January 18, 2009 7:00 PM

The following statements were just released by the Department of Homeland Security. If you have questions regarding this, please contact your agency.

January 18, 2010 6:05 PM

We received the following email regarding pending adoptions in Haiti. EVERY ADOPTING FAMILY NEEDS TO SEND YOUR INFORMATION AS IT IS REQUESTED TO: haitianadoptions@dhs.gov. PLEASE NOTE, THEY HAVE CORRECTED THE EMAIL ADDRESS TO THE ONE WE HAVE LISTED, NOT THE ONE IN THEIR EMAIL. THANK YOU!

		Document Request for Pending Haitian Adoption Cases   January 18, 2010     DHS' U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has set up a special e-mail box Haitian.adoptions@dhs.gov to receive scanned documentation on pending Haitian adoptee orphans.  If you have already sent documentation to askci@state.gov , it will be forwarded to USCIS on your behalf.   USCIS requests that all communications from prospective adoptive parents and adoption service providers should be formatted as follows: · Subject line: LAST NAME, First name of the adopting parent, and USCIS case number and NVC case number, if  available · If you are adopting more than one child, please send separate e-mails for each child · Include the name, DOB, gender of the child, and the current location of the child in Haiti · Include any contact information for the child's current whereabouts · Please include a recent photograph of the child · Attachments: please limit attachments to 10 megabytes per e-mail message.  If necessary, split your communica­tion into more than one message, and indicate in the subject line the total number of e-mails and the message num­ber  (i.e. "1 of 2")   The following case documents may be useful to USCIS; · Full and final Haitian adoption decree · GOH Custody grant to prospective adoptive parents for emigration and adoption OR · Secondary evidence of either of the adoption or custody decree · Proof of travel by the prospective adoptive parents to Haiti to visit the child · Photos of the child and prospective adoptive parents together · ASP "Acceptance of Referral" letter signed by the prospective adoptive parents · IBESR approval · Legal relinquishment or award of custody to the Haitian orphanage  · Secondary evidence of the above (e.g. e-mail correspondence, copies, ASP correspondence)   Updated information will be provided on www.adoption.state.gov as it becomes available.

January 18, 2010

Kim is asking all families to please contact your local media. Tell them that the orphanage that Geraldo Rivera was at during his two hour special last night is your orphanage where your kids are. We need to CONTINUE to get the message out that these kids need to come home. And we need the public to join us in being loud with our government that this is what needs to happen.

And we need everyone to contact their Senators and Congressmen, and ask everyone you know to contact them as well. It is a federal holiday, but call and leave voicemails, emails, etc. We have to keep pushing, letting everyone we can know that we are there, and we need help, and we need to get the kids out. Thanks for your help!

January 17, 2009 6:24 PM

We just received word this evening from Frankise that the orphanage has 30 UN soldiers issuing medical care to our sick babies! Praise the Lord! We have also received aid today from the Salvation Army and the Red Cross.

We have Pat and Tanya in the Dominican Republic. We are working to get Tanya, a physician, to the airport in Port-au-Prince to be there when the time for evacuation occurs so that she can be with our children. Please pray that we can do this.

Please pray for our staff, for Pierre and his family, Frankise, Kiki, and our birth families. Once our children are evacuated, For His Glory still exists, and we will then turn our focus, for the time being, to humanitarian aid, particularly to our staff, our birth families and our neighbors.

Announcements are forthcoming as to the next steps in getting our children evacuated and to the U.S.

If you are an adoptive family, this is what we need you to do:

1.       If you are already with an agency, please contact your agency and provide all paperwork you have to them. If you are an independent family, CCAI will be willing to assist you in the completion of this process. We strongly urge to get under the umbrella of an agency. Please contact Judy at: (303) 850-9998 or info@haitiadoption.org.  Please be getting all your paperwork scanned in so you can provide it to them.

2.       Secondly, all adoptive parents will need to be approved as foster parents in accordance with the laws of your state. After you has been in contact with your placement agency, please check with your home study agency in your state to assist you with this.

Your agency will contact you with further details as they are announced.

