In 2013 Angie and I had one biological child (Reanna). We were in a Sunday morning service at Journey Church and the topic was the need for international adoptions. Angie and I wanted to have another child in our family and we felt that God was leading us to have this child via international adoption. We contacted the Journey Church adoption ministry, obtained information, and prayed about which country from which to adopt.
We felt that our son would originate from Haiti. This was because of prayer, already having a link with the country from sponsoring, for many years, a Haitian child through Compassion International, and because we knew of the devastating 2010 earthquake. Because we already had a daughter, and having heard that more girls get adopted than boys, we said we wanted a boy. Also, we said we’d take an older child, up to 3 years of age.
We began the process of assembling the paperwork in the 2013 and finally had our dossier submitted to IBSER (the Haitian government department that handles international adoptions) in March 2014 (in late 2013/early 2014 only one dossier was allowed to be submitted per month/per adoption agency).
Then we waited the whole of 2014, and 2015, and deep into 2016. During the wait, we renewed our I-600 with US Immigration, and then when it was expiring again, we applied for an I-800 and waited.
In 2016, the Haitian government took over matching children to adoptive families. As we had been waiting so long, we were near the top of the list and were matched with Jamesley Lexine in August 2016. We flew out in September 2016 and stayed for 20 days in Haiti visiting Jamesley at the orphanage every day we were allowed.
After we were matched with Jamesley, our adoption agency told us that while we were waiting (2014 – 2016) on two different occasions a child had been matched to us, but at the last minute the biological parent decided to take the child back into their home. And because we had said we would accept a child up to 3 years old they didn’t want to match us to a baby because a lot of adoptive families only want babies. All this waiting meant that around the time Jamesley was born we began working on bringing him home.
We began to wait again as the final steps were completed (Haitian Passport, American Visa etc.) and at last we traveled to Haiti in late August 2017 and brought Jamesley home to Wisconsin.
Thank you for reading this, and if you would like to help please pray that our larger family grows close together and that Jamesley knows deep in his heart that he is no longer alone. And if you so choose, there is also the opportunity to donate. We have been awarded a $4,000 matching grant from Journey Church’s Adoption Fund, which is administered by Lifesong for Orphans. Each dollar donated (up to $4,000) will be matched by the grant.
STRIPE charges an online processing fee (2.2% +.30 USD per transaction). Your donations will be decreased by this amount. You may also send a check payable to “Lifesong for Orphans”. In the memo line please write “Stevens 7272”, to ensure it is credited to our account. Please mail to Lifesong for Orphans, PO Box 40, Gridley, IL 61744.
Lifesong has been blessed with partners who underwrite all U.S. administrative and fundraising costs (TMG Foundation and other partners). That means 100% of your donation will go directly to the adoption.
- In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to Lifesong for Orphans. This organization retains full discretion over its use, but intends to honor the donor’s suggested use.
- Lifesong is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization. Individual donations of $50 or more and yearly donations totaling $250 or more will receive a tax-deductible receipt. Receipts for donations under $50 will gladly be sent upon request.