Miracle after miracle fell into place on March 30th. Luckily I have lots of emails and texts to reference in order for me to compile the miraculous series of events that brought our girls home!
The 4 days prior to the big day:
Thursday 3/26
I read an article about a couple who got stuck in Haiti while on their bonding trip and then the borders closed. They had seats on two repatriation flights that fell through and before they did end up coming home they were approached about escorting 2 little boys home to their adoptive family in the U.S. This sparked some hope in my that perhaps, despite the Embassy telling us they wouldn't be able to issue a visa, that there might be some hope for that...and that maybe that was why I continued to feel so urgent about pushing to get these final steps pushed through even if there supposedly wasn't a way for them to leave Haiti.
So! I emailed the journalist that published the article and asked to be put in contact with the couple who had escorted the boys home in his article. He put me in contact with Teresa Bauernschmidt who escorted home 2 boys this week. Teresa and I emailed (she is with Love Beyond Borders which is our agency's "backup agency" - our facilitators talked). Teresa told me about a Facebook page called "Americans trapped in Haiti" which I promptly joined and started to try and network with anyone who might be trying to get on that Monday's private charter flight out of Haiti that had been approved by the Haitian government (due to the now completely closed borders). I communicated with one man that was a possibility as an escort and with one girl whose boyfriend was a possibility.
Friday 3/27
This day I communicated with the potential escorts. Nothing was panning out...and without an escort the girls can't get on the flight even if all the other details fall into place. I emailed with Teresa (who forwarded me the document about the Embassy no longer issuing visas which I was aware of, but not deterred by). I texted with Chareyl to find no word on Abigaelle's passport being picked up, emailed with the U.S. Embassy directly, and emailed Emily (who has been our point of contact with our senator's offices that has maintained contact with the U.S. Embassy in Haiti) to keep her up to date. The U.S. Embassy was issuing official statements strongly urging all U.S. citizens who want to leave Haiti to be on the Monday 3/30 flight as Haitian government approved exception flights are currently only approved on that date and it is unknown when or if there will be others after that for an unknown amount of time.
This day I communicated with the potential escorts. Nothing was panning out...and without an escort the girls can't get on the flight even if all the other details fall into place. I emailed with Teresa (who forwarded me the document about the Embassy no longer issuing visas which I was aware of, but not deterred by). I texted with Chareyl to find no word on Abigaelle's passport being picked up, emailed with the U.S. Embassy directly, and emailed Emily (who has been our point of contact with our senator's offices that has maintained contact with the U.S. Embassy in Haiti) to keep her up to date. The U.S. Embassy was issuing official statements strongly urging all U.S. citizens who want to leave Haiti to be on the Monday 3/30 flight as Haitian government approved exception flights are currently only approved on that date and it is unknown when or if there will be others after that for an unknown amount of time.
Saturday 3/28
I got an email (on a Saturday) from the U.S. Embassy stating that they were able to verify on Friday that Abigaelle's passport is done and that Nathan will pick it and the medicals up first thing Monday morning...they emphasized how important it was to get things going early Monday so they would have time to issue the visa (!) and that night would be the last flight out of Haiti so the girls need to be on it. That had been posted and re-emphasized everyday for a few days and it fueled my urgency to get the girls on that flight.
***For the embassy to email and express their urgency to get the girls on that flight was an answer to specific prayers we had been offering asking that those in positions of power or influence would feel the urgency to do all they could to get things processed to bring the girls home. This was the very first time there had been any mention that the Embassy would be willing and able to issue a visa for our girls to leave and I felt so encouraged that we had continued to push forward with getting everything done even though we were being told that they wouldn't be able to get a visa and leave once we were to that point. It was sounding like a real possibility at this point to us!
I got an email (on a Saturday) from the U.S. Embassy stating that they were able to verify on Friday that Abigaelle's passport is done and that Nathan will pick it and the medicals up first thing Monday morning...they emphasized how important it was to get things going early Monday so they would have time to issue the visa (!) and that night would be the last flight out of Haiti so the girls need to be on it. That had been posted and re-emphasized everyday for a few days and it fueled my urgency to get the girls on that flight.
