Visa Update

I'll have to be brief, because I'm drowning in loads of smoky smelling camping laundry! (We had a WONDERFUL time of camping the last 4 days... more on that later.) The news coming out of Liberia is not good. It sounds like the U.S. definitely is making a concerted effort to slow down the number of Liberian adoptions. Among other things, we have heard that they may require Adoptive Parents to stay in Liberia for a month, all Birth Parents may have to go to the U.S. Embassy in Liberia to re-relinquish their parental rights, Visas have gone from being issued all day every day to two hours on Thursdays, etc.

To give you an idea of some of the ramifications of these potential new standards: Many families will choose not to adopt from Liberia, because they are unable to spend a month away from their job, family, etc. Birth Parents who live way out in the "bush" as they call it in Liberia, with no communication services or roads/transportation, may find it very difficult if not impossible to get to the Embassy in Monrovia--if they can be re-located by agency staff, that is. It could be like finding a needle in a haystack...and a dangerous haystack at that. All you have to do is take a cursory look at the U.S.'s travel warning regarding Liberia to know that venturing out beyond the capitol city (Monrovia) like that is not a jaunt to be taken lightly.

So... the big picture: With what we know regarding the specifics of Micah's situation (which I'll not post, to protect everyone's privacy), our best guess is that he will come home to us; it's just a question of when. In the meantime, I am trying to live the balance found in Nehemiah 4:9: "But we prayed to our God and posted a guard day and night to meet this threat." I see in this verse a balance of resting in God's sovereignty ("But we prayed to our God"), and at the same time taking action ("...and posted a guard..."). We are on our knees crying out to God, and we are taking action, too. We have a letter in to Senator Gordon Smith's Office, with a fabulous letter from our Pediatrician attached, and we will be calling to follow-up and see about a possible meeting with him.

I have also been in contact with a handful of other Oregon families who have adopted/are adopting through the same agency, and am trying to coordinate our efforts. Please pray for wisdom, clarity of communication, and positive results! And thank you, as always, for riding this roller coaster with us! We appreciate all of the love and support soooo much.