Written by Dusty Russell

Hello Again!

We, of course, hope this update finds you well. The summer seems to have evaporated (must be all that hot Indiana weather…:- ). Now our thoughts are turning to fall things- school starting, raking leaves and cooler weather.

The adoption process continues to go well for the Guatemala program. We are pleased to inform you that we have seen a decline in waiting times. At this time our estimates are: after turning in your dossier you can expect to receive a referral 2 to 10 months later. Currently it is about 2-4 months for the referral of an infant boy as young as possible and closer to 8-10 months for the referral of an infant girl as young as possible. For toddler boys, families can expect to wait 8-14 months and for toddler girls 14-20 months. Once a family receives a referral, the processing time in Guatemala is about 5-6 months before they can travel to bring their child(ren) home.

The Guatemala team would also like to take this opportunity to thank Erin Elpers, former Guatemala coordinator, for her sincere dedication and hard work with the Guatemala team. She joined the team in November of 2001. Since that time Erin has helped unite many children with their forever families. She has assisted the families who were waiting for those children and has been a valuable asset to the Guatemala program. Erin is still an asset to Families Thru International Adoption- just in a different role. A few months ago she left the Guatemala team to become an Executive Administrator to FTIA's Executive Director, Keith Wallace. Although we see her smiling face less now in the Guatemala team's offices, we wish her nothing but good things!

The Guatemala team now has the pleasure of working with Cynthia Mattox in the Evansville, Indiana World Headquarters' office. Cynthia is the new Guatemala coordinator. A native of Peru, Cynthia has a delightful knowledge of the Spanish language and culture. She and her husband, Mike, have lived in Houston, Texas, and St. Louis, Missouri, before coming to the Evansville area.

Many of you have already had the privilege of meeting and working with Cynthia. You can "virtually" meet her (and the rest of FTIA's staff) on the Meet Our Team page on the FTIA Website.

We hope that you have a happy and safe fall!

The Guatemala Team

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