***For the embassy to email and express their urgency to get the girls on that flight was an answer to specific prayers we had been offering asking that those in positions of power or influence would feel the urgency to do all they could to get things processed to bring the girls home. This was the very first time there had been any mention that the Embassy would be willing and able to issue a visa for our girls to leave and I felt so encouraged that we had continued to push forward with getting everything done even though we were being told that they wouldn't be able to get a visa and leave once we were to that point. It was sounding like a real possibility at this point to us!
However, door after door closed on possible escorts. We struck out over and over. I was in my room praying and just after that the thought crossed my mind to reach out to Leah. Leah is another adoptive mom who has adopted from our same orphanage (and is in the process to again). I almost dismissed the thought and said something to Mark. He said, "Well it can't hurt." So I reached out to her. In hindsight I absolutely believe that thought was divinely placed in my mind... Leah answered quickly and said that the director of her mission program, and principal of the school that their nonprofit called NG4C runs, would be on that flight! She said she would ask Esther if she'd be willing to take the girls (she'll have her 2 year old with her also).
Leah reached back out to me that night saying that she spoke with Esther and she agreed that she was willing to escort the girls if their paperwork gets done, and she also verified that Esther's U.S. visa was current and valid. I reached out late that night to the embassy to see if it would be a problem since she's Haitian (to assign her as an escort for our girls). I was told this flight was only for U.S. Citizens and legal residents so I didn't know how that fit into things. They responded! They said since she has a current U.S. visa it's fine. I wish I could emphasize how big of a deal it is that I was able to communicate not only once, but twice with a U.S. Embassy employee on a Saturday... let alone at nearly midnight their time! With a potential escort lined up and the Embassy saying they would issue the visa things began to move full speed forward.
Mark and I had some hard discussions about things (work, COVID-19, the unknowns if this would go through, potential quarantines, etc) and we began discussing that maybe it was best if Noah accompanied me to Florida to pick up the girls. We did decide that would be best and booked a one way flight for the two of us to Miami. Because of the reduction in flights during this pandemic there were no direct flights so we would have to leave very early Monday morning, and there weren't any flights back that night so we also booked a hotel room in Miami since there wouldn't be a return flight back once their evening flight would get in. We were planning on staying at the hotel located on-site at the Miami airport, but there was no availability so we found a Marriott in Miami.
While discussing things with Chareyl on Saturday evening, we realized that we needed a travel POA form for Esther which Chareyl didn't have access to since it was saved on her hard drive and her computer was not working and taken apart by the tech guy. Honestly. One thing after another. The good news was that she figured out someone that she could get a copy of the document from that night! Then, because we had to have the document notarized and sent to Haiti right away she reached out to her son who happens to be the branch manager at a credit union...that happens to be right down the street from us! He was willing to come in the next morning (on a Sunday) and open the branch, during COVID-19 restrictions, to notarize the document for us. We were so very grateful.
Sunday 3/29
We notarized the POA giving Esther legal guardianship of our children for the flight from Haiti to Miami.
We made sure that Nisthone had connected with Esther to go over what escorting the girls would entail.
I communicated with Alison (with C4C) who gave me a rundown of the plan for Nathan the next day. She emphasized that "it really will be a miracle if everything can get done" for the girls to get on the flight. She knows that miracles are possible, but emphasized that she was doubtful this could happen and that it certainly would take a miracle for it to come together. Then Alison explained that first thing Monday Nathan would see if he can pick up medicals, passport and take documents to the Embassy. If he can see at that point that this miracle is coming together then he will call up to the orphanage and have someone bring the girls down to Port-au-Prince. I explained how much we appreciated everyone being willing to push so hard the next day, and that we indeed did recognize that it would take miracles for everything to come together in time for the girls to get on that flight. I just felt such a compelling drive to be sure that we did everything in our power to get the girls on this flight. That is all we could ask.
Leah reached back out to me that night saying that she spoke with Esther and she agreed that she was willing to escort the girls if their paperwork gets done, and she also verified that Esther's U.S. visa was current and valid. I reached out late that night to the embassy to see if it would be a problem since she's Haitian (to assign her as an escort for our girls). I was told this flight was only for U.S. Citizens and legal residents so I didn't know how that fit into things. They responded! They said since she has a current U.S. visa it's fine. I wish I could emphasize how big of a deal it is that I was able to communicate not only once, but twice with a U.S. Embassy employee on a Saturday... let alone at nearly midnight their time! With a potential escort lined up and the Embassy saying they would issue the visa things began to move full speed forward.
