The Lifeline Blog--New Website!

Our new Lifeline blog website!

We wanted to introduce you to the newly updated Lifeline blog!  We will now begin posting all of our new blog entries to this website at this link here.  You will find it easy to navigate, with six categories at the top: Adoption, Foster Care, (Un)Adopted, Faith & Encouragement, Equipping, and From the Director.  You can use these categories to search older posts from this webiste.  We are so excited to begin using this new blog as a tool to share stories of hope, encouragement, prayer needs, staff testimonies, views from adoptive and foster care families, and much more!

New Taiwan Waiting Children

We are excited to announce that we have several NEW children that have been added to our Taiwan Waiting Children list! Lifeline is currently searching for forever families for almost 50 waiting children who are available through our adoption program in Taiwan. New children have recently been added to the waiting children list! The children’s ages range from 1-13 years old and sibling groups are available.

If you have questions or would like more information about our waiting children in Taiwan, please contact Morgan Cheek at Morgan.cheek@lifelinechild.org for more information.

Colombia Accreditation Status

Lifeline  is more than excited to announce its newest program in Colombia!! This is going to be an amazing program. Colombia currently has over 11,000 children waiting for adoption, and Lifeline has what we believe to be the best on-the-ground team to assist in the adoption process and advocate for our families. We look forward to providing International Adoptions Services in Colombia. The resolution of accreditation is on its way at this time!

Families adopting from Colombia can adopt children with special characteristics. Children with special characteristics include:  1) older children, at least age 7 years old or older, 2) sibling groups, and 3) children of all ages that have one or more medical or special needs.

The Colombian adoption process takes an estimated time of 18 to 24 months for children with special characteristics. This is from the time your application is approved through the time of travel. Please remember that this is an estimated time.

Colombia requires that those seeking to adopt be between the ages of 25 and up and Colombia requires that married applicants are married for a minimum of three years. Single women may also adopt from Colombia.

When a family travels, the expected stay in-country is approximately 4-7 weeks. Both parents must be willing and able to stay the entire time if necessary, but one parent may return to the states during the process after the first few weeks if approved. The length of in-country stay will depend on the originating city of the child.

The estimated total cost of a Colombian adoption right now is around $27,600. We have done our best to provide an all-inclusive figure for our families. We also assist in providing families with information on  scholarships and grant programs that are available. If families are concerned about the cost, they can also contact their accountant to get information on the Adoption Tax Credit.

Colombia is a great country to adopt from for the following reasons: It is a “Hague-certified” program; there is high quality orphanage care; they provide detailed medical and developmental information on available children; children who wait receive counseling and advocacy services;  there is a well established government child welfare agency  that oversees the “transition” process; and children are able to reside with the adoptive parents throughout the family’s stay in-country.

The country of Colombia has many children in need of loving, permanent homes. If God calls you to embark on this journey, it would be our joy to partner with you!

For more information, please contact Beth Stanley at beth.stanley@lifelinechild.org.

Summit VIII

 

Lifeline will be sending several members of our staff to the eighth annual Summit conference in just a couple of months!  This is a wonderful orphan care conference and we are honored to be apart once again.  It is an incredible opportunity to gather together with others who are passionate about bringing hope to orphans and also love our great God.  Summit: inspires, equips and connects for adoption, foster care and global orphan ministry.

This year's conference is held on May 3-4 at Saddleback Church in Southern California. For more information on how to attend and what Summit is all about, visit the Summit Website. Participation is open to anyone who hears God's calling to care for the orphan.  We hope to see you there!

Waiting Children Taiwan

Jeremiah 14:22 “We set our hope on you, for you do all these things.”

Visit Lifeline’s Taiwan Waiting Children page as you consider how you can defend the cause of the fatherless. Pray over these precious children, that they would know the love of Christ and experience adoption both spiritually and physically. Also, join with us in praising God for this new opportunity we have to facilitate adoption from Taiwan. You can help: Pray, visit, defend, invest, or adopt as the need is vast.

If you are interested in viewing these children and their special needs, contact Lifeline at lifeline@lifelineadoption.org to obtain the password.

To learn more about adoption from Taiwan contact:
Stephanie Carpenter
stephanie.carpenter@lifelineadoption.org

Meet Braylon

Braylon is an adorable biracial (Caucasian/African-American) 13 month old boy who has some challenges. Braylon was born at 23 weeks and 3 days old and has been in the care of Lifeline since March 8, 2010.

He did not pass the hearing screen at birth, however he plans to get tubes in his ears on July 7, 2010 and at that time he will also have the ABR hearing test-auditory brain response, this will give us a more accurate assessment.

He also is vision impaired and has been diagnosed with retinopathy of prematurity. The doctor reports that it is too early to determine an accurate vision prognosis until he reaches at least three years of age.

Braylon also has been diagnosed with BPD-bronchopulmonary dysplasia, and is currently on oxygen, but there are plans to gradually begin to wean him off.

He has a hernia the size of a plum that protrudes from his naval that could potentially require surgery in the future. Braylon is currently receiving physical therapy through early intervention and they report that his performance is that of a five month old.

Please call Laura Armstrong at 205-972-8473 or email at laura.armstrong@lifelineadoption.org if you have questions about precious Braylon.

Laura Armstrong
Birth Mother and Foster Care Social Worker

Lunch with Lifeline

Tomorrow, Lifeline will be hosting our first Facebook event, Lunch with Lifeline! This event will be an informal discussion with some of our International Social Workers and myself. As Lifeline’s International Director, I would like to extend a personal invitation to you to attend this event. So whether you are considering adoption for the first time, or if you are at a later stage of the adoption journey, please post your questions. I believe that our Lifeline families can benefit from these written discussions on Facebook as they see questions get answered that are probably also on their mind.

Here is all you have to do... Tomorrow, simply go to Lifeline Children’s Services’ Facebook page between 12 and 1 central time and post your adoption questions. This will be a very informal time to chat with our staff about anything on your mind, in regard to all aspects of international adoption. I want everyone to feel welcome to bring their concerns and questions about adoption to the “lunch” table.

In closing, I would like to personally ask for you to partner with me in two things. First, realize this is all new to us. Our intent is to assist families and have a casual, safe setting to ask anything (there are no “dumb” questions). As we learn how to maximize this communication tool we will get better at effectively addressing the topics most important to our families. So, for tomorrow, please be patient and bear with us as we host this event and work out any kinks in this new medium of communication for Lifeline. And second, please attend this event, feel free to invite a friend, and ask me any question that you have. I am confident that over the summer this forum will grow and we may not be able to easily get to all the questions. On our first time out, this should not be an issue as many of our families are still learning that we will be offering this once a month service. Our desire is to offer “Lunch with Lifeline” once a month, so please have some fun with us tomorrow for our inaugural run!

International adoption can be confusing and intimidating, but Lifeline would like to be there for you to address any fears or concerns that you may have from the very beginning to the conclusion of your adoption journey. Thank you for your continuous support of our agency and our ministry to families like you.

May God be glorified in all that we do!

Dave Wood
International Director

Lifeline's First Cookbook Fundraiser

Lifeline is announcing our first EVER cookbook fundraiser! We will be selling cookbooks to raise funds for our ministry and we need your help! We are calling on Lifeline’s supporters to submit your favorite and most cherished family recipes to include in the cookbook. This will be a Lifeline cookbook, so we need recipes from everyone connected to Lifeline in order to personalize our cookbook. So, if you are interested in submitting recipes or reserving your copy, please contact Rachel at rachel.adams@lifelineadoption.org.

Uganda Update

We have been informed today that the Vice Consul in Uganda intends to begin issuing visas and taking appointments for those who abide by the requirements for an IR4 legal guardianship visa outlined in Department of State’s announcement of April 15. Again, no legal guardianship visas have been issued, but the Embassy in Kampala has given verbal confirmation that this announcement from the State Department is sufficient to resume visa issuance for families with the correct documentation and the appropriate wording in their court orders.

Uganda Update

On April 15, 2010, the United States Department of State issued a statement clarifying the requirements to be granted an IR4 visa to bring a child to the US under a legal guardianship. If a family has met the outlined qualifications for an IR4 legal guardianship visa, it can be assumed that the Consul will resume IR4 visa issuance in Uganda. No families have yet received an IR4 visa after this announcement; however no families have been denied after this announcement. When a family receives an IR4 immigrant visa, we can be sure that the issues have been completely resolved.

http://adoption.state.gov/news/uganda.html

ACT NOW: Families for Orphans Act

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is considering the Families for Orphans Act today. They will soon make a decision whether this bill is to move forward. National Council For Adoption expressed their support for this bill in a recent Adoption Advocate Publication: NCFA Supports the Families for Orphans Act.

Please fax and e-mail letters that state your organization is in favor of the Families for Orphans Act. Tell them who your organization is and who you represent. Mention why you think it is important for orphans to have families. Tell them your organization supports this bill and request that they support it as well.

