Thank you so much for the prayers on Monday! From what I have heard, the meeting went fairly well. A quote to sum it up "they took many steps forward but a few steps back". What does that mean? Well, I'm not sure. I am not exactly on the top of the 'know' list. I think there were some compromises and some clearer understanding of certain things. I also know that the adoption process on our side will continue to be longer and longer. The people in authority going all the way up are against adoption and have no problems making it harder for kids to leave the country. Please continue to pray for God to change hearts and mindsets.
Praise Jesus!
The little girl 'caught in the middle', they have decided to push her through to central authority! Hip-hip Hurray! Basically Johannesburg's Children Court has signed off on the match and now central authority has to sign to release her from the country. They say this process can take 2-6 weeks but our experience has been more like 2-12 weeks.
After central authority has approved, her new family will be notified and we will get an adoption date. That date can be anywhere from 2-6 weeks after central authority signs. I can hardly imagine what it would be like to get a call saying you can go pick your daughter in South Africa, within as short as 2 weeks notice.
This little person's 2nd Birthday is April 27. What an amazing gift it would be to be with her family. The weeks are stacked against us but, I know our God is good and able if it his will.
On Monday Morning at 10 am I gathered the toddlers to Pray. We all stood around J (because if he holds hands, he just bites ) and lifted Prayers to our Heavenly Father. I asked if anyone wanted to pray and S (in the red shirt) chimed in and said "Me"! It was so great to listen to him repeat after me as he talked to Jesus. He got to pray for the government and a forever family for himself but also his brothers and sisters too. *happy tears*
How did I miss this? Thank you for the update. Confusing but so is this country. Are they against adoption in general, or against international?
ReplyDeleteHI Thandi,
DeleteI really enjoy reading your blog and reading about your own family's adoption story. : ) I would say it seems like they against adoption in general but especially international. There is a misconception about what adoption is and what a beautiful thing it can be. I know that the head judge, this January, has said that he is happy that adoptions have gone down in 2015.
There are a lot of things that contribute to low adoption rates in South Africa.
-Local Adoptions are much easier process but the amount of South African families that want to adopt (I am sure as you know) do not equal the amount of babies and children that need forever families.
- I know that the courts do not like healthy children to leave the country when the thought is that Foster Care is a “better” option. If any of our children are labeled special needs ( Preemie, allergies, HIV+, birth defect, any medical issues etc) they are immediately put on the international list. However they question healthy children much more intently when matched with international families.
- I have heard some of the new regulations that they are putting into effect this year that will make it harder for birth mothers to sign consent for adoption. Unfortunately it will only promote abandonment if mothers know they will be harassed in the courts. There is already so much shame and guilt that they are already feeling. Mothers consent can cut a child's “wait time” for a forever family in half!
-I also have experienced that their are small group social workers that know how to process and file adoptions. It is a special training that is needed and not freely offered. Not all social workers know how to file adoptions.
There are many reasons why adoptions in this country are not happening more than I have written above. They are complicated and some are deeply rooted in lies and misconceptions. They come on all sides government, birth mothers, reasons families don’t want to adopt… Satan doesnt like adoption, he doesn’t want children to be with forever families, and to grow up in a loving environment. He doesn’t want a family to experience such a practical way in how God loves us and has Adopted us into his family. Very Thankful We serve such a sovereign God.