Dear friends,

Last week we spent a relaxing week with my parents on our Winter Break.  In a conversation we were having about the adoption my dad said dejectedly, "You know we've been waiting a long time.  We were hoping they'd be here by now."  Perhaps you can relate to my dad's dejection.  Or maybe you have thought, "Haven't heard from the Hendersons in awhile.  I bet they have the girls now and I missed the email."  Well you didn't miss a thing.  Trust me, when they come home you'll get an announcement and if you're a facebook fan, it will be all over our pages!

Truth is, I feel like I am a marathon runner.  Though I have no intention of subjecting my body or mind (utter boredom) to that kind of misery, I can imagine along mile 10 or 12 the runner might be thinking, "Will this ever end?  Will I ever see the finish line?"  Seems like we were in mile 10 or 12 of this adoption marathon for a long time, wondering if we would ever turn that corner and see the finish line.

Well we’re getting very close!

Earlier this week we indeed turned that corner, perhaps mile 25 for the runner, and for the first time we can see the finish line.  

Todd will interject here with some recent developments and an update on what still has to happen: 

In late December, the girls’ birth parents were interviewed by officers of the US government.  This is to insure that they are on board with the adoption and we have not unduly influenced them.  We cleared that hurdle after many challenges of paperwork and the logistics of getting everyone in the right place at the right time.  After that, we waited for the girls’ files to be approved by the Haitian Ministry of Interior and then for them to be granted Haitian passports.

This means that there are two precious girls in Haiti named Jaline Fleurce Henderson and Marie Line Fleurce Henderson, who are officially recognized by the government of Haiti as the daughters of Todd and Samantha Henderson. They have passports to leave Haiti, but now we need the US government to get out of the way and give their approval for them to enter the country permanently. 

On Monday, The girl's dossier and final paperwork was submitted to US Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS), for Immigrant Visas.  Of course, we found out that Jaline’s original Birth Certificate disappeared from our file, so our representative in Haiti went to get a new one last Friday, but there was a roadblock and uprising that prevented him from getting to the government offices in the town nearest the girl’s birthplace, so he had to go again on Tuesday and get a new “original” birth certificate for Jaline (You didn’t think it was going to be easy, did you?)

Now we wait… The US government will review all their paperwork, the girls will have to be taken to US approved doctors in Port au Prince for Medical tests, and then they will go through all their approval process, cross-checking everything.  They still have the prerogative to bring the birth parents back in for a final interview.  So, we shy away from any hard time lines, but it will most likely be a month or two until we get final approval.  Once we get final approval, we will head to Haiti for a meeting at the US embassy and bring home our beautiful girls, who are about to have birthdays within the month and turn 6 and 8.  Sweet little Jaline even shares her birthday with her Grandma Henderson!

Yep, it’s been 29 months since we started this process… No, we couldn’t have ever fathomed it would take anywhere close to this long.  We thought it was painful to wait when Shelby was 10 days overdue… Well, we’re nearly 18 years past that day now and eagerly await the arrival of our girls with the anticipation of 1^st time parents.  We’re all a lot older, but we ready ourselves for the joys and challenges of being 1^st time adoptive parents.

So even as Todd detailed the happenings here and there, it seems as if we experienced too many "just around the corner" moments only to realize that the finish line was just a mirage and the end actually wasn't in sight.  So accepting this final step and the reality of their Homecoming seems a bit surreal to me.  I'm about to be the mother of FIVE!!  Giggles will soon fill our home, doll clothes will be picked up off the floor and Candyland will soon be unpacked.  Oh the glories of a young family!!

As we turn the corner and wait for that adrenaline surge from God to give us the stamina to cross the finish line, we ask that you wait in eager anticipation with us.  As always, we covet your prayers: for the process, our family here and the girls in Haiti.

Fondly,

Samantha & Todd