Thanks so much for your prayers regarding our paperwork. The police records came through as well as our physical forms! We are also expecting that our facilitator in Ukraine may be able to either submit our paperwork or get an appointment to submit it this coming week. We are still trying to figure out how to get the letter we need from the Moroccan authorities regarding our residence and the residence of our children. The right wording and the right signatures or ratifications are crucial if we are going to be able to continue on this adoption journey.
Last week when we received an email from our agency suggesting that we consider switching to a program in another country and start over from scratch, we were stunned. It took a couple of days before we could get a phone conference with our agency and clarify that the only obstacle we know of at this point is getting this letter. Although we have talked to many people who have not been able to help us, we are not out of ideas yet.
We have sent all of our paperwork to Ukraine in order to get in line for submission next week. We are hoping that a letter signed by the American Stan works for will stand in for the letter from the Moroccan authorities that we are still working to obtain.
We hope to have news one way or the other within the week. Please do not stop praying now!
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Royal Holiday!
Happy Birthday to Mohamed VI, king of Morocco, aka the "cool king." His birthday is one of the four national holidays that fall in the month of August. If that didn't slow down our paperwork enough, August is the vacation month in Morocco as it is in many European countries and many people take a few weeks off at this time of the year.
We think that's why we are still waiting on some of our Moroccan paperwork for this second dossier. We are still trying to get the statement about our residency. We are finally in touch with a lawyer that should be able to write it, but "not yet." He's wanting to consult with a judge who we think might be on vacation.
On the Indiana side of things, Stan's fingerprints failed to pass for our second Indiana background clearance. They've been repeated in Spain and sent by DHL to Indiana and we're waiting on the results. There have been a few hiccups on getting our physical forms filled out again, too.
The most exciting news is that our agency sent us an email saying that we may be able to get a submission date in September. That revives our hopes that we might still adopt this year. Pray that our paperwork will come together in a timely way so that we will be ready if we get a submission date next month.
Saturday, July 5, 2008
Results
While we were in Casablanca, other paperwork was going on in Rabat. Si Mohamed had tried to get our police background checks on Friday only to find that the office wanted more documents than they had listed on the phone. We were able to get these ready and hand them off to him at an autoroute exit as we passed it on Monday evening, and the next day he successfully requested the background checks. We took advantage of being in Rabat to get an authentic American feast at the TGIFridays (the first restaurant in Morocco to offer free refills).
We had a surprise blessing when we sent our documents to the U.S. yesterday for international legalization: DHL offered us free shipping! The other excitement this week was that on Wednesday a package full of child safety equipment arrived later than expected; the first one that was sent was lost in the mail. The expatriate life is a rich one, with lots of frustrating challenges and lots of wonderful opportunities and surprises. You've got to make the most of the good things, and this week we had things to celebrate all week!
We had a surprise blessing when we sent our documents to the U.S. yesterday for international legalization: DHL offered us free shipping! The other excitement this week was that on Wednesday a package full of child safety equipment arrived later than expected; the first one that was sent was lost in the mail. The expatriate life is a rich one, with lots of frustrating challenges and lots of wonderful opportunities and surprises. You've got to make the most of the good things, and this week we had things to celebrate all week!
Friday, July 4, 2008
Another Step Forward
On Tuesday we successfully notarized 17 documents at the Consulate in Casablanca. Today we sent them DHL to the States to get an apostille for each of them before they continue on to Ukraine. Documents that are originating in Indiana are still in the works and we've made some good progress this week on the documents that originate in Morocco, including our police background check. Praise God for each step forward!
Monday, June 30, 2008
Prayer Request Update
I went down to the local police station to talk to get a statement signed regarding our residency and our adopted children's ability to enter the country on U.S. passports. These are the same folks I've been visiting monthly since last November as I've worked through the process of getting my 10 year residency card. Stan got his last fall and I've been working on my this year. After they issued it to me in my maiden name (which doesn't match the name in my passport now) I had to re-do the entire application. The good news is that my residency card finally arrived at the beginning of June. I thought I was done visiting these guys for a while, but our agency asked us to add to our dossier and additional attestation and the local police who are in charge of keeping track of foreigners was our first shot at getting this done. Yes, I did say first shot because they told me today they wouldn't sign it. As I pressed the issue with them, they came up with the following ideas for me to get the document: go to the minister of foreign affairs at the regional level, or the national ministry of foreign affairs, or the local family court. Sigh.
