Yesterday, our agency held another conference call for waiting families. Overall, most of the information was very vague and not very helpful, but then again I would rather that they not make promises that may not be fulfilled. International adoption is a roller coaster ride and can be highly unpredictable at times...this has nothing to do with our agency.
Right now, the Ethiopian government is trying to figure out how it is going to handle the influx of international adoption applications while first and foremost protecting the children against trafficking...even though paperwork varies from one family to another and the court system can be unpredictable right now, we greatly appreciate their efforts and determination. Please pray that the Ethiopian government can continue working to improve the adoption system and that new judges can be hired to handle the influx of cases.
Currently, 30% of families do not have successful court hearings on the first time around. The reason varies from case to case. Sometimes the judges want more specific information from the police and sometimes they want a birth family member to be present and substantiate that the child was indeed relinquished. Our agency is trying to assist as much as possible by helping to transport family members to court when required but overall they have very little influence at the court stage of the process. We were told yesterday that once a referral is received and accepted by the adoptive family, the hard part has just begun because of the unpredictable court situation. If a family is not successful during the first hearing, another court date is generally not scheduled for another month to two months...very depressing for adoptive families. Please pray that the procedures for court will become uniform and consistent so that first and foremost the children are protected and secondly, that forever families can be formed quickly.
Once court is successful and the child is legally adopted, then travel generally occurs within 2-4 weeks. Once the phone call is received that the court hearing was successful, then the adoptive family can finally breathe a sigh of relief and began preparing for travel. We will spend 5 days in Ethiopia and then travel back home as a forever family!
As for our specific family concerns, here they are:
At the current wait time of 9-11 months, we are expecting a referral anytime between April 25 and June 25. Based upon the families in front of us who are also waiting for very young infant females, we are anticipating more around June. Hopefully this will change in the months to come but our agency stated yesterday that they would not reduce the wait time until at least the end of March after the referral numbers are in for the first 3 months of this year. We're okay with that - I mean, after all what choice do we have. The one thing that just rips my heart out is the possibility that we may receive our referral and then not pass court before the end of July. The Ethiopian courts shutdown from August to October for the rainy season...during this period of time, NO adoptions will be granted. Based upon last year's occurrences, we probably would not be able to travel to Ethiopian until the end of the year...this means that we would have been waiting over 3 years for our child to enter our family....heartbreaking.
In my heart of hearts, I know that God has the perfect child or children picked-out for our family and that we will be united in His time, not ours. My eyes long to look upon the face of our little girl and my arms long to hold her....my heart already loves her. Please pray for God's perfect will to be done and for us to be mindful and respectful of His will.
Right now, more than likely, our child is still in her mother's womb. I think about her birth family a lot, and I pray for them constantly. What a sacrifice these parents will make in the months to come. They will probably think about this child for the rest of their lives. I am commited to praying and thinking about them for the rest of mine because without them, I would not have my daughter. Please pray for their safety and health, the safety and health of our child, and for peace for all of us.
Please pray that if they relinquish her, they will do so with lots of documentation providing as much specific information as possible so Julianna will be able to know about her biological family. If they abandon her instead of relinquishment, please pray that they do so at a safe location and that she is found very quickly by good people who will protect her. Also, please pray for guidance of the orphange worker in referring her to America World and then for America World in referring her to us.
"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight." Proverbs 3:5-6
