State Department Visit and Capitol Hill Day

Tuesday (Day 4) was a big day! Soon after 8am we were in the lobby of the hotel waiting for a bus to take us to the Department of State! Here we are all dressed up, waiting in the lobby. In the background, the man sitting in front of the Winston Churchill poster is Judge Nash, the man who started National Adoption Day. He was one of the National Angels in Adoption recipients.

After we arrived at the State Dept. and went through security we arrived in an exhibit hall where they host receptions. Everyone was crowded around a square area where a podium had been set up. We wedged our way to the front of the crowd and sat on the floor so Nathan would be able to see. And we waited. And waited. And waited.
Nathan got a little squirmy...

...but eventually our extra-special host arrived, Madame Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton. In this photo, Sen. Mary Landrieu (chair of CCAI advisory board) is presenting a picture to Sec. Clinton. It is a beautiful shot of a little girl looking over the reflecting pool toward the Capitol.
Sen. Landrieu and Congressman Jim McDermott each spoke briefly, and then Hillary talked to us. We were literally sitting at her feet! You can hear & watch video of the speeches here and here.

Whatever your political views may be, pray for this woman. In her position she has ENORMOUS diplomatic influence over issues related to international adoption. Pray that she will use her position to pave the way home for orphans.

After the reception, we waited outside for a long time because there weren't enough spots on the bus for everyone. It was a beautiful morning, so we talked to other angels and just hung out.

What a handsome young man! And what a shiny, bald-headed daddy!

When the bus finally came we headed back to Capitol Hill for an afternoon of advocacy. CCAI had set up meetings with our legislators to let the angels tell their stories. Doing so would hopefully make a significant impression in the busy halls of Congress.

First we joined a seminar hosted by several congressional staffers to learn about adoption legislation being considered. Janet and Nathan didn't stay long because we were overdue for lunch, and he was restless. What came next was more significant for us.

After the seminar the angels were grouped into teams for the rest of the afternoon. With these teams we were to go eat lunch and proceed to appointments with our respective congressmen and senators. Our team was a very friendly group--two families who had adopted and served foster kids for decades, a mother with her two daughters adopted from Vietnam, an attorney who was also an adoptive dad, and a lobbyist for foster kids. Getting to know them was one of the highlights of the trip--they certainly were "angels". The two girls also kept Nathan entertained as we trekked around, under, and through the Capitol, the Congressional office building, and the Senate office building. There are innumerable stairs in these buildings, not to mention the ever-present security checkpoints, and we had a cranky two-year-old in a stroller with a tight schedule. It was a little stressful at times, but our team members helped us out, and Nathan really handled it well considering. Of course, he was being carried like a prince in his stroller up and down these marble staircases.

We started with lunch in the Longworth building cafeteria—it was pretty impressive—but there wasn't much time to enjoy it. Plus we had to wake Nathan up to get him to eat, and he was very cranky and uncooperative. Then we were off to our first appointment with Rep. Dale Kildee of Michigan.

Our leader had advised us on the most effective way to do our visits. The constituent angel would do most of the talking, followed by brief stories from a few of the other angels. In Rep. Kildee's office I gave this brief synopsis of our story:

My name is Mark Carlton, and this is my wife Janet, and our son Nathan. Nathan came home to us from Guatemala last August, but it was a long journey of about two years to get to that point. In addition to the never-ending paperwork we had to deal with several personal difficulties, including Janet's unexpected brain surgery and the death of her sister during childbirth. But despite all those obstacles, we were finally able to bring Nathan home. It has been about 14 months since then, and Nathan is thriving. The thing that consistently humbles me is that the only thing he needed to flourish was a home. So we feel privileged to be his parents. But that also saddens me because I know there are so many other orphans like him that just need a home. So, anything you can do to pave the way home for those children would be well worth the effort.

Keep in mind that, as I was talking, I was also moving Nathan's stroller back and forth in between the coffee table and the big congressional desk in an effort to appease our cranky little man. As soon as we had come into the office he got very whiny and uncomfortable—maybe it's a natural survival skill—politician aversion. But the only way he would stay calm was to keep moving. (We eventually went out into the hall for a while) It was a little nerve-wracking for his parents, and it was the same scenario in each of the office visits we had, although he got a little better each time.

Next we went to Bart Gordon's office. Since he was already more familiar with our story, we didn't share as much, but talked more about the kinds of problems Bart's office helped us with--immigration beauracracy, etc. Then we took pictures! Notice the nice view of the Capitol from his window! (Slightly less interesting is the marker in Mark's hand--it had been keeping Nathan occupied during the boring visit.)

This photo was taken in front of a recent picture from the refurbished Hubble telescope of a newly discovered galaxy.
Before our next appointment we went to a gift shop, then headed across the capitol complex to the far side where the Senatorial offices are. More steps, more security, more walking. We finally ended up at Idaho Sen. Jim Risch's office. He and his wife were gracious hosts, but we let others do the talking. And then, more pictures!

At this point the day was over, at least as far as our Angelic duties were concerned. What an experience! We had been told not to be disappointed if we didn't get to see our congressman because they often have to attend to other things (for example the healthcare debate!) and seeing their staff is almost as effective. But we were able to see all three leaders in person. The best part, however, was getting to know the other angels. They really were nice folks with remarkable stories like ours. Here is a shot of our little band of angels walking behind the Capitol.