This afternoon we're headed off to Casablanca to sign a thick stack of papers with a U.S. notary at the consulate. We'll spend the night and try to get our paperwork done early in the morning then zip back home so Stan can get a few hours in at the office tomorrow afternoon. Casa is around 4 hours away, but at least most of the trip is now on the auto route which makes for pleasant driving. We are also working on trying to get our Moroccan police clearance tomorrow as well.
Our physical process is going pretty well. We were able to repeat our blood work here without a lot of hassle. Unfortunately Ukraine needs the control numbers from the lab test which were not on our results print out. I'll be returning there on Wednesday morning to visit the doctor who's in charge of the lab to find out if we can track those numbers down! Keep praying - your prayers make all the difference!
This afternoon we're headed off to Casablanca to sign a thick stack of papers with a U.S. notary at the consulate. We'll spend the night and try to get our paperwork done early in the morning then zip back home so Stan can get a few hours in at the office tomorrow afternoon. Casa is around 4 hours away, but at least most of the trip is now on the auto route which makes for pleasant driving. We are also working on trying to get our Moroccan police clearance tomorrow as well.
Our physical process is going pretty well. We were able to repeat our blood work here without a lot of hassle. Unfortunately Ukraine needs the control numbers from the lab test which were not on our results print out. I'll be returning there on Wednesday morning to visit the doctor who's in charge of the lab to find out if we can track those numbers down! Keep praying - your prayers make all the difference!
Thursday, June 26, 2008
When, Where, and What's Next
Up to this point, I haven't made guesses about the time line for the adoption process. There are so many factors outside of our control and so many rumors flying around about what is happening in Ukraine regarding adoption. Recently we received and email from our agency that helps flesh out some of the details about what we might expect for our time line.
In general, the process in Ukraine goes like this:
1. Our facilitator in Ukraine obtains a number for our dossier (paperwork) and a submission date. Ukraine permits no more than 1400 international adoptions per year. This year they have already given out numbers for 1400 dossier submissions, but our facilitator estimates that about half of those dossiers were not accepted. The facilitator is guessing that they will begin to give out new numbers for dossier submissions late July/early August. Once our dossier is given a number, we will wait for the submission date - from what I've seen in other blogs this is usually a month or so after the number is assigned.
2. Our facilitator submits our dossier. When that appointment rolls around, we need to be certain that our paperwork is complete and none of the dates on the paperwork are older than 6 months.
3. We are assigned an appointment date. If our dossier is accepted, they estimate 20 business days until the Ukrainian State Department on Adoption (SDA) processes the application and gives us an appointment date. This appointment takes place at their office in Kyiv where we could review files of children available for adoption that (hopefully) fit our request (2-3 children who are siblings, under the age of 6). The date is usually 2-3 months from the time they inform us of the appointment.
4. We travel to Kyiv for the appointment and select a file of a child or children and travel to the region where their orphanage is located in order to meet them. If there is some issue that leads us not select the child/children to adopt, we would return to Kyiv and pray they will allow us another appointment to review another file.
5. We begin the legal process of adopting in Ukraine when we feel like we've found the child/children that God would want to add to our family . We would most likely be staying in the town where the orphanage is located and visiting our child/children once or twice a day while the paperwork was being processed.
6. Adopt the child/children in Ukraine. A local Ukrainian judge has the authority to legally declare us the parents of the child/children we are hoping to adopt. Following that decree, there is a required in-country waiting period of 10 days. It could be that at this point, Stan would return home to work for a couple of weeks.
7. Additional tasks in Ukraine include physicals for the child/children at the U.S. Embassy, obtaining Ukrainian passports, and applying for any transit visa that might be required for the child/children on their way to the U.S. (for instance if we fly through France or Spain).
8. Fly from Ukraine to the U.S. Stan would join us again for this trip. As soon as the child/children sets foot on U.S. soil, they will become U.S. citizens - something that they need to have before we return to Morocco together.
9. Obtain U.S. passports for child/children. If we have things lined up well in advance, we may be able to get U.S. passports within 2 weeks of arriving in the U.S. During this time in the States we won't plan to do much visiting or traveling. Experts recommend that these first few weeks together as a family be "high structure and high nurture" as well as limited in how much time the child/children are exposed to new people, places, and things.
10. The final step would be to return home to Morocco as soon as we could so that Stan could get back to work. From the time we leave home until the time we return, we expect the process to take 6 weeks or more.
