it to the lawyer.  (Time is approximately one to two months)
5. DONE !!!!  Sometime between 9/7/12 and today!!!!!Lawyer and social history – The social history (a combined social history of the child and the adoptive family) is prepared for the dossier as we are preparing the dossier for IBESR. The lawyer reviews the dossier to ensure it meets legal requirements.  (Time varies from one to three weeks.)
6. DONE 12/21/12!!!!!!  IBESR (Institut du Bien-Etre Social et de Recherches) – Haitian social services reviews the dossier and gives approval for the adoption.  (Time varies from three to six months, but could be longer if you need a Presidential dispense.)  If you have biological children, a dispensations from the Haitian President will be required.  This can take an additional 3-6 months or possibly longer. You need to be aware of this as you go into the adoption process.
7. Done 1/22-1/25/13   Make 1^st trip to Haiti – The adoptive family comes to Haiti to appear before the judge and sign in the Judge’s book and appear before the civil judge.  This is usually a 3-4 day trip. US families will also file the I-600 at this time. 
8. DONE 3/11/13– After approval at IBESR, we prepare the dossier for Parquet (District Attorney).  (Time varies from one to six months)
9. DONE 4/10/13!!!!! - Courts – Once the adoption is approved by Parquet, the court papers are prepared for the finalization of the Haitian legal component of the adoption process.  (Time is approximately one to two months.)
10. DONE 5/13/13!!!!!Attestation signature (National Archives) – The National Archives of Haiti issue a paper to state that the signature on the act of adoption corresponds with the signature of the authorized party who signed it. (Essentially, this is a legalization of the signature.)  (Time is one to 2 weeks.)
11. DONE 5/13/13!!!!!Legalization at the Minister of Justice – All of the Haitian legal papers must be legalized by the Minister of Justice. (Time is approximately two to four weeks.)
12. DONE 7/31/13!!!!!Legalization at the Minister of Foreign Affairs– Legalizing the signature of the Minister of Justice. (Time is approximately two to four weeks.)
13. DONE!!!  Passport with errors came back 8/13/13 and MIRACULOUSLY the corrected passport was done 8/22/13!!!! Passport – The passport process actually involves a two step study of the application by the Minister of Interior’s office, and then finalization and printing at the Immigration Department.  (Time is approximately three to four months.) 
14. In this step now!!!!  Submitted to US Embassy 8/28/13 Final review and visa application – After the passport is issued, all of the paperwork is reviewed and any spelling errors are corrected before the dossier is given to the required authority for the child’s visa.  Minor errors do not cause a problem in the process of the adoption, but some countries will not issue a visa for even small spelling errors.  The visa process and timeframe varies widely by country, and for the United States and Canada, some paperwork is completed by GLA and/or the family prior to this point.  At this point, the remaining visa process takes approximately: 
1. Canada:  one week
2. USA: four weeks to four months
3. France: four to six weeks
4. The Netherlands: two to three weeks
5. Luxembourg: three to six weeks
15. Travel – After a visa is approved, the adoptive family works with GLA to make suitable travel arrangements, and they come to Haiti to pick up their child.

On average, adoptions are taking approximately 20 to 24 months from the time a proposal is accepted.  Every case is different, and adoption timelines are not necessarily directly comparable.  If you have questions, be sure to contact the Adoption Coordinator at gla-adoptions@glahaiti.org.