Bringing Baby Mark Home
Donation protected
Merry Christmas!
This Christmas our family is missing three very important members: my baby sister Tafa'ifa, my brother-in-law Mark, and their newly adopted son Baby Mark. ❤ With their permission, we are fundraising to support their unexpected expenses to extend their time in Samoa and newly needed trip to New Zealand to apply for a U.S. visa to bring Baby Mark home with them.
Unable to return home and to work, they know they cannot do this on their own. Both of their families have been supporting them, but now we are reaching out to our extended family and greater community asking that you please join us in prayer for this young family and consider helping financially to bring Baby Mark and his parents home.
Mark & Tafa'ifa's story:
After five years of praying and believing the Lord for a child, Mark & Tafa'ifa flew to Samoa on November 28, 2018 to file for adoption of Baby Mark. God had answered their prayer in a most beautiful way. They had been supporting him from a far since soon after his birth five months ago and now was the time to finally meet him and bring him home.
Since arriving in Samoa it's been a whirlwind traveling hours into town and back each day, maneuvering through court rooms, lawyers offices, government buildings, delays, and retrieving documents and affidavits from back home. International adoption is quite the process! But by the grace of God and with their return flight in sight on Decmeber 26th, they pushed forward. On December 20th the courts approved their application officially naming them Baby Mark's parents! Glory be to God!
After that they immediately secured Baby Mark's new birth certificate listing them as his parents and filed for his Samoan passport. Then on the very last day of business before the holiday closures, with all of the documents they needed to apply for Baby Mark's visa to come to the United States, they arrived at the U.S. Embassy to learn they were too late. The visa officials had already returned to New Zealand (the U.S. Embassy in NZ oversees and governs the embassy office in Samoa) and will not return until February.
The embassy advised them that the most efficient and cost-effective option is not to wait in Samoa until February for the embassy's next outreach visit, but to travel to New Zealand. The embassy also advised them to leave Baby Mark with family in Samoa, travel to New Zealand to apply and secure his U.S. visa, then come back to Samoa to pick him up and travel with him to the U.S. Having just proven to the Samoan courts that there is no one in Samoa able to care for their son, they know better than anyone that leaving him behind is not an option.
Their current plan and hope is to reschedule their current flight from Samoa to LAX via Australia on 12/26/18 to instead travel them from Samoa to NZ after they secure a visa for baby to NZ and then from NZ to LAX once they have the immigrant visa for baby to come to America. Currently, the airline has explained they are not able to change the route of their current tickets, only the date of travel. They are hoping for an exception to be made and possibly only have to pay out-of-pocket for a flight from Samoa to NZ and for fees to reroute their flight home to depart from NZ instead of Samoa.
Family in New Zealand has already graciously offered to receive them & house them.
With Mark scheduled to return to work on December 27th, having been out of work for a month, and the visa process requiring both parents to be present, their finances are nearly depleted.
We are fundraising to gather $5250 to support the Fa'auli Family for the next month and help with the following costs:
- Daily Needs: diapers, formula, food
- Gas/Petrol: for travel to and from visa offices and embassy
- Visa Fees: for Baby Mark to New Zealand and to the United States
- Flight fees: Samoa to NZ & itinerary change fees to reroute their flight home from Samoa to US -> NZ to US
- Misc: additional lawyer fees & other needs for Baby Mark
- GoFundMe fees: GoFundMe collects 30 cents per donation + 2.9% of each withdrawal amount
Some Family members have contributed through other avenues (Venmo, Cash App, direct deposit) and all donation totals will be updated here.
Thank you for considering a gift to them in the midst of the holidays. We know finances are tight this time of year. Your prayers for them and this journey are greatly appreciated.
With much love,
Baby Mark's Family in California
This Christmas our family is missing three very important members: my baby sister Tafa'ifa, my brother-in-law Mark, and their newly adopted son Baby Mark. ❤ With their permission, we are fundraising to support their unexpected expenses to extend their time in Samoa and newly needed trip to New Zealand to apply for a U.S. visa to bring Baby Mark home with them.
Unable to return home and to work, they know they cannot do this on their own. Both of their families have been supporting them, but now we are reaching out to our extended family and greater community asking that you please join us in prayer for this young family and consider helping financially to bring Baby Mark and his parents home.
Mark & Tafa'ifa's story:
After five years of praying and believing the Lord for a child, Mark & Tafa'ifa flew to Samoa on November 28, 2018 to file for adoption of Baby Mark. God had answered their prayer in a most beautiful way. They had been supporting him from a far since soon after his birth five months ago and now was the time to finally meet him and bring him home.
Since arriving in Samoa it's been a whirlwind traveling hours into town and back each day, maneuvering through court rooms, lawyers offices, government buildings, delays, and retrieving documents and affidavits from back home. International adoption is quite the process! But by the grace of God and with their return flight in sight on Decmeber 26th, they pushed forward. On December 20th the courts approved their application officially naming them Baby Mark's parents! Glory be to God!
After that they immediately secured Baby Mark's new birth certificate listing them as his parents and filed for his Samoan passport. Then on the very last day of business before the holiday closures, with all of the documents they needed to apply for Baby Mark's visa to come to the United States, they arrived at the U.S. Embassy to learn they were too late. The visa officials had already returned to New Zealand (the U.S. Embassy in NZ oversees and governs the embassy office in Samoa) and will not return until February.
The embassy advised them that the most efficient and cost-effective option is not to wait in Samoa until February for the embassy's next outreach visit, but to travel to New Zealand. The embassy also advised them to leave Baby Mark with family in Samoa, travel to New Zealand to apply and secure his U.S. visa, then come back to Samoa to pick him up and travel with him to the U.S. Having just proven to the Samoan courts that there is no one in Samoa able to care for their son, they know better than anyone that leaving him behind is not an option.
Their current plan and hope is to reschedule their current flight from Samoa to LAX via Australia on 12/26/18 to instead travel them from Samoa to NZ after they secure a visa for baby to NZ and then from NZ to LAX once they have the immigrant visa for baby to come to America. Currently, the airline has explained they are not able to change the route of their current tickets, only the date of travel. They are hoping for an exception to be made and possibly only have to pay out-of-pocket for a flight from Samoa to NZ and for fees to reroute their flight home to depart from NZ instead of Samoa.
Family in New Zealand has already graciously offered to receive them & house them.
With Mark scheduled to return to work on December 27th, having been out of work for a month, and the visa process requiring both parents to be present, their finances are nearly depleted.
We are fundraising to gather $5250 to support the Fa'auli Family for the next month and help with the following costs:
- Daily Needs: diapers, formula, food
- Gas/Petrol: for travel to and from visa offices and embassy
- Visa Fees: for Baby Mark to New Zealand and to the United States
- Flight fees: Samoa to NZ & itinerary change fees to reroute their flight home from Samoa to US -> NZ to US
- Misc: additional lawyer fees & other needs for Baby Mark
- GoFundMe fees: GoFundMe collects 30 cents per donation + 2.9% of each withdrawal amount
Some Family members have contributed through other avenues (Venmo, Cash App, direct deposit) and all donation totals will be updated here.
Thank you for considering a gift to them in the midst of the holidays. We know finances are tight this time of year. Your prayers for them and this journey are greatly appreciated.
With much love,
Baby Mark's Family in California
Co-organisers (2)
Olympia Sina Hugo
Organiser
Santa Paula, CA
Tafaifa Faauli
Co-organiser