New beginnings

By Rosanne Bowman

LIMA — Within 24 hours, Nicole Sweeney lost not only her father but also her unborn child.

“It was just overwhelming,” said Sweeney who has three children, ages 10 to 14.

Nicole Sweeney and her husband, Eric, had always talked about adopting. However, the time had never been right for them to pursue it.

However, in 2010, a year after the loss of her father and her unborn baby, the earthquake hit Haiti. “I had started to feel that we needed to adopt and that feeling got stronger,” she said. “Then the earthquake hit and I knew, that I knew, that I knew, we were supposed to adopt, so one day when Eric came home from work, I told him we had to talk.”

It turned out that God had been speaking to Eric Sweeney as well. “He told me, ‘You don't have to say anything,'” Nicole Sweeney remembered. “He said he knew we were supposed to adopt a little boy from Haiti.”

The couple immediately started to look into the process. They had heard of Chris and Hal Nungester who ran H.I.S. Home for Children in Port-Au-Prince, Haiti, so they contacted them.

The Sweeneys sent in their application and began looking on the orphanage's website which listed all the children that were available for adoption. They were drawn to two little boys, and they talked to them on video phone. They felt an almost instant connection with one of them — Jean Daniel who was almost 2 at the time.

Once the Sweeneys decided to adopt Jean Daniel, the long process began. In addition to the original application, they had to submit to a home study, numerous fingerprints, background checks, physicals and blood work, as well as turn in numerous reference letters. Almost every aspect of their lives was inspected and documented.

“We had to have everything notarized,” said Nicole Sweeney. “Then we had to get all those document stamped at the courthouse verifying the notary, and then we went to the state department where every single document had to get legalized.”

Once the numerous documents had been organized, the couple had to get the entire set of paperwork translated into French.

All that information, called a dossier, was then sent to the Haitian consulate to be authenticated; after which, it was sent back to the Sweeneys. The entire package was then mailed back to Haiti where a lawyer submitted it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Haiti. Once it was approved in October, then Jean Daniel's many documents had to be prepared. Following this, both the Sweeney's and Jean Daniel's dossiers were sent to the Haitian social services department where they have been since July.

Because the Sweeney's have biological children of their own, the president of Haiti, Michel Martelly, will have to give them special permission to adopt Jean Daniel.

Once they receive that permission, which they are waiting on now, they will get a phone call to go to court in Haiti.

“It can be very last minute,” said Sweeney. “That's why we are having our pumpkin roll fundraiser so we have the funds to fly there as soon as they call us.”

Even after passing all these hurtles, it could be several months before Jean Daniel comes to live with them.

“There really is no rhyme or reason as to how long it will take for each child,” she said. “It could be two months or eight — it depends on who is working on your file which can be frustrating.”

Not only was the process difficult, but it is also expensive. “The approximate cost when all is said and done will be between $12,000 to $15,000 with all the legal fees and costs,” said Nicole Sweeney.

What makes it more difficult for Nicole Sweeney and her family is that in September 2010, she and her oldest daughter Jacqueline got to meet Jean Daniel when they went to Haiti with their church, Calvary Chapel of Praise.

Sweeney choked up as she remembered meeting Jean Daniel for the first time, “He came toddling up and just jumped into my arms even though there were about 20 other people standing there. He had the biggest smile on his face. It was a total God moment. He didn't want anything to do with anybody but me and Jacqueline. It was like he had always been mine.”

Her other children are also excited about gaining a new brother. “My youngest, Jennessa, says ‘I'm so excited I just can't stand it,'” said Sweeney.

Through this long journey, Nicole Sweeney has learned about trusting God and having a lot of patience.

“I'm the type of person who wants to be in control, and with this I had no control,” she said. “I had to really trust God through all of this. But God makes a way and opens doors, and I know when Jean Daniel is home with us, it will all be so worth everything we've been through.”

If you have a story idea or an item you feel the community would like to know about for the Religion section, please contact Rosanne Bowman at bbowman3@woh.rr.com or 419-516-6149.