We just returned from the US Consulate! We received a phone call at about 2:30 pm local time informing us that the consulate was open, and we needed to leave the hotel in 30 minutes. We quickly woke Eliana from her nap, and got dressed and out the door. We have now had our paperwork finished and taken our oath. Now we wait for Eliana's visa. They hope to get her visa to us tomorrow (our Friday), but if they cannot get them all printed in time, they plan to work on Saturday to finish getting them printed. The sooner the better! We have had to cancel our flights, and we are praying that Delta will be merciful and waive some of our fees. We are also praying that we are able to find a flight home that isn't fully booked. Thank you all for praying and for contacting your Senators and Congressmen!
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So many of you have expressed concern and willingness to help us as we wait for the US Consulate to re-open after the security emergency that occurred at the beginning of this week. As you probably already know, we are unable to bring our precious Eliana home until we have her visa from the US Consulate. They are currently saying that they will be closed for the remainder of this week. We have no idea when they will re-open. We were supposed to be boarding a plane to go home in about 20 hours, but that's not going to happen now.
Here is how you can help:
1. Pray for us!
*Pray for peace and patience.
*Pray for our boys. We miss them terribly, and we know they are ready to have their Mommy & Daddy home.
*Pray for the financial side of this situation. This extended stay was definitely not something that we budgeted for. We will have extra nights in the hotel, flight change fees, & possibly flight fare differences.
2. Contact your Senators and Congressmen (and anyone else in Washington who could help).
*Here is a letter you can send:
___________________________________
Dear Senator/Congressman:
I don't know if you are aware of the situation in Guangzhou, China right now, but my friends Randall and Candice Stoves and many other American families are in immediate need of your help. The US Consulate in Guangzhou is the only US Consulate in China that processes the Visa paperwork required for newly adopted Chinese-born children to enter the US with their American families. As a result, all American families adopting children from China must pass through Guangzhou to obtain a Visa for their new child to enter the United States.
This past Monday, a package containing a suspicious white powder was discovered in the US Consulate. As a result, the Consulate was immediately shut down, and all appointments indefinitely postponed.
My friends, The Stoves, are in the Garden Hotel in Guangzhou, China with at least seventy other American families and their newly adopted children, a vast majority of whom (their daughter included) have special needs, including heart defects, limb abnormalities, and various other conditions which require surgery and/or special care. These American families have each spent tens of thousands of dollars on these adoptions, culminating with the trip to China and its very expensive plane tickets and two-week minimum hotel stays. They are now being told that the US cannot process their children's Visa applications, and as a result, they must (i) continue in their hotels indefinitely and (ii) either change their plane tickets or, if that is not possible (which it isn't for many who bought restricted tickets) buy NEW plane tickets home, each of which will cost several thousand dollars. In addition, many of them (including the Stoves) must scramble to find childcare for the children they left at home, for what they thought was a two-week trip. This is an impossible situation for our friends and for most of these families.
They have been told by a friend in another US Consulate that the Department of Homeland Security, in extreme cases and if authorized "from above", has the authority to allow individuals into the United States without the usually required Visas. If there ever was a time to exercise this authority, it is NOW. These are all minor children, most of whom are under age five or six, and all accompanied by dedicated American parents. They could not possibly pose a threat to the United States.
On behalf of my friends, their new 2 year old daughter, and their 2 year old and 4 year old little boys waiting at home in Auburn, AL, I am begging you for help. On behalf of all the well-meaning American families stuck in Guangzhou, China, with their adopted children, I am asking you to get involved. Please do whatever you can to allow them to return home to the US without further delay and expense.
If you would like to contact the Stoves directly in China, their email address is: candicestoves@yahoo.com. Thank you in advance for your attention and intervention!
Sincerely,
_______________________________
Here is a list of some of Alabama's Senators, Congressmen & Governor. If yours is not listed go to: http://www.house.gov/representatives/
Jeff Sessions -http://www.sessions.senate.gov/public/
Phone DC: (202) 224-4124
Phone Birmingham: (205) 731-1500
Richard Shelby - http://www.shelby.senate.gov/public/
Phone: (202) 224-5744
Spencer Bachus - http://bachus.house.gov/
Phone: (202) 225-4921
Mike Rogers - http://mike-rogers.house.gov/
Phone: (334) 745-6221
Phone: (202) 225-3261
Terri Sewell - http://sewell.house.gov/
Phone: (205) 254-1960
Governor Robert Bentley - http://governor.alabama.gov/contact.aspx
Thank you!
Randall and Candice
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