When Will They Come Home?

This is a question we have heard even more frequently in these days following our return from Haiti. I only wish we had the answer! As I told a friend last night, to adopt from Haiti you need to definitely be sure of God's call ... because otherwise the uncertainty would push you over the edge (we have definitely found ourselves teetering on the brink more than once already!) There is just no rhyme or reason to the timing of when families' files enter and exit the various different offices that make up the Haitian side of the adoption, nor to the timeframe in which American families receive their children's visas. A certain family might fly through IBESR in two months while another languishes there for over a year! It is frustrating, and frightening, if we don't continually remind ourselves that God is still in control and ultimately He is able to move our files when and where and how He chooses.

But for those who have asked, here is a general timeline which was shared on another adoptive mom's blog. You can see on it the how varied the timeframes are for each step. We are currently in the step known as IBESR (and have been for three months.) Our prayer request continues to be for God to miraculously move our files through all of these steps in record time!

1) First Legal - 1 to 4 weeks.
2) IBESR - 3 to 12 months.
3) Second Legal - 1 to 4 weeks.
4) Parquet- 1 to 14 months.
5) MOI- 1 to 3 months.
6) US Visas issued - While this is a 24 hour step for Canadian citizens and less than a week for French citizens, it has taken up to several months for American citizens. (This is not a Haitian step but one carried out by representatives of the adoptive parents' home country.)