Haiti Adoption Blog

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We received great news from the staff at GLA. Yesterday, they received ten dossiers out of IBESR - both for families that required dispensations, and also for families who did not require dispensations. Of these ten dossiers, five of them were for Bethany families. We rejoice with the families who received their IBESR approvals and have now entered Parquet. We have seen an increased delay in the IBESR process since the presidential dispensation process was introduced, and so it is exciting to see movement in IBESR after a number of families have been waiting so long in IBESR. Unfortunately at this time, it is still difficult to give an average timeframe for families who are in IBESR and waiting for a dispensation and IBESR approval. The dates that the dossiers that are receiving dispensations and IBESR approval were submitted to IBESR vary greatly. Some of these families have been in IBESR for over a year, while others have only been in for six months. As a timeframe becomes more consistent, we will let you know.

Posted by LaDawn G. Penner At 04:59:48 PM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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We rejoice, together with the staff at God's Littlest Angels, for the miracle in a little baby's life. See below for a touching story from God's Littlest Angels.

I want to tell you all a little story about our premature baby Jonathon.  On Tuesday night, my night staff stimulated him all night just to get him to breath.  He was very critical and they were sure that he would not live the next day.
 
The next day when I sent out a prayer request for him, we were resuscitating him.  He was not breathing at all on his own.  His heart rate was irregular.  He was at the point, that I truly did not think he would live.  None of us did!
 
We put a call into his birth mother, who lives in our area, and asked her to please come and talk to us.  She did not want to come because she thought he had already died.  She did come and saw him and told us that surely he was dead.  She told us that he was dark, he wasn't moving, and he wasn't breathing!  By this time, we had been breathing for him for 2 hours!
 
I had come to my office and I had been Emailing back and forth with a nurse practitioner in the States.  (An adoptive mother)  She was giving us suggestions about what to do but we did not have everything we needed.  Many of the medications she suggested, we just did not have.
 
Susan, a nurse from Scotland, was sad because she thought he would live since his brother had died.  God will allow him to live!  
 
I told her and Mme Bernard to stop resuscitation when they felt like it wasn't doing any good and I came downstairs and sat in front of my computer and prayed for a miracle.  I also had told his mother before left that only God could save Jonathon and she needed to pray for a miracle!  In her mind, he was gone.  God was not going to bring him back.
 
As I sat here, I was desperate to do something even if it did not save him, what could I do?  Then I truly believe that God put into my head the drug Aminophyllin!  I did not have Caffeine or Theophyllin, but I did have a drug in the Theophyllin family and what could it hurt to try this?
 
I went upstairs and was reading the dosage and getting the medicine ready and Mme Bernard came and told me they had stopped CPR on him.  I finished getting the medication drawn up and went into the NICU and Susan was holding him and I said let us try this medicine before we give up!  Right then, he made a noise!  I injected the medicine and told the staff that if he did not respond, then we would quit.
 
Three minutes later, he took a breath and kept on breathing!  His heart rate went up and he started moving his arms and legs.  A few minutes after that he opened his eyes!!!
 
Today, Jonathon is ALIVE and stable!  Thank you God for a miracle!   His birth mother had to be forced to come back and was ecstatic!  She could not believe it.  But we know that with God all things are possible!
 
I told the mother that families in France, Holland, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, Canada, and the USA were praying for a miracle for Jonathon and God heard those prayers and gave us a Miracle!

Posted by LaDawn G. Penner At 03:48:05 PM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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This year, Mother's Day is Sunday, May 10th... HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL MOTHERS AND ALL MOTHERS-TO-BE!                                 ..... although not officially on the calendar as a holiday, did you know the Saturday before Mother's Day is celebrated among the adoption community as "Birth-Mother's Day?" A "BirthMother/First Mother" is the name given to a woman who conceives and biologically gives birth to a child who is relinquished or placed for adoption. The adoption constellation involves many people (extended family, support, etc), but the triad consists of three points.  The three-points of the triad are: the child, the Adoptive Mother (or Adoptive Family) and the BirthMother (or BirthFamily), in no particular order.  Without one of these "points" the triad would not exist.  The relationship among the three sides is inter-related and inter-dependent.  All three sides of the triangle are of equal length.  All three should be celebrated equally!  Many Christians believe that as we are all God's adopted children, this adoption triad metaphor reflects the Trinity of our Father. What are some ways that we as adoptive families can honor our child's BirthMother?  Internationally adopted children with little to no information about their BirthFamily oftentimes "fantasize" about where they come from and who their BirthFamily is.  In adoptive families that openly discuss the child's birth-country, BirthParents, and birth-culture, the children as adults report having a more positive self-esteem and self-worth.  Some parents encourage their children to write a letter to their BirthMom/BirthDad on these special days or even their own birthdays.  What is most important to remember is that each child has their own feelings about their BirthParents.  As Adoptive Parents, the best we can do is provide a safe and open place for discussion. Different ways to "honor" or "celebrate" birthparents: -Light a candle on special days. -Say a prayer for them. -Make a special page in the child's Lifebook to celebrate the BirthParent(s). -Write a letter to your child's BirthParent(s) and put it aside to share with your child later. -Write a letter/make a card jointly with your child for the BirthParent(s). -Read age appropriate books together. -Talk about what the BirthParents may look like. -Celebrate unique talents that the child may have... and attribute them to the BirthParent(s). Some adoptive families may not be comfortable talking about the child's BirthFamily or adoption.  Your child will perceive this level of being uncomfortable and may learn to be ashamed or fearful of the discussion.  In order to build a healthy relationship that is based on trust, it is important to be open with your child about their adoption.  If these discussions are open and supported from the beginning, your child will grow to learn that their adoption is celebrated, not hidden.  Your child will be proud to be adopted and will be able to honor their BirthParents with Thanksgiving! The book I Wish for You a Beautiful Life (Yeong & Yeong Book Company; ISBN 0-9638472-3-6) is a compilation of letters from Korean BirthMothers to their relinquished children.  Each letter is very unique and provides a glimpse of the different cultures and emotions that this choice has created, related to separation and detachment that a BirthMother may experience and/or express in writing. As a Mother (whether through birth or adoption) of a child... whether your child is with you, with God, living in Haiti, or yet to be born ... Bethany Christian Services and the Haiti Team wish you a warm and loving "Happy Mother's Day."  We also keep in prayer the BirthMothers that give Life to these precious children and love them enough to want for them what they cannot provide.  These women too, should be celebrated, honored, and given Thanksgiving.  Their struggles and choices are immeasurable and we may never know them, but we do know them in our hearts.  We pray that they are safe, loved and at Peace.   *In this Blog Post, we use the term "BirthMother" to refer to the woman who conceived and birthed the child whom was then adopted.  There are other terms such as: "First Mother" or "Biological Mother" or "Genetic Mother" to name a few.  The PC world of language and adoption is sensitive and we mean no offense to any particular term mentioned or not mentioned.

