We began our journey with our Ethiopian adoption in the summer of 2012. We submitted our Dossier (adoption paperwork) to Ethiopia on March 1, 2013, and since then our wait time has increased to 30-36 months to referral from the March 1st date. So, we are looking at receiving a referral some time between September 2015-March 2016, and this is just the date of receiving the referral not bringing the child home- that is another about 4 months for that. Oye, waiting is tough.
However in November we got a gift to keep us busy. We welcomed our daughter to the world, and have enjoyed getting to know her and this thing called parenthood. I have been asked many times during my pregnancy and after our daughter arrived- Are you still adopting? Our answer is -absolutely! You see, our story is different than some. We are not adopting because we are not able to have biological children. We are adopting because we believe a call on our lives is to care for orphans. We may have more biological children during this long wait for the adoption if the Lord wills, and we still plan to bring home one or two children from Ethiopia (depending on what or referral says). So doing the math, we may have nearly enough for a basketball team, as my dad likes to say.
Do we have any update about our specific case? Nope. We know that our paper work is in Ethiopia, and based on our request for 1 or 2 children under the age of 2, we can assume our child is not yet born. This is pretty crazy seeing as there are over 4 million orphans in Ethiopia. The Ministry of Women and Children's Affairs in Ethiopia is working to reform the adoption process and protect children from being trafficked. In every adoption case, there is a check to see if there are any living family members to care for the child. This is the country's and our first choice- stay with your relatives and in your country and culture if at all possible. We believe leaving your country is a last resort, but we believe we are a better alternative than an orphanage. In addition, our agency does a private investigation to insure all paperwork is authentic.
How can you help? Prayer. Please pray for the people of Ethiopia and orphans around the world. We want to see families restored, and in the very least, more domestic adoptions and foster programs so children can stay in their country in their culture and not in orphanages. We have found a great organization called Bring Love In (http://bringlove.in/). They work to provide homes for orphans in Ethiopia with widows to care for them.
We still feel blessed by and sure of this calling to adopt regardless of how long it will take. Thank you for your continued love and support for us in this journey.
My what a long Waite for a refferal but that's the adoption world. I hope your family get's lucky and your refferal comes sooner! We are also adopting a child from Ethiopia and we are checking email & voice mails and missed calls ext everyday waiting impatiently for the ok to hop on a flight to meet our heart in Ethiopia!
ReplyDeleteIt’s fairly obvious that the two of you would make a good parent. Those children are definitely blessed to be adopted by the two of you. And for that, I wish you good luck on this journey. May you have that family of “nearly enough basketball team”, as your dad liked to say.
ReplyDeleteDean Glover @ Adoption Network