We start the month of September with news from Tver. Alexey wrote us an email in regards to our documents. (See below)
We received the requested documents in Tver: CHI agency license and Agreement between the agencies.
But our translator found mistakes in two documents:
- HS agency post-placement letter
- HS agency recommendation letter.
There is a mistake in your passport number in each of these documents, so these document have to be corrected, so we could submit your dossier for registration.
As you can imagine I was really upset at me and at our SW. I should have checked that our SW would have included my new passport information (since my passport got stolen at the Chicago airport on 12/07), but no she for got to include it. So now I have to rush, rush, rush so I can get to CHI by Friday morning so it can leave in the bag to Russia. This is my game plan. Our SW will have the documents ready by Wednesday, I already spoke to her and I asked her if I could overnight a Fedex envelope to her so she can place the documents in another Fedex envelope directed to our Courier service in Tallahassee, so then she can place them in another envelope to be directed to Karla at CHI. All this in less than 3 days. Pretty stressful and a great deal of expectation on my part, but I know that with God's help and all my guides it can be done!!!
Well, today its Friday, September 5th and Fedex just sent me an email that CHI just signed off on the documents, and the documents will be leaving to Russia by noon (yeahhh). I already asked Karla if she could be so kind as to send me a scanned copy of the documents. So there, we made it possible.... yeahh.... I don't feel as guilty anymore. Thanks to God the delay was of about a week, instead of 3 weeks or a month. Thank you everybody!!
I also went ahead and I sent an email to Alexey letting him know that the corrected documents will be leaving to Russia today, Friday, September 5. I also attached a scanned copies of the documents to see if it was possible for Russia (Ana) to start working on the translation from the copies while they gets the originals next week. Alexey wrote back saying that he will forward the scanned documents so the translator can start working on them while they get the originals next week.
I just wanted to let you know that the corrected documents will be leaving to Russia today, Friday, September 5. Please let me know when you receive them. Also, I have attached a scanned copy of the documents to see if it was possible to start working on the translation from the copies while you get the originals next week. That way we won't have lost so much time in between. Any assistance that you can kindly provide us in order to get registered sooner will be greatly appreciated.
WEEK OF SEPTEMBER 8th TO THE 12th
Today it's Monday and I wrote a question to Alexey in regards to which Medical Form to use, since we are already working on getting documents for court ready. There are 2 forms in the CHI website, regular form and an addendum to the form and I would like clarification from him in which form to use. We will wait to see what he has to say tomorrow.
Well, Alexey wrote me back this morning in regards to the email from yesterday and this is his response:
"Thanks for your e-mail, and thank you for your hard work with the documents.
Regarding medical form, one of them can be used – Addition to the medical report, but you can wait with preparing it as most likely you’ll have to update it, because it’s valid only for 3 months’ period. And the psychiatrist’s conclusion is also valid for 3 months only."
Based on Alexey's response I am only supposed to prepare the Addendum to the Medical report. In regards to the Psychiatrist's conclusion, we already got the letter from our Specialist. Sweet Dr. Iglesias, but I think that at the rate we are going we are going to have to have those letters redone since they expire on November 25. We will see what happens.
On a happy note, today it's Mauri's Birthday!!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY FUTURE DADDY
May God Bless you today and always.....
Today it's September 10th, and its the day after we celebrated Mauri's B-Day.... I am a little tired. We went to Tony Romas for dinner. We had a blast! All of Mauri's close relatives called him yesterday from Nicaragua and I know he really liked that! We are planning to take him out to dinner on Saturday with side of the family. We want to go to PF Changs at the Falls. They should be reopening soon, after going for 2 months of remodeling. We can't wait!!!
Well, in regards to Russia, I wrote another email to Alexey asking him whether I was to hold on to all the court documents that I have ready or whether I should mail them to Karla so she could mail it directly to them. He answered back by saying that I should mail them to Karla so she could mail it to them, so they could start the translation with some time to spare....
So, I am getting my packet ready to send to Karla. This time, since there are soooo many documents I am sending a packet of copies for Karla so she does't have to make the copies herself. I know it cost me double to send, but by being proactive, I am making sure that the documents will leave tomorrow Friday to Russia!!!
Today, I also received an email from Karla with answers to several questions I had enquired earlier last week. This is what she responded:
- In regards to Tax Returns - Do we need the last 3 years? (Notarized and Apostilled) or do we need only the most current (2007) Yes, last 3 years notarized and apostilled.
- In regards to Bank Statements - Do we print them right of the Internet or do we need to get a letter from the bank indicating our current balance? You will get from bank – but wait they will want it at a later date.
- In regards to Dr. Puffer Letter - (from the Tver Checklist) - Does CHI takes care of it? I will send the Dr. Puffer Letter to Russia tomorrow and I will scan you a copy for your file.
- In regards to State and Local Police Reports - Do I have to get from both or only from State. Also, how long is the shell life? One year or 3 months? For Tver, it is best to get both. The checklist states it is good for a year.
- In regards to the Letter about HS Agency authority in International Adoption - Is there a Template that you could send me to see what the letter it's supposed to look like? This is a Letter of Good Standing from your home study agency.
Today, it's Friday, September 12th, and we end the week with a devastating email from Brenda Barker:
Dear family,
Last Friday, I let our social work families know that the SE Branch office of Children’s Hope International will be closing, as of September 30. I know more information will be forthcoming from our STL office of Children’s Hope, but let me assure you that Children’s Hope is NOT closing! For current families, since all of the adoption consulting work has been transferred to our main office in STL, this should not affect you, if we did not do your social work. Those families that we are currently doing social work for in Tennessee, Kentucky and Arkansas, we are working with an agency in each of these states to take our social work cases to make this transition as easy as possible.
I wanted to share with you excerpts from the letter I sent last Friday:
On behalf of Children’s Hope International, I wish to thank you for your loyalty and commitment to providing homes, health, and hope to children in need. We feel privileged to be your agency of choice to assist you in this rewarding journey.
This past year has been full of learning experiences, speed bumps, and transitions for all involved in the adoption process. We have shared prayers and sadness with you as we learned together that the Memorandum of Understanding Agreement between Vietnam and the United States will most likely expire in a few weeks. We all have watched and waited as the China adoption program extended from a 6 month to now a 3 year program. And just a few weeks ago, all of us mourned together with you as we learned that we did not receive Hague Accreditation. But during this sadness, we must also remember the times of joy we had welcoming home our first Ethiopian baby, my own Ethiopian daughters coming home, in receiving accreditation in Russia, and our expanding the Child Sponsorship and Humanitarian Aid programs. These are all reminders that with every uncertain step, we also have many sure steps full of reward for the world’s orphans.
At this time, we are doing what we believe is in everyone’s best interest and voluntarily terminating our license as a Child Placement Agency in the State of Arkansas, Tennessee, and Kentucky.
I have had over 15 years of serving families through international adoption, and helped close to 2,000 children find homes in the Southeast during this time. I started the Russia program, and helped CHI get licensed in several countries. I have been to over 20 countries through my adoption experiences. But what I will miss the most is each of you. It is with great sadness that I leave you. I will miss talking to you, laughing together, and sometimes even crying together. I will miss not being a part of bringing your child home…many of you I remember that first time we met at an information meeting! I know I will miss seeing God’s daily miracles. You can not be a part of adoption as a consultant, a social worker, or as a family, and not see God’s hand and heart as He builds your family.
Please know that I hold you dear in my heart, and consider you a part of my family, as I hope you do me as well. It has been an enormous privilege in watching your families grow, and feeling that I was a part of that, at least in some small way…from seeing your baby come off that airplane, to the first day of school, and some of you to college graduations. You have been indelibly etched into my heart, and have made my life so much richer in so many ways. For those of you waiting please know that your time will come as well…there is nothing better in this world than giving a child a home and watching them grow!
I hope you will all continue to mail me your Christmas letters and pictures as every year that is what I look forward to the most during the holidays. Please see my contact info below. Please delete any other contact info you have for me and only use that info below after September 30th. I may be leaving international adoption as my career, but I have always been a mom and I am always available to help families and children.
Thank you once again for your understanding, cooperation and grace in this time of transition.
I wish you many blessings on your adoption journey!
Blessings,
Brenda Barker
Regional Director
Children’s Hope International
This is very sad news for everyone. We feel really bad for all those people who are being let go. We pray for all the families, including ours.
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