Mark and I had some hard discussions about things (work, COVID-19, the unknowns if this would go through, potential quarantines, etc) and we began discussing that maybe it was best if Noah accompanied me to Florida to pick up the girls. We did decide that would be best and booked a one way flight for the two of us to Miami. Because of the reduction in flights during this pandemic there were no direct flights so we would have to leave very early Monday morning, and there weren't any flights back that night so we also booked a hotel room in Miami since there wouldn't be a return flight back once their evening flight would get in. We were planning on staying at the hotel located on-site at the Miami airport, but there was no availability so we found a Marriott in Miami.
While discussing things with Chareyl on Saturday evening, we realized that we needed a travel POA form for Esther which Chareyl didn't have access to since it was saved on her hard drive and her computer was not working and taken apart by the tech guy. Honestly. One thing after another. The good news was that she figured out someone that she could get a copy of the document from that night! Then, because we had to have the document notarized and sent to Haiti right away she reached out to her son who happens to be the branch manager at a credit union...that happens to be right down the street from us! He was willing to come in the next morning (on a Sunday) and open the branch, during COVID-19 restrictions, to notarize the document for us. We were so very grateful.
Sunday 3/29
We notarized the POA giving Esther legal guardianship of our children for the flight from Haiti to Miami.
We made sure that Nisthone had connected with Esther to go over what escorting the girls would entail.
I communicated with Alison (with C4C) who gave me a rundown of the plan for Nathan the next day. She emphasized that "it really will be a miracle if everything can get done" for the girls to get on the flight. She knows that miracles are possible, but emphasized that she was doubtful this could happen and that it certainly would take a miracle for it to come together. Then Alison explained that first thing Monday Nathan would see if he can pick up medicals, passport and take documents to the Embassy. If he can see at that point that this miracle is coming together then he will call up to the orphanage and have someone bring the girls down to Port-au-Prince. I explained how much we appreciated everyone being willing to push so hard the next day, and that we indeed did recognize that it would take miracles for everything to come together in time for the girls to get on that flight. I just felt such a compelling drive to be sure that we did everything in our power to get the girls on this flight. That is all we could ask.
I called the hotel directly to make sure I didn't need my name on the hotel reservation for the next day (since Mark made the reservation) and they told me that our reservation was going to be cancelled because of an order to only provide rooms to "essential lodgers" due to COVID-19. All of Miami.
Say what??!
We scrambled and found a hotel in neighboring Fort Lauderdale. Then I went on to book a return flight for myself, Noah, and both the girls home out of Fort Lauderdale. The credit card where we have all our miles we've saved for this return flight didn't have phones being answered and their website was down due to overwhelming traffic from COVID so we had to just purchase the tickets outright instead of using our miles.
Moving forward booking all these things not knowing if it would all pan out was bitter-sweet. I thought we'd be celebrating as we booked our return flights, not worrying if it was going to happen. I thought I'd be traveling with Mark. I thought we'd be able to say goodbye to the children and staff we've grown to love so much at the orphanage. I certainly didn't think I'd be worried sick about potentially bringing home a virus that could put my higher-risk child at home in danger by traveling into a virus hot-spot (Florida). But here we were.
Say what??!
We scrambled and found a hotel in neighboring Fort Lauderdale. Then I went on to book a return flight for myself, Noah, and both the girls home out of Fort Lauderdale. The credit card where we have all our miles we've saved for this return flight didn't have phones being answered and their website was down due to overwhelming traffic from COVID so we had to just purchase the tickets outright instead of using our miles.
Moving forward booking all these things not knowing if it would all pan out was bitter-sweet. I thought we'd be celebrating as we booked our return flights, not worrying if it was going to happen. I thought I'd be traveling with Mark. I thought we'd be able to say goodbye to the children and staff we've grown to love so much at the orphanage. I certainly didn't think I'd be worried sick about potentially bringing home a virus that could put my higher-risk child at home in danger by traveling into a virus hot-spot (Florida). But here we were.