Letters should be addressed to:
The Honorable John F. Kerry, Chairman
U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee

Fax to Kerry’s office 202-228-3612 and e mail copies to Laura Winthrop Laura_Winthrop@foreign.senate.gov his staffer handling the issue and

Fax 202-224-0836 to Paul Foldi Paul_Foldi@foreign.senate.gov – Senator Lugar’s staffer handling the issue on the Committee for the minority.

Please also copy Senator Mary Landrieu and Senator James Inhofe so they know supporters are writing in.

E-mail those copies to Jetaine Hart Jetaine_hart@landrieu.senate.gov and Nathan Reese nathan_reese@inhofe.senate.gov

Please act today to take a stance on this important legislation.

UGANDA UPDATE

The following information is free to be shared in full, not in part! If you choose to copy and paste, please include the entire notice.

Lifeline is committed to provide timely and accurate information to all of our families in regard to the current situation in Uganda.

In light of a release yesterday by the US State Department (See Below) Lifeline desires to direct you to our Uganda Update post on 2/5/10 in which the Vice Consular gave the following three options in regard to our families:

(1) Request that the PAPs attorney ask the judge to put language in the adoption order that says the PAP will be allowed to travel to the U.S. to adopt the Uganda child and that that child may change citizenship, or at the minimum state that the PAP may "fix the abode" of the child. This would allow the Embassy to process IR4 immigrant visas which may require clarification from the Government of Uganda (GoU) regarding the effect of the guardianship order. GoU may well tell the US Embassy that the guardianship order does not permit emigration and adoption abroad and therefore the child will not be eligible for an IR4.

(2) IR3 which would require the PAP to seek and obtain a full and final adoption. This will require that the PAP coordinate with local attorneys regarding Ugandan law.

(3) File the petition with the US Embassy as per usual. They will consider it "not clearly approvable" and forward it to USCIS in Nairobi. This will delay the process and there is no guarantee that USCIS will return with a favorable response.

It may be likely that all U.S. PAPs may have to obtain a full and final adoption in order to obtain an immigrant IR-4 visa. When our Embassy has more information from the Government of Uganda, we will be sure to inform PAPs.

There has never been a real concern that "adoption" cases have ceased, but many individuals have mistakenly interchange the two terms; however, the process for each is significantly different. The only process in question is "legal guardianship".

The US Embassy has confirmed that if the judge will put language in his order that states, the PAP is allowed to take the child to the US for the purpose of adoption or that the family may change the child's abode, the Embassy will comply with the issuance of a visa.

The difficulty still remains in securing a judge that will write the specific language into the order for legal guardianship without the High Court ruling on the matter.  Lifeline's attorney is working to establish a secure path for our families that will not unnecessarily delay the process and until he has done so there will be a delay in securing court and travel dates so as to not cause families undue time in country.

We are hopeful to have more clarification in the next several business days.  The US State Department Notice is printed in full below:

Uganda Adoption Notice
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Office of Children's Issues
Status of Adoptions from Uganda
February 17, 2010

Contrary to rumors that have been circulating, the U.S. Embassy in Kampala has NOT ceased processing adoption cases, but legal complications in Uganda have arisen that are likely to cause significant delays in the processing of most adoption cases.

On February 3, 2010 The Honorable Lady Justice Margaret C. Oguli Oumo, Family Court Judge, informed the U.S. Embassy in Kampala that legal guardianship orders issued by the High Court of Uganda are issued with the understanding that United States citizens will not adopt Ugandan children in the United States and that the Ugandan children will not change their citizenship.

A key requirement of IR-4 immigrant visa eligibility is that the prospective adoptive parent(s) (PAPs) obtain legal custody of the child for the purposes of emigration and adoption abroad. Guardianship orders that merely permit the guardians to travel with the child outside of Uganda and do not permit the guardians to fix the abode of the child may not meet the requirements of U.S. immigration law for the purpose of IR-4 visa issuance.

If there is a doubt as to the meaning of a custody order, consular officers must seek clarification from appropriate government authorities. If the consular officer ultimately determines the order to be sufficient to meet the requirements for IR-4 visa issuance, the case can be processed to conclusion. If the consular officer determines the order to be insufficient, the embassy is required to submit the I-600 petition to USCIS for review. (If the I-600 was locally filed it would go to the USCIS office with jurisdiction as not clearly approvable; if it was approved in the United States it would be returned through the National Visa Center to the USCIS office in the United States that originally approved the petition.

Dave Wood
International Director
Lifeline Children’s Services

UGANDA UPDATE

The following information is free to be shared in full, not in part! If you choose to copy and paste, please include the entire notice.

Lifeline has heard from our Advocate/Attorney as well as other well connected sources in Uganda over the course of the past 24 hours. There is speculation of positive movement in the High Court that relates to the “legal guardianship” wording required by the US Embassy. In addition to this, there has also been discussions on waiving the 3 year adoption waiting period that is currently in place. We do not know if these discussions have been limited to children with special needs (we know of one case where this action has indeed taken place) or would be across the board (include non-special needs). Lifeline wants to be clear that discussions are NOT decisions, and although the Embassy is also hopeful for a quick resolve, the Vice Consular informed us yesterday that as of 2/16/10 no formal document from the High Court has been delivered to the Embassy. The US Embassy in Uganda can not and will not provide positive encouragement to adopting families, without a written commitment from the Ugandan High Court, for the requested change in wording as it relates to the full intent of the “legal guardianship”.

Lifeline supports the US Embassy’s position while also understanding the frustration of the High Court. Both Embassy and High Court agree that there should be no misunderstanding in the courts, and in the written decree, as to why American families are requesting “legal guardianship”.

Lifeline families may contact our office for additional and breaking news on the current situation in Uganda. We will continue to provide you with timely and accurate information. We do not know when our next posted update will be, but we continue to pray that the current situation will be resolved quickly.

Adoptive families should also be prepared for a potential backlog both at the courts and the Embassy when the process is fully resumed.

Dave Wood
International Director

UGANDA UPDATE

UGANDA NOTICE - 2/8/2010

The following information is free to be shared in full, not in part! If you choose to copy and paste, please include the entire notice.

Lifeline is committed to provide timely and accurate information to all of our families in regard to the current situation in Uganda.

In response to the concerns of the United States Embassy in Kampala, the High Court of Uganda has decided to suspend issuing court dates for legal guardianship cases until a resolution can be made between the Consular’s Office and the Government of Uganda on the intent of Legal Guardianship. While this will delay the process of prospective families who are attempting to secure a court date, it does not signal that the process has stymied. The position of the High Court is that time should not be wasted on issuing new legal guardianship cases for which the Embassy might not issue visas. Lifeline’s advocate in Uganda continues to feel strongly that the opinion of the High Court towards the legal guardianship decrees should not conflict with the standards put into place by the United States government and that this miscommunication of intent should clear in the near term.

Lifeline seeks the best interest of all orphaned children in Uganda and around the world. For this process to be completed, it is essential that governments have an adequate and clear plan. We pray that this delay will both strengthen and ultimately sustain a relationship between the countries of Uganda and the United States of America for the betterment of legitimate orphans. This process should provide necessary safeguards for the protection of children.

Lifeline is continuing to monitor the solution, but also realizes that it may take some time for things to resume.

In the meantime, commit to pray for the orphans of Uganda, the people of Uganda, and for God’s glory to be made know in this central African nation.

Blessings,

Claire Davis
International Social Worker

UGANDA UPDATE

UGANDA NOTICE - 2/5/2010

The following information is free to be shared in full, not in part! If you choose to copy and paste, please include the entire notice.


Lifeline is committed to provide timely and accurate information to all of our families in regard to the current situation in Uganda. We have had direct contact with the US Embassy in Uganda and here is what we have learned (anything you may hear beyond what is communicated below is rumor and not based in fact. It is very important that our families know exactly what has happened and what steps are being taken to address the current situation).

On Wednesday, February 3rd, Ms. Sahar Hussain, Vice Consul at the U.S. Embassy Kampala met with Ugandan government officials to discuss adoption in Uganda. During the meeting, Vice Consul was informed that legal guardianship orders issued by the High Court of Uganda are issued with the understanding that American citizens will not adopt the Ugandan children in the U.S. and that the Ugandan children will not change their citizenship.

Part of IR-4 visa eligibility requires that the prospective adoptive parents (PAPs) obtain custody of the child for the purposes of emigration and adoption abroad. While guardianship orders need not contain specific language stating that the guardianship is granted with the court’s understanding that the guardians may depart Uganda with the child in order to complete a full and final adoption abroad, it must at a minimum allow the PAPs to fix the abode of the child. Guardianship orders that merely indicate that the guardians are permitted to travel outside of Uganda with the child and do not permit them to fix the abode of the child would not meet the requirements of U.S. immigration law. We do not have a visa category that would allow PAPs to foster a child in the U.S.

The US Embassy in Uganda is currently working on obtaining official language from the government of Uganda that states explicitly what the legal guardianship order allows. Until that time, petitions filed at the US Embassy with a legal guardianship order will be sent to USCIS as not clearly approvable. This significantly delays the visa process. The US Embassy is suggesting that PAPs wait until their office has received this official correspondence from the government of Uganda before making any travel plans or beginning the court process with a Ugandan attorney. The US Embassy in Uganda is sending diplomatic notes to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Justice on Constitutional Affairs to request a clear definition of what the legal guardianship order states.

The US Embassy gave us the following three options for PAP’s:

(1) Request that the PAPs attorney ask the judge to put language in the adoption order that says the PAP will be allowed to travel to the U.S. to adopt the Uganda child and that that child may change citizenship, or at the minimum state that the PAP may “fix the abode” of the child. This would allow the Embassy to process IR4 immigrant visas which may require clarification from the Government of Uganda (GoU) regarding the effect of the guardianship order. GoU may well tell the US Embassy that the guardianship order does not permit emigration and adoption abroad and therefore the child will not be eligible for an IR4.

(2) IR3 which would require the PAP to seek and obtain a full and final adoption. This will require that the PAP coordinate with local attorneys regarding Ugandan law.

(3) File the petition with the US Embassy as per usual. They will consider it “not clearly approvable” and forward it to USCIS in Nairobi. This will delay the process and there is no guarantee that USCIS will return with a favorable response.

It may be likely that all U.S. PAPs may have to obtain a full and final adoption in Uganda in order to obtain an immigrant IR-4 visa. When our Embassy has more information from the Government of Uganda, we will be sure to inform PAPs.

Lifeline families need to know that we are working behind the scene, here and in Uganda, to aid both governments in the process as well as keeping families informed about what is transpiring. Our attorney remains confident that things will work out for Lifeline families because of what he is hearing from the Ugandan Courts.

For all Lifeline adoptions our attorney has always added the verbiage in the original affidavit that the intent of the American family is to take the child to the US, finalize adoption, and apply for US citizenship.

Perhaps other attorneys have not taken this step in filing their petitions which would understandably cause concern on the part of the US Embassy.

Be assured that as new information arises we will keep you informed.

Adoption is a faith journey and we believe God not only desires to transform a child through this process, but you as well. We encourage all of our families to commit this process to the Lord in continual prayer. Lifeline also desires to stress the importance of timely and accurate information. If you are hearing reports counter to what we are communicating to you they are false. Lifeline families may contact me if you have additional questions. You are continually in our thoughts and prayers!

Dave Wood
International Director
Lifeline Children’s Services

UGANDA UPDATE

The US Embassy is calling for a change in the wording in the legal guardianship decrees in Uganda. At this time, the US Embassy will not issue Immigrant Visas for children seeking to come to the US under a legal guardianship until this wording has been changed. Our attorney is diligently working to find out if the High Court judges would be willing to change the language used in the legal guardianship decrees. The decrees need to specifically state the judges’ awareness of the family’s intentions to adopt the Ugandan child or children in the US and that the judges understand the child or children will obtain dual citizenship in Uganda and in the US. He is specifically asking these questions on behalf of Lifeline families. Similar problems have arisen at the US Embassy in Uganda in the past and have been resolved successfully in a matter of weeks. Our attorney is hopeful that the current situation will be resolved in a timely manner as well. We will continue to update with timely and accurate updates.

Claire Davis
International Social Worker

UGANDA NOTICE

Lifeline is committed to give you timely and accurate information on news breaking now in Uganda. We can tell you that Legal Guardianship Immigrant Visa issuance in Uganda is currently on “hold” due to a problem with the wording used for the legal guardianship paperwork in the Ugandan courts. Our Ugandan attorney has a appointment at the US Embassy in Kampala tomorrow. The purpose of his scheduled meeting is obtaining additional information and potential ramifications relating to this situation. Lifeline is confident that hearing directly from the Embassy will cut through a lot of clutter and rumor now circulating on the internet. We will post another update tomorrow and will continue to keep you informed with reliable information.

Claire Davis
International Social Worker

UGANDA NOTICE

We have recently heard from the Embassy in Uganda regarding the number of families they can handle per year. Due to their new time constraints, we are increasing our process time estimation to 12-15 months. The Embassy hopes to increase their staff, which would decrease delays. We will keep you posted as we are updated!

Claire Davis, LGSW
International Social Worker