Posted by LaDawn G. Penner At 07:32:05 AM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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An adoptive family in Hudsonville, Michigan, plans a Haiti adoption gathering twice a year. The next gathering will be held on Saturday, June 6th. If you are in the process of adopting from Haiti, or have completed a Haitian adoption, you are welcome to attend!

 
To RSVP or ask questions, please contact Cheryl Vanderwell at cvwell@sbcglobal.net. Please RSVP by June 3.

Posted by LaDawn G. Penner At 02:23:15 PM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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Please read the following article, "Impoverished Haiti Slips Further as Remittances Dry Up", published in today's Washington Post, to find out one of the ways that the U.S.'s poor economic situation is affecting those who are already struggling just to survive in Haiti.

Posted by LaDawn G. Penner At 02:39:18 PM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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On Wednesday, a meeting was held between IBESR and Parquet. It was hoped that at this meeting, a decision would be reached about signing dossiers that had been submitted to IBESR before the end of December 2008 without needing a presidential dispensation. Unfortunately, this did not happen, and no changes have been made. Another meeting is being scheduled for the end of May.

Posted by LaDawn G. Penner At 08:40:56 AM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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We are anxiously waiting for dispensations to be issued for families that are in IBESR or Parquet that do not meet the law of 1974. God's Littlest Angels has received 4 dispensations to date, and although there are still many more families needing a dispensation, it is encouraging to know that the dispensations are being issued. Please continue to be in prayer for the government of Haiti as they issue the dispensations - that they will have their hearts moved to sign the dispensations more quickly; please pray for the children in Haiti - that they would continue to grow and thrive from the love and attention of the orphanage staff and volunteers; and lastly, please pray for the families that are waiting to bring their children home - that they would have peace and comfort during this difficult waiting period when their hearts are yearning to bring their children home.  

Posted by LaDawn G. Penner At 01:45:39 PM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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The Haitian Ambassador's wife if putting on a concert for families that have adopted from Haiti on May 30th in Washington, DC. Please see the attached "Save the Date" flyer. If families are interested in attending this concert, and would like to be invited, please forward your name and email to Ginny Sharpless at ginny@med.unc.edu, and she will forward your information on to the Ambassador's wife. Invitations will be sent out in early May and will have more detailed information. This will be a great place for children to meet other children that are adopted from Haiti, and also to see Haiti celebrated in a positive light, all while enjoying the company of the Ambassador and his wife.

Posted by LaDawn G. Penner At 09:02:03 AM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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God's Littlest Angels' first Presidential Dispensation was issued for one of Bethany's families. We are so grateful that the dispensations have finally started being issued. The family that received the dispensation has been in IBESR for almost a year. We have a few families who have been in IBESR longer; however, we are very optimistic that now that dispensations are being issued, we will see dispensations for these families, as well as all other families that are waiting, be issued soon. Dixie reports that two batches of dispensations have been issued, one with 14 dossiers, and one with 5. Please be in prayer that we will see many more batches issued, and many more children can move into the next stage, Parquet.

Posted by LaDawn G. Penner At 10:58:03 AM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

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There are approximately 143 million orphans in the world today.
Many children are older, or a sibling group. Some children have medical, physical or developmental challenges.
We aren't asking you to help 143 million orphans, but you can make a difference by being a Bethany Prayer Warrior.

Prayer Warriors will receive pictures and information of children waiting through Bethany.

We ask that you pray for the children.
Pray for families who are willing to accept the children with special placement needs into their hearts and homes.
Pray for those who will never be adopted. May someone come into their life and love and care for them.
 
Each of us is part of the Body of Christ. It is He in us that is more than able to make a difference.

If you want to be added to the Prayer Warrior group and receive emails about waiting children, please send an email to:
jvandyke@bethany.org

Posted by Jan A. Parmenter At 09:37:39 AM Location | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)