6 Mos DTE

Whishin' and hopin' and thinkin' and prayin'

Planning and dreamin' ...

A Lighter Note

Check out the adorable little outfit I picked up recently for the child we'll never have... I mean, for the child that God is preparing for us that will join our family at the perfect time.

See the kind of corrective action I have to do on my thinking almost daily?

A Good Word

Thank you, William Cowper, for this precious reminder today.

God moves in a mysterious way
His wonders to perform;
He plants His footsteps in the sea
And rides upon the storm.

Deep in unfathomable mines
Of never failing skill
He treasures up His bright designs
And works His sov’reign will.

Ye fearful saints, fresh courage take;
The clouds ye so much dread
Are big with mercy and shall break
In blessings on your head.

Judge not the Lord by feeble sense,
But trust Him for His grace;
Behind a frowning providence
He hides a smiling face.

His purposes will ripen fast,
Unfolding every hour;
The bud may have a bitter taste,
But sweet will be the flow’r.

Blind unbelief is sure to err
And scan His work in vain;
God is His own interpreter,
And He will make it plain.


By William Cowper (emphasis mine)

Another Update

Posted from our agency today:

Updates on Ethiopia Adoption Process:



As government officials continue to meet in Ethiopia, please note some of the information currently being provided from the US Department of State as well as the National Council For Adoption regarding the current situation involving MOWA. Yesterday, the US Department of State noted the announcement MOWA made last week on their website. The full article can be found at: http://adoption.state.gov/news/ethiopia_alert.html. Additionally, the NCFA statement issued yesterday evening can be found below.


As noted by NCFA, we are also excited to highlight the positive reports we are hearing regarding meetings in Ethiopia this week and are hopeful they will result in the continuance of a higher number of favorable recommendation letters being written by MOWA for families in the court process. We know God can move mightily and are continuing to trust His hand over the Ethiopian adoption process. As an additional note of praise, we received favorable recommendation letters from MOWA today that resulted in families successfully passing court.


During this season we would ask for continued prayers for the Ethiopian adoption process.

NCFA Issues Statement Regarding Ethiopia Adoptions:

At the end of February 2011, the Ethiopian Ministry of Women, Children and Youth Affairs (MOWA) issued an unexpected directive indicating a dramatic reduction in the number of intercountry adoption cases to be processed by the Ministry. This directive is scheduled to go into effect by Wednesday, March 10, 2011.

In 2010, more than 2,500 Ethiopian children were adopted by American families. Should MOWA implement the recent directive as indicated, the number of adoptions from Ethiopia could fall as much as 90%, although the full impact of MOWA’s decision is unknown and cannot be predicted at this time.

This ruling follows a year of significant progress in improving and increasing transparency in the Ethiopian adoption process. Following several safeguards enacted last year, NCFA’s confidence in the Ethiopian adoption system has grown significantly. Additional protective measures may still be necessary, however, to increase global confidence in the process. MOWA’s recent decision appears to have surprised many Ethiopian government officials, as well as the Central Adoption Authorities in the U.S., Italy, and Spain. Many within the adoption community, including the U.S. Department of State (DOS) and the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (USCIS), members of Congress, child welfare officials in many countries, and the National Council For Adoption (NCFA), have criticized the MOWA directive as unfair, unnecessary, and harmful to children in Ethiopian orphanages who await permanent families.

NCFA is grateful for the swift action taken by the U.S. Department of State, led by Special Advisor Ambassador Susan Jacobs, to communicate with Ethiopian adoption officials in an effort to reach a favorable resolution that will serve the best interests of abandoned and orphaned children in Ethiopia.


“We are encouraged by the advocacy taking place behind the scenes and hopeful that these collective efforts will bring clarity and an immediate adjustment to this unjust and unnecessary ruling, which has the potential to negatively impact so many vulnerable children,” said NCFA president and CEO Chuck Johnson.


Unconfirmed reports indicate that personnel changes within MOWA have resulted from the rogue handling of this decision, and because of this, NCFA is hopeful that new leadership will offer opportunities for better communication and a swift resolution to this looming crisis. NCFA respectfully calls on MOWA to amend its recent harmful directive and ensure that subsequent reforms reflect a comprehensive child welfare policy that retains the option of intercountry adoption for Ethiopian orphans while ensuring policies and procedures that serve the best interests of children.

And, It's Official

According to the US State Department...


Government of Ethiopia Plans Major Slow-Down in Adoption Processing



March 9, 2011

Citing the need to work on quality and focus on more important strategic issues, the Government of Ethiopia’s Ministry of Women, Children, and Youth Affairs (MOWCYA) will reduce to a maximum of five the number of adoption cases it processes per day, effective March 10, 2011. Under Ethiopian adoption procedures, MOWCYA approves every match between prospective adoptive parents and an Ethiopian child before that case can be forwarded for a court hearing. The U.S. Embassy is working with Ethiopian government officials and adoption agencies to learn more about this change in procedures. We will continue to share information as it becomes available.


Given MOWCYA's current caseload, the U.S. Embassy anticipates that this change could result in an overall decline in case processing of some 90 percent. If this change is implemented as proposed, we expect, that parents who have begun the process of adopting from Ethiopia but have not yet been matched with a child could experience significant delays. It is not clear if this change in procedures would have any significant impact on cases in which MOWCYA has already approved matches.


Prospective adoptive parents should remain in close contact with their adoption service provider to obtain updates on individual cases.

Another Delay

Please join us in continuing to pray for our adoption process. We recently (as in 2 days ago and then again today) heard of the potential for even more delays in Ethiopia. It’s pretty complicated, and it would be difficult to explain exactly what is going on, so please just pray.



We’ve had delays this entire process. To recap: instead of taking 4 weeks to get our fingerprints back, it took 8 weeks; instead of taking 4 weeks to have the state approve our home study, it took 8 weeks; instead of taking 6 weeks to receive our immigration paperwork, it took 12 weeks; instead of receiving our referral at 4-6 months like we first thought, we’re looking at 5-8 months, with the potential for that wait time to increase significantly again.


With each new delay, it feels like our hearts are being squeezed just a little more, and it’s tempting to give in to despair and hopelessness. But, I was recently reminded by another adoptive mom of something A.W. Tozer once said. "Most people gaze at their circumstances and glance at God. We need to gaze at God and glance at the circumstances."

So, in an attempt to do that, I’ve been reminding myself all day that God is the father of the fatherless and that he sets the lonely in families (Psalm 68: 5-6). He is the defender of the orphan (Isaiah 1:17), and he hears their cries (Exodus 22:22-23). We don’t have to wonder if God cares about the millions of orphans in Ethiopia and around the world. We know he does. So, we’re praying that he would show himself strong on our behalf and on behalf of the many, many waiting children and families. Will you join us?