So if we get a number in early August, have our dossier submitted by early September, get an appointment date by early October, travel in December and return home by early next year. That's assuming that we do get a number for this year before the quota is filled! There are many, many variables of course, which is why I've been hesitant to make guesses at the time line.
The main thing that I'm learning is that the worst thing to do when you are waiting is to hold your breath! Timing IS critical - the time that we arrive in Ukraine will determine which children are available for adoption - but this is not something that we have much control over. We know that even though the timing is out of our control it remains firmly in the hands of God. That thought keeps us grateful AND sane.
In general, the process in Ukraine goes like this:
1. Our facilitator in Ukraine obtains a number for our dossier (paperwork) and a submission date. Ukraine permits no more than 1400 international adoptions per year. This year they have already given out numbers for 1400 dossier submissions, but our facilitator estimates that about half of those dossiers were not accepted. The facilitator is guessing that they will begin to give out new numbers for dossier submissions late July/early August. Once our dossier is given a number, we will wait for the submission date - from what I've seen in other blogs this is usually a month or so after the number is assigned.
2. Our facilitator submits our dossier. When that appointment rolls around, we need to be certain that our paperwork is complete and none of the dates on the paperwork are older than 6 months.
3. We are assigned an appointment date. If our dossier is accepted, they estimate 20 business days until the Ukrainian State Department on Adoption (SDA) processes the application and gives us an appointment date. This appointment takes place at their office in Kyiv where we could review files of children available for adoption that (hopefully) fit our request (2-3 children who are siblings, under the age of 6). The date is usually 2-3 months from the time they inform us of the appointment.
4. We travel to Kyiv for the appointment and select a file of a child or children and travel to the region where their orphanage is located in order to meet them. If there is some issue that leads us not select the child/children to adopt, we would return to Kyiv and pray they will allow us another appointment to review another file.
5. We begin the legal process of adopting in Ukraine when we feel like we've found the child/children that God would want to add to our family . We would most likely be staying in the town where the orphanage is located and visiting our child/children once or twice a day while the paperwork was being processed.
6. Adopt the child/children in Ukraine. A local Ukrainian judge has the authority to legally declare us the parents of the child/children we are hoping to adopt. Following that decree, there is a required in-country waiting period of 10 days. It could be that at this point, Stan would return home to work for a couple of weeks.
7. Additional tasks in Ukraine include physicals for the child/children at the U.S. Embassy, obtaining Ukrainian passports, and applying for any transit visa that might be required for the child/children on their way to the U.S. (for instance if we fly through France or Spain).
8. Fly from Ukraine to the U.S. Stan would join us again for this trip. As soon as the child/children sets foot on U.S. soil, they will become U.S. citizens - something that they need to have before we return to Morocco together.
9. Obtain U.S. passports for child/children. If we have things lined up well in advance, we may be able to get U.S. passports within 2 weeks of arriving in the U.S. During this time in the States we won't plan to do much visiting or traveling. Experts recommend that these first few weeks together as a family be "high structure and high nurture" as well as limited in how much time the child/children are exposed to new people, places, and things.
10. The final step would be to return home to Morocco as soon as we could so that Stan could get back to work. From the time we leave home until the time we return, we expect the process to take 6 weeks or more.
So if we get a number in early August, have our dossier submitted by early September, get an appointment date by early October, travel in December and return home by early next year. That's assuming that we do get a number for this year before the quota is filled! There are many, many variables of course, which is why I've been hesitant to make guesses at the time line.
The main thing that I'm learning is that the worst thing to do when you are waiting is to hold your breath! Timing IS critical - the time that we arrive in Ukraine will determine which children are available for adoption - but this is not something that we have much control over. We know that even though the timing is out of our control it remains firmly in the hands of God. That thought keeps us grateful AND sane.
Monday, June 23, 2008
Prayer Requests
Please be in prayer about this next round of paperwork. We are trying to take care of all of the paperwork from North Africa this time and that leaves some uncertainties.
- Pray that the fingerprints we did in Spain would be accepted by the State of Indiana
- Pray that the our local Moroccan police would sign a document that our agency thinks we'll need in Ukraine. It's a statement that we are legal residents and that our children will be able to apply for residency. It's pretty straight forward, but we just don't know if they will commit to signing it.
- Pray that all the details of re-doing our physicals and lab tests will go smoothly since we'll be doing at least part of this in Morocco or Spain
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