"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."
Proverbs 13:12
We are living in a time of deferred hope. We had always known that once the adoption paperwork was completed that we would enter a time of waiting. This season- the one we are in currently- has come but in a way we did not expect. This season of waiting is still a season of waiting but one filled with discouragement and void of hope.
You see, we expected to wait. We also expected to watch (even slowly) other families in our agency get referrals, and we expected to hear of their court dates and travel adventures. We expected to move along a list (even slowly) toward the goal of getting our own referral. But in this season of waiting all movement has stopped. We are not watching other families get referrals. We are not hearing of their court dates and travel adventures- because they are not happening. Ethiopia is in the middle of one of the greatest slow-downs in their international adoption history. Since January of this year the government has been creating new policies and procedures regarding international adoption. They are both political tactics and created to help keep children safe and families in tact. All that it has done however is virtually stop all movement in the adoption community. Children are not being referred to waiting families. The papers are not being signed. The court dates are not being assigned. A few cases are being processed- but no new cases or referrals happening. In theory the government of Ethiopia has stated they do not want to (and truthfully- cannot support their orphans with international adoption) close international adoption. However in practice- they are simply not happening at the moment.
Meanwhile through a Facebook group of all waiting Ethiopia families from our agency, we are watching families leave the program altogether. They are leaving as they lose hope. They are leaving in their discouragement. They are leaving in the uncertainty of adoptions in Ethiopia.
I have been quiet here on this blog as I have watched these things unfold over the past 6 months. I have honestly wrestled internally. I do not know how to pray. I do not know what to do. I do know my heart aches. I do know I long for some hope in this process. I long for some direction.
I find myself returning to the basics of our call. What do we actually know? What has God called us to? We believe fully that we are called to bring children into our family through adoption. We long to be a family for a child who has none. Our hearts still break for orphans in this world. We still desire to grow our family.
So, I write this post to say, I have no news. There is no movement to report. We have no signs of hope or joy to share with you. We are in a time of hope deferred. We are praying for direction. We are praying for children.
Would you join us?
Our agency has informed us they are looking into other African countries as possible places to process adoptions. We feel strongly called to Africa. However we are open to other African countries should the opportunity present itself.
Would you pray for our agency as they look into other African possibilities? Would you pray that if a pilot program should open- we would know clearly if we should change countries?
Would you pray for some signs of hope?
Would you pray for some movement? Either in our Ethiopian program or joining another? We long to feel as if we are making some process. We long to feel like we are getting closer to bringing our children home.
Would you pray that we are personally able to fix our eyes and hearts on Jesus? Would you pray that we remain hopeful and that we wait well?
Would you continue to pray for our future children? Pray for their protection. For their birth parents.
Pray that we would be:
