Update to the "One Year" Update!!

Wow, a lot can change in four days! When I posted the update on Monday, we were one of three families waiting in our region. As of this afternoon, we are now one of only TWO families in our agency still waiting for our referral/invitation to travel in our region. Just two months ago, we were one of seven families waiting. One month ago, we were one of four. One week ago, we were one of three! And now it looks like we'll be invited to travel and meet our little girl very, very soon! :)

One Year Update

It has now been just over one year since we submitted our dossier and began our wait to meet Hope. We have had a lot of inquiries lately, so we thought it was time for an update on our travel status. After months of inactivity in our region, a family from our agency was invited on their first trip this week. They will travel at the end of this month. That makes us one of three remaining families in our agency to be invited to travel in our region. We remain hopeful that we will receive our first trip invitation in the next few months (or less). When we were assigned to our region in March, we were told it would be 2-4 months until we travel, which would have had us going on our first trip this summer. However, the incident involving the adoptive mother who put her son on a plane back to Moscow in April caused a major disruption in the process. You can read our previous blogs for a series of updates on the status of a bilateral agreement in progress between the United States and Russia resulting from this incident. There are several advantages that will come with this new agreement. There will be even more transparency in the medical and emotional history provided about adopted children. There will also be more training for families wanting to adopt. And the process will be more streamlined, which ultimately benefits all parties. Now that an agreement is near finalization, it appears that adoption activity is increasing again and families are finally being invited to travel in all regions, so we are confident that our turn is coming soon! Please continue to pray for us as we wait to finally meet Hope! We are so close ...

Another US/Russia Bilateral Agreement Update

From our agency today:

Articles have been recently released from various news outlets regarding the status of the Bilateral Agreement. The articles seem to indicate that the outcome of the Agreement includes that single persons and homosexual persons will not be allowed to adopt from Russia. Please note that nothing official has been released by the US or Russian governments with regard to the content/terms of the Agreement. While it is possible that these items may be included, nothing is final until the Agreement is signed into law in both countries.

Please visit the US Embassy in Moscow website for the current official statement regarding the Bilateral Agreement: http://moscow.usembassy.gov/st_adopt072610.html

Visit the JCICS website for their most current statement: http://www.jcics.org/Russia.htm

Once the