Then, after booking flights out of the other airport, I had to figure out how to get to FLL without carseats. I read that Uber drivers require families to provide car seats for children and there was no way for us to do that. I reached out to a private driver company, which is one of the few still operating during this pandemic and he agreed to take us from the Miami airport to FLL. However! He warned me that some people he has driven to FLL have been turned away from their hotels there too due to the recent order.
I looked up the order and in section 3, subsection gg it defines "essential lodgers" (mostly medical personnel) in #11 as including "displaced residents or visitors". I printed it and will argue that when we arrive at the hotel.
And we still don't know if the girls will make it on the flight or not.
I wrote this down late on Sunday night:
"I need to get a few hours sleep (if possible) and leave for the airport at 4:30 am. I'm worried. I'm scared about exposure to the virus. I'm worried if I made the right choice to bring Noah. However with work issues with Mark and needing someone here to man things and communicate with Chareyl/Haiti/book flights...plus if the girls don't come home and he ends up having to quarantine for 14 days WITHOUT them home because of traveling...or if we were somehow quarantined traveling and both away from the other boys for 2 weeks. We just couldn't both go. I hope we made the right choice. Praying. Really praying today (we fasted for us, COVID-19, and for the Bagley's referral)."
"I need to get a few hours sleep (if possible) and leave for the airport at 4:30 am. I'm worried. I'm scared about exposure to the virus. I'm worried if I made the right choice to bring Noah. However with work issues with Mark and needing someone here to man things and communicate with Chareyl/Haiti/book flights...plus if the girls don't come home and he ends up having to quarantine for 14 days WITHOUT them home because of traveling...or if we were somehow quarantined traveling and both away from the other boys for 2 weeks. We just couldn't both go. I hope we made the right choice. Praying. Really praying today (we fasted for us, COVID-19, and for the Bagley's referral)."
Monday 3/30 *The crazy, miraculous, stressful, beautiful day*
After a couple nights with very little sleep prior to that...I ended up getting less than one hour of sleep Sunday night before waking up early for Noah & I to leave at 4:30am for the airport. We didn't know if bringing them home was going to actually happen and we told nobody we were going. Not even family.
The airport was eerily empty. We were through the security in no time and had lots of time at our gate, waiting passengers all spread out from one another, to worry about what was happening at that moment in Haiti. Was Nathan at the passport office? Was he picking up medicals? We said several silent prayers as we waited.
Mark called the private charter flight company to check about information on the flight out of Haiti. He found out that there were 9 seats left on the flight, but we couldn't book the girls' flight out of Haiti until we had both passports.
Our flight took off and Noah and I prayed and prayed that we wouldn't be coming back later that day without the girls.
Here are a couple pictures during our (fully boarded) flight of about 20 people.
Then came words I didn't want to read... Nathan went to the medical clinic to get the medical reports required by the Embassy for visas and the clinic is closed. Gratefully the U.S. Embassy in Haiti took it upon themselves to see if they could get someone to come and open the clinic so Nathan could get them. My throat tightens with emotion at this. I'm so grateful for Nathan's tenacity, for the Embassy's willingness to find urgency with the situation, and for the person who came in to get those documents to Nathan.
So! Noah and I were on our layover in Atlanta not knowing if we needed to get a flight home or continue on to Miami yet (since it would've been the end of the road if Nathan couldn't get the medical report) when the text came through that he got them!! I was on the phone talking and pacing and burst into tears. I didn't care who was watching. There was still a LOT that had to line up in a short amount of time though, so I was running on adrenaline and following the group text with Mark, Chareyl and me and the group message with Alison, Mark and me.
The next thing I read was that IBESR agreed to rush the exit paperwork that day, but that they would likely close before they would be able to get the visa packets to them so they could issue the exit letters for the girls to leave the country. My heart sank. They cannot leave Haiti without that. The Embassy called IBESR to ask if they would be willing to wait for the rep to get there with the papers.
At this point Nathan was at the embassy waiting for the visas to get done and also coordinating having the girls quickly brought down to Port-au-Prince from the orphanage in the mountains since there was a possibility things could go through.
I'm getting an ulcer just re-living this series of events...so! The Embassy has a packet of paperwork that has to be compiled and copied. At one point I'm reading texts saying that it has to be at IBESR in 30 minutes or they are going to close...and they can't find a copy center to copy everything because they are non-essential businesses and all closed!!! Chareyl had the idea to send Nisthone to the Marriott where Chareyl has sent lots of clients to stay there and told him to offer to pay them to copy the paperwork...
And then I had to board my plane! Once on the plane I get an email from the U.S. Embassy in Haiti saying that one of the immigration documents is expired and they can't issue to visa without it being updated!!! I updated it the week prior so I was rushing to get the word to someone else since my plane was going to take off. Then I was hurrying to send copies over myself when I got a call from the Embassy in Haiti as we were taxi-ing on the runway to take off. I told him the forms were done and we'd get copies sent over. I hurried to send it before I didn't have internet and then we took off.
We pulled away into the air and I had no idea how this would work out. Did the Embassy get the documents? Did they issue the visas? Did Nithsone get the packets copied? Did he get to IBESR in time? Did the girls get there in time to meet them? Would the paperwork get done in time to make the flight? Soooo much praying on that flight. Every now and then Noah and I would look at each other, nod, and just bow our heads and silently say another prayer.
You would think that with as little sleep as I'd had that I would have got a little shut-eye on the flights, but I had so much adrenaline coursing through me that I couldn't.
We landed in Miami and I immediately turned my phone on and started reading texts. They needed copies of Mark's & my passports, but since Chareyl's hard drive on her computer was taken apart she didn't have them. Mark dropped everything at work and began speeding home hoping that I had copies there that he could find (I do have them, I'm not sure if he would have known where to look or not), but after he was half way home Chareyl texted Mark saying that she was able to get copies from the agency office and that they had been sent off to Nisthone. Thank goodness. So, Mark turned around and hurried back to work (and texting updates).
So after getting off our flight Noah and I found somewhere to sit at the Miami airport and I just paced back and forth. Then sat and prayed. Then paced. I must have looked crazy.
Nathan was at the Embassy waiting on the visa, Nisthone got to IBESR 5 minutes before they closed their doors and (praise the Lord) they agreed to stay open until Nathan arrived with the visa documents, and the girls were on their way to the airport with Nathan's brother I believe. At this point it was 2 hours before the flight was supposed to depart (they recommended being there 3 hours ahead due to additional screening with this being a special flight under the circumstances of closed borders). The clock was ticking and we didn't honestly know if things would happen or not.
Then...I see the text of a document with the signature of the director of IBESR! The same woman who signed our official referral to our two sweet girls. We had travel documents signed! Nisthone was on his way to the airport to meet Nathan and the girls. I can't emphasize what a big deal this is...IBESR stayed open to process things and then agreed to issue our exit letter/travel papers without actually seeing the visa. The Embassy verified to them that they were issuing it, but they were still putting everything together and there was no time to wait for them to finish it and Nathan to get it to them and then still get to the airport. IBESR issued it in good faith and Nisthone left to meet Nathan and Esther (our escort) at the airport...but Nathan was still waiting at the Embassy for the visa.
We prayed and prayed for that visa, for compliant traffic, for everyone to meet up. At this point it was almost one hour before this international flight departure and everyone was still in different places.
At this point I almost lost my mind...
I got a text saying that Nathan has the visa! Nisthone had the travel documents and the girls were there!!! Nathan called and was only minutes away with visa in hand, but nobody could find our escort Esther or get ahold of her. Chareyl worried what if she had gone ahead and gone into the airport since it was getting so late. I messaged Leah to see if she knew anything or why she wasn't answering her phone, but Leah hadn't heard anything and said that the only phone Esther had was her husband's who isn't with her now so she didn't have a phone.
???? How would we find Esther? Would they make the flight? I have never felt more desperate. I was being told that we had only minutes before we hit the hour mark before departure and if everyone didn't check in by that hour mark they wouldn't let them on the flight.
Then. Praise the Lord. I get this picture. Nathan with my beautiful, stunned looking girls and their paperwork and passports.
My little girls! At the airport in Haiti! Coming home to us!
