Miracle of Miracles....

I have the "Miracle of Miracles" song from Fiddler on the Roof stuck in my head today. FOR A REASON! This morning I was feeling very frustrated about the lack of attention our adoption file for KJ seemed to be getting by *anyone* in Haiti. Because we are going out of town and before we know it.....it will be the middle of February - I just couldn't stand the idea of returning home to the same status of our file rotting in the Haitian Civil Court!

SO, I planned to do something about it! Of course, all I CAN do is SCREAM, throw rocks and tantrums and unleash my frustration on everyone around me....but today, my letter was addressed to Mike at Holt International. Here is the letter.....

Mike-
I need, and hope, to hear the attorney working for Holt has accomplished something towards getting our file out of civil court. It is becoming very discouraging. It has almost been a month since the Dec. 27 birth parent meeting that went south. My opinion is, a good attorney would be able to communicate the major blunder on the civil courts part and, tell them that Katiana is turning 13 and has been living as an orphan since she was four and then get her file the H#$% out of that court! (forgive my language) Having grown up with a father as an attorney I have an advantage - still, it is so past anything reasonable for our file to still be held in this court. Please tell me the attorney Holt has hired understands from Holt he should be pushing hard. Pushing hard, to me, would be the attorney making an effort each day to get this turned around. Between you and me, I feel like the adoption files the attorney is working on are not his priority. Just a hunch, but I'm feeling so frustrated that our family and Katiana have to live with daily anxiety about our future and currently the system won't even allow the orphanage directors to advocate for the files in the civil court. So now, Monsour's hands are tied not being able to talk directly with the people in charge at the court. I know you can call me back and tell me that the attorney is working hard - but it doesn't explain the weeks in between with no news and no progress. I need to hear he is doing more than picking up the phone once a week. I'm sure that isn't fair, but when I only hear vague and general details of his efforts it leaves me feeling it isn't his priority. I need to know he has heard from Holt that this file has to get moving and we need him to push hard.

Again, I understand we are dealing with a pretty backwards country with many problems. I still think if the attorney makes it HIS priority he could get our file moving. I also understand the court delayed for 3 months before they decided that they wanted birth parent interviews and the timing of this decision came close to the holidays. We are now approaching February and I just can not even imagine another week going by without any kind of progress.

Again, I think a good attorney would know these details and would present this "case" -pushing to have our file signed out. It shouldn't matter how backwards things are in Haiti - humans understand *reason* and I'm not getting a strong impression that the attorney is using any *reason* to persuade the civil court in signing our file.

I don't know the details of the other files but I hope they would be treated individually with appropriate pressure being used with the court, instead of looking at them as a group of 4 files. If all the files have been stuck as long as ours, than by all means, the attorney should be making the same case for all of us. I hope he isn't letting our file delay because the other 3 files have been in the court for a more "reasonable" timeframe.

Sorry to be so cheerful. :) We are doing all we can to prepare for her homecoming but to have our file SIT for 4 1/2 months, for what should have been a much shorter process, is just hard to deal with.

Thanks for any help you can give towards lighting a fire.

Natasha

p.s. Are we dealing with bribes too? I do wonder sometimes if our file is being held like it is because of that. I would never agree to a bribe and I know Holt wouldn't either. I just need very clear communication about what is going on. Thanks.

oh, and please know - I respect and appreciate you, Holt and Monsour immensely - and my pointed e-mail comes from the frustration that has been building from enduring a Haitian adoption. I'm certain these memories will quickly fade when we finally get Katiana home.

WELL.........I ran a spell check and fixed a couple of words and was about to push send when the PHONE RANG........it was Holt! It was Mike! and he said "How would you like some good news!" Yes! Our file came out of the (not so) Civil Court!!! So, today I experienced a wonderful little miracle and the bigger miracle.....the Lord's timing! It wasn't coincidence that the phone rang at that moment! No it wasn't coincidence at all!
love,
tash