To God Be the Glory,
Kim Harmon, President

January 16, 2010 11:40 AM

• formula for babies
• medicines
• IV fluids (one child is currently on an IV)
• charcoal to cook
• diesel
• cash to buy supplies if they find them. They are running out of cash and there are no banks open to get cash, so it needs to be delivered by someone already on the ground or by helicopter.

January 15, 2010 3:06 PM

We just received the following response from the US Department of State. At this time, we encourage you to continue to contact your Congressmen and Senators - and please continue to pray. All air-traffic is closed over Haiti except for military, so we are still not able to get a flight in.

"Thank you for your inquiry about U.S. citizen adoptions of Haitian children.  Due to the recent earthquake, the U.S. Embassy in Port au Prince is focusing its efforts on assisting U.S. citizens directly affected by the crisis in Haiti.  We regret to inform you that all routine visa services at Embassy Port au Prince have been temporarily suspended, including immigrant visas for adopted children.  However, the State Department continues to make adoptions a priority and will continue to work on adoption cases.

We are sure everyone is very concerned about their children.  At this time the Embassy has no new information.  Local phone lines are down, and there is no way of contacting the orphanages or Adoption Service Providers.  Once communication lines are open, the Embassy will be contacting them to determine their status.

U.S. citizens with pending adoption cases in Haiti are requested to contact the Department of State at AskCI@state.gov for information about their adoption case.  In your inquiry, please include: full name and contact information of parents, full name(s) of child(ren), date(s) of birth of child(ren) [if known], and the name and contact information of orphanage.  Your constituents can find additional information about adoptions in Haiti at http://adoption.state.gov/news/Haiti.html#.

The Department of State is committed to helping the people of Haiti, as well as looking after the welfare of the roughly 40,000 Americans who live and work in Haiti, including those who are part of our U.S. Embassy family in Port-au-Prince.  Your constituents can obtain the most up-to-date information regarding U.S. Government assistance for American citizens in Haiti at: www.state.gov/haitiquake/.  I hope this information is helpful in answering your constituent's inquiry.

Regards,

Consular Officer

U.S. Department of State

Congressional Liaison Office

B-330 Rayburn Building

U.S. House of Representatives

Washington, D.C.  20515

January 15, 2010 10:23 AM

We had a phone call from Pierre this morning. It was brief and we were cut off, but this is what we know. Kiki is okay. Pierre's family are all okay. The first night the kids slept outside in the open, but Pierre said the government brought tents and so tents have been set up for the children. They have been able to get potable water again and they have food. We are praising God for how HE has watched over the children and staff through this. 

Because the airport is shut down to all air traffic except military, we are still not able to get into Haiti. We will be going in just as soon as we possibly can. We have seen how the Lord has incredibly provided for and protected the staff and children at Maison, and we ask you to continue to pray for his protection and provision. Our God is an amazing God and we praise Him through this.

There are various reports out that some orphanages are getting their kids out with humanitarian visas. At this time, the State Department along with JCICS are making decisions about how to handle adoptions from Haiti at this time. No process has been set up yet. It will take a couple of days to filter down and be implemented, even if a decision is made today. I have a contact with JCICS that will let us know as soon as we know something.

I have contacted one of the Texas Senators on behalf of For His Glory and Maison and I am working with a top aide in this office. Pat Flowers is in contact with the Texas Governor's office on behalf of For His Glory and Maison. We have contacted USCIS in Port-au-Prince and are waiting for a response. We have emailed and called offices in the State Department on behalf of For His Glory and Maison. Please know we are doing everything we know and can to make the situation known and ask for help. Greg will be working on legal avenues we may have available to us.

I would caution families to please filter all your information and check sources out to be sure it is true before you post things. Just as soon as we know something we will let you know. We will contact your agency and put it on the website, but we will verify it before we put it out.

God Bless You,

Kim Harmon, President

January 14, 2010 3:12 PM

The most recent news I have: At the orphanage a wall fell. Two employees were hurt but are getting along OK. The children are all fine. Pierre was having trouble getting water but had suceeded. He got something in his right eye. He would be glad if you could let the others know.

January 14, 2010 2:15 PM

Dear Adoptive Parents, Supporters and Friends,

First, I want to thank you all, adoptive parents, supporters and friends, for your prayers and support of For His Glory during this time. Other than the contact we were able to make with Pierre approximately 20 minutes following the initial earthquake, we have not been able to reach Pierre or Kiki or anyone at the orphanage. Therefore, there has not been a lot of information along the lines of how the orphanage is that I have to pass along to you. We just received the following report from a family in Port-au-Prince: "We stopped by the crèche on the night of the earthquake and one of the guards told us that all of the children were safe and unharmed. The wall outside of the crèche was pretty severely damaged, but the building looked good. However, we did not go inside as we were in route to taking people to the hospital, so I cannot give you information about what it looked like inside. That's about all of the information I have." Other than this one piece of news, we have not received any additional, specific information on the condition of the orphanage or any of the children or staff. However, I want to reassure you that we have been working non-stop since Tuesday evening and EVERYTHING that is in our power is being done. We are working to get Pat Flowers and Mike Gibson, from the For His Glory Board, and Trevor Elam, a building inspector, into Port-au-Prince and to the orphanage as quickly as we can over the next several days. Commercial flights are not flying into Port-au-Prince, so we will need to find a private flight to take us in from either Florida or the Dominican Republic. Trevor has experience on mission trips and building inspection and will be able to make an immediate assessment of the safety of the buildings at the orphanage. When they get in, they will have a satellite phone and we should be able to get more information out. It is still my plan, unless God directs otherwise, to go to Haiti on January 22 with my husband and my two sons. My family in Florida, who have contacts with search and rescue teams and triage are packing supplies that we will carry in. We also have a company that is paying for additional suitcases for my family to take which will include thermal blankets, MREs (meals ready to eat), water tablets, first aid supplies and medicines. If it is determined I need to go in sooner with these donations, it will be done. At this time, by us waiting for me to go in until next week, we will have time to get a report from the orphanage through Pat and Mike and will more clearly know what the needs are at the orphanage and what specifically we should bring. Anyone traveling to the orphanage will come in personally self contained to meet our own physical needs so we don't become a burden on the orphanage. I expect within two weeks of our initial assessment, we will begin to have our own teams there. If you would like to help, we are putting up a form on the website that you can fill out. Initially, we are specifically looking for people with construction experience, medical professionals and those with search and rescue experience. When we get in, even if the orphanage itself is not in need of some of these teams, we would like to be able to reach out to our neighbors in the area. In addition, we can use people here in the US that have contacts in the shipping industries, airline industries, etc. that may be able to help us get supplies/donations in. Medications are beginning to be collected from all over the country - antibiotics, HIV medications, water tablets, Tylenol, Motrin, etc. If you have any contacts that may help us obtain medications, please contact them. There are ways you can help.  We will need someone to organize donations, sort and pack them and ship them. I had an organization call me today that is getting a container of food ready to ship to Haiti and they have asked us what they can do to help. I have the same fears and concerns about my children as you do. But, right now I have to personally put those fears and concerns aside and look at what needs to be done for ALL the children. I truly want NO child left behind. We will all have suffered loss. We ARE now, all suffering loss. And our children will and are suffering loss. We may never be able to locate some of our birth families. And so, we need to stand together for our kids. So, I urge you to mobilize TOGETHER, WITH US for the kids. Many of you are ready to go right now. If you go right now, then when we are ready to get teams together to do physical work and medical work, you won't be able to go because you will have already spent your money. I am not trying to keep anyone from your child. I'm just trying to figure out the best way for us to work together to help all our kids. If you are feeling like, "I just want to help, I want to do something," please, go online and let us know what areas you have experience in or what things you can do from here to help, and as soon as we know more about what the actual situation is at the orphanage and what the specific needs are, we will begin to mobilize teams. We have to put our fears aside right now. It is not from the Lord, it is from the enemy. Perfect love casts out all fear. Our confidence has to be in GOD and knowing that HE is leading us. The organization is called, "For His Glory." Let's give HIM the glory. I need everyone's help. We need to unite together, not run out to help individually. If it was in my power, I would load all of the kids in the orphanage on a plane and bring them here, but it is not. And I have to work, just as we all do, through the appropriate channels. Mass hysteria does not help anyone. While we are waiting for Pat, Mike and Trevor to be able to get into Haiti, we have contacts with other groups that will hit the ground soon and we have asked them to specifically target the orphanage. If any of you have been able to get any information through other channels, and you know how the orphanage is doing, please contact me so we can get the information to everyone and it is not just a small group of people that have the information. After we assess the situation, the damage to the building and the contacts we have to obtain needed supplies, if it is determined it is not safe to stay in our current facility, we currently have two options. I have a contact that is willing to help move the children out onto the countryside to another facility. The other option is to build a tent city within the walls of the compound until we can repair the building. Both of these options would be temporary and would be a part of our relief efforts until we know what will happen with the adoption process from here. Regarding adoptions currently in process: We have been in contact with someone on the JCICS (Joint Council on International Children's Services). JCICS and the State Department are working on the issue to resolve the dilemma of adoptions. The process will probably look different moving forward, and we do not know yet what it will be. There has been talk about humanitarian visas, temporary visas, refugee visas and other options as well. As soon as we know what the decision is and how to proceed, we will move in that direction. I encourage you to get together all your paperwork you have in your possession to prove that you are an adopting parent, and then to wait, and to pray. You may contact your congressmen and senators to make known your needs. But please know, the issue is being worked on, and we will advise you and our agencies how to proceed once we know. There has been some concern expressed by our adopting families that the children could get lost in the shuffle among various aide organizations and not be found again. I have every confidence in Pierre that he will do everything he can to keep all the children together, and in the care of the orphanage. Additionally: We have received reports that Marie France with PAC is fine and all of the children in the care of her orphanage were unharmed. If anyone has any information on Granny Bin, please contact us. We would like to know how she is as well. Again, we thank you all for your desire to help, your donations and your prayers. Please continue to join with us to meet the needs of the children and our surrounding neighbors. God Bless You, Kim Harmon, President