Noah and I celebrated and went to the exit of customs and waited for a few hours. Their flight was delayed a few times (it eventually was 1 hour 40 minutes late arriving), and we found out that there were two customs areas at that airport and we were at the wrong one so we hustled over to the other side of the airport and were there when they eventually exited with Esther. (So, yes, they made the flight!) It was so wonderful to see our two little girls walk through those glass doors.
They were in darling little summer rompers, but were freezing cold and soaked through from urine dripping down their little legs so we rushed them right to a bathroom where I cleaned them up and changed their clothes. They immediately warmed up after that.
Gratefully our driver Jeff waited during the delay and the very long time it took for them to clear customs (seriously, she may have been the last one, bless her). He drove us to Fort Lauderdale where we didn't know if the hotel would admit us or turn us away do to COVID-19 orders. Gratefully they let us right in. The staff let us know their normally included breakfast and airport shuttle weren't allowed to function right now. No problem! Our good old driver Jeff said he'd be back in 4 hours to pick us up for the airport. I don't even care how much we paid that man. He was so helpful, his car was immaculate, and it was so good to know that we wouldn't be scrambling to find a driver in the morning as they are scarce right now.
We gave the girls their first warm bath, put them in jammies, let them jump on the beds and we started to FaceTime and Marco Polo people our good news now that they were in our arms!! We only got 2 hours of sleep that night, but Noah was an amazing trooper. I was so grateful to have him there to share this special time with, to pray alongside, and for him to be such an understanding and helpful big brother.
Tuesday 3/31
Our driver Jeff was at the hotel promptly and took us right to the airport.
We walked down the hallway with the moving walkways, heading toward the parking garage and I could see Mark and the boys outside the glass doors. We exited and had such a sweet little moment with just our family. This was Max's first time meeting his sisters. Mark had balloons and we took a little selfie in the parking garage and got in our van. As a family of 7. And I breathed. And cried.
I will never forget what it was like to pull onto our street and round the bend in our road to see cars of our family lining the streets. They all began honking...celebrating COVID-style our homecoming. That moment is etched into my mind and I love it so much.
We sat outside for a while and soaked everything in before taking the girls inside to show them "lakay Abby" (Abby's house)!
I could sit here and list out at least a dozen very feasible scenarios that could have easily happened that day, which would have prevented our girls from being on that flight. Instead I will say this. I absolutely believe that the reason things did all come together against all odds, in a country where things are already less than predictable, at a time when things are complicated everywhere... is because God allowed us to have this miracle. His hand was in this whole process, and I believe that He allowed this miracle both for us and for our girls...and as a testament of Him. I cannot celebrate everything that happened that day without giving ultimate thanks to Him. How grateful we are to have our family whole and under one roof, and also to have the honor to have been able to be part of and witness the miracles that God orchestrated to bring it all to pass.
I am also beyond grateful to the people whose hearts He placed urgency to do what needed to be done. We're grateful for Emily Wilson with the joint Romney-Lee team in D.C. who spent lots of time communicating with the Embassy in Haiti to advocate for us and get the ball rolling there, and keep the momentum up. I know she worked and communicated with me plenty of time after hours on our behalf, and I am so grateful. The last couple weeks of this process, and especially that last day, would never have happened without the intervention of the U.S. Embassy. Of course our tenacious adoption facilitator Chareyl with Wasatch Adoptions who agreed to support us in pushing for this miracle (and who has always gone above and beyond for us) and her amazing rep Nisthone that has worked so immensely hard on our behalf throughout our adoption and especially this last stretch getting our girls home...we love and appreciate them both so much. And of course Nathan (who honestly helped work miracles the that day the girls left), Alison and all the other staff at Chances for Children where our children lived for the last nearly 3 years. We are so immensely appreciative for all they have done for us, but especially for all they have done for our sweet, clever, feisty, beautiful little girls. And of course we are so grateful for all those who have earnestly offered their faith in praying alongside us during this adoption. From the bottom of our hearts - thank you.
I'm aware enough to know that there are many, many people whose hands have been part of this adoption journey. Some we know and some we do not. God knows all of you though, and we ask for Him to bless you.
I'll end with a picture of our girls before their first night in our home... and add that our miracle extended to a full night sleep for everyone that night. Them. Us. Not even any alarms from Max.
So grateful.
