Feeling a little down about the wait for our referral, I emailed Kristine with Holt just asking for any general Philippines program updates. Just wanted to share part of her email back to me. I do appreciate everyone's thoughts, prayers and kind words throughout our wait.
"Hello Jenny,
I know that it is really hard to wait, especially as you get past a year, but we are pretty sure that the time frames are creeping up quickly, and now we do not know how long it is going to take for families to get a match. We still have the 2 families (including yours) from 2007, and a few weeks ago, we heard from Eva that there are a total of 35 families on the ICAB Roster left from 2007, so it is going to take awhile to work through those. The sibling group of boys that you are referring to were matched by our WCP with a WCP family, not a family who was already waiting on the Roster, so it was not the other Holt December 2007 family who was matched with them, they are still waiting. None of our families approved after you have been matched either, so no one skipped ahead or anything, it is just taking a long time for everyone. The eligibility guidelines for new families are changing in June, because ICAB is receiving too many Dossiers for the amount of children who need homes each year, and so they have to slow it down, or the wait will get outrageous. We have a single applicant who will be traveling to pick up her little girl in a couple weeks, so that is good news. We also have a few families matched with waiting children, a relative adoption of a sibling group of 4, and one other pending case that we are working on right now, but they all will not be able to travel for several more months. When people keep asking, just let them know that right now the amount of families approved and waiting greatly exceeds the number of children that are currently legally free for adoption in the Philippines, and so that is why there is a "wait". It doesn't mean that the need is not there, there are SO MANY orphans, it is just that not all of them are legally free yet, and also some get adopted domestically, in the Philippines too. I hope that we will get some news soon, but there is no way to know until it happens, as we do not get notice when a family is being "considered", but only once they are officially "selected/matched". I'll contact you as soon as I hear any news about your case, I promise, and in the meantime, it is no problem at all to give you updates about other things going on in the program. Have a great weekend!
Kristine Daniels"
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7 comments:
Jenny, I know that is so hard to hear. I always hate it when it seems like someone jumped ahead of you in line (like we did, sorry) because I feel that still happens to us also. I hate to tell you that we are still getting those "I don't know anything" emails from our agency at this stage in the game. The only sure fire thing is when they call you to travel. You are in our thoughts and prayers.
Julie,
I am not upset in anyway that you guys have your referral. When it comes to the welfare of a child, it always makes me happy to see a placement (even if it isn't with us). I am glad that you share your experiences with me, so that I know what I have to look forward to and what to prepare for. So how long do you think it will be before you can travel? I know it is a guessing game, but do you have any thoughts on it?
Hi Jenny,
hmmm...I guess that e-mail kind of confirms the rumors, huh?
Well, the good thing is that they seem to be working on the situation in the Philippines and trying to change things so that the matching process goes faster and smoother ;0)
Like you say, it's the welfare of the children that counts! There are so many older children over the age of five waiting to be adopted...I'm feeling a little guilty for having focused so much on receiving a young infant!!
Apparently they have changed some things in the Philippines to where it will take 3-6 months for a child to complete the process of declaration of abandonment, rather than several years. The twin boys from the children's home are with their new family now, and there is another little boy who will be adopted this year. I will be praying that your receive your referral soon!
Don't feel guilty, you have to do what is right for your family. We are hoping to travel in late May, but more likely sometime in June. I hope your next entry is about your referral!
Jenny, I agree with Julie, I hope that your next post is about your referral. I keep expecting to hear that either you or Joanne have a referral. I hope that it happens soon. Take care.
I am totally new to your site, and I came over from SimpleMom. As a Korean adoptee, I don't know about your wait (although I have heard that it is long and anticipatory) but I do know that you are doing a wonderful thing, offering your love, your home, and your spirit to a little person who is so in need. I believe myself to be so very lucky to have the opportunity I have today because my parents made the decision to adopt. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family as you continue on your adoption journey!
All the best,
Abbie
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