What Happens Next...

We've signed our contract, enclosed the check and it gets mailed tomorrow. Many people have asked what will be involved, how long it will take, etc.... While there are no guarantees with international adoption, it should go something like this:

1) The Homestudy. This portion should take two to three months. It requires some paperwork, a home visit with social workers, obtaining four background checks, vital statistics, etc...
2) The Dossier (the huge file that gets sent to the Haitian government). We'll be working on a lot of this while the homestudy process is in gear. All the paperwork has to go through a number of channels before completion an it should take a few months, as well. We also have some US immigration-type things to complete.
3) The Referral. Once our paperwork is in order, our orphanage will match us with a child. We review the information they give us and prayerfully make a decision.
4) The Wait. We have zero control over this part. It's all in the hands of the somewhat unorganized and s-l-o-w departments of the Haitian government.

So we're looking at a long 9-12 month wait... at least. Since Haiti is in turmoil (over 60 US citizens have been kidnapped for ransom in the past year) and the US Department of State has issued a travel advisory, our baby will most likely be escorted into Miami. :o)

Please keep us in your prayers as we begin the homestudy. It's a little intimidating.