January 13, 2010

I know you are all anxious for news from Haiti. Unfortunately this morning I don't have any additional news. I have tried and have been unsucessful at this time to get through. I am working on other avenues of communication with the orphanage. The airport is currently closed. When it opens, we have someone on a flight in and hope to establish communication at that time if we have not done so before our contact arrives in Haiti.

Those of you that have trips planned in the next few weeks, please contact your adoption agency representative to check on the status of your trip.

Thank you all for your prayers!  We will update as soon as we have more information

January 13, 2010 6:48 PM

We are receiving many inquiries from adoptive families that have their children home about how they can find out about the condition of their child's birth family. At this time, we are still not able to reach anyone in Haiti, so we unfortunately can not provide you with any information about your child's birth family. However, the following two services may be of help:

• Contact the State Department at 1-888-407-4747
• Register your child's birth parents on the following website through the Family News Network of the International Committee of the Red Cross: http://www.familylinks.icrc.org/haiti/tracingrequest.

These two services may be of help because your child is still a relative of their birth family in Haiti. These two resources will only be of help to those that ALREADY have their children home. We pray this is of some help!

January 13, 2010 5:27 PM

I have a friend in the US who is a ham operator and is going to see if they can get through and find out how the orphanage is doing and how Pierre & Kiki are. We have people all over the country working to bring aid and relief. If the airport opens tomorrow we will have two board members on the ground with a satellite phone. I know many of you would like some adoption news. All Haitian adoptions will be impacted by this disaster. I have received news that the JCICS and the State Department are discussing possible solutions. Please be in prayer about this

January 13, 2010 3:12 PM

I am working diligently to contact Haiti. We are now trying to connect through missionaries and organizations that are able to get word in and out of Haiti. I have had no word yet. We also have people connecting with emergency relief organizations to target the orphanage when they hit the ground.

Please pray that I am able to communicate. I would like to know how everyone is. I have not been able to reach Kiki.

We have someone ready to travel to Haiti when the airport opens and have obtained a satellite phone. Once we have established contact with the orphanage and can assess the situation we will be able to give out accurate information on the needs of the orphanage.