Roughly six months ago, both Ethiopian officials and the US Embassy began the process of implementing new guidelines for international adoption. I won't bore you with the details, other than the result of this being referrals have all but come to a halt and the most recent developments are our greatest fear. More concrete information will be available in the next week, but it appears the Ethiopian government is moving in the direction of closing the doors on international adoption.
Over the next week, would you pray with us?
First and foremost, pray for the children in Ethiopia that this will affect. I believe there are many options that should be pursued before international adoption; however I also believe when all those options have been ruled out for true orphans, I would choose a loving family over an in-country institution every single time.
Secondly, pray for the officials that are in the position to make these decisions. Many reasons have been stated as to why they would want to move in this direction...none of the reasons however include a solution to finding loving homes for orphans.
Lastly, please pray for our family as we wait for direction. Three years ago we followed God's clear call for us to be a family for a child without one. We do not believe that call has changed. Did we ever imagine after this long we would find ourselves back at square 1 (minus every penny of our savings)? Not at all, because we would have said no to the call. The journey hasn't been wasted. Over the 3 years we have had the opportunity to assist other families and watch them bring children home, volunteered and supported organizations who aid orphans and our eyes and hearts have been opened to the call in ways we never imagined.
We still cling to the verse at the top of this page. His promise doesn't include that the path will be easy, without heartbreak and tears, or happen in our time...that has been a recurring theme in many areas of life lately. But do we trust he has a plan for our family? Absolutely. If this door ultimately closes, we will fervently pray for and pursue the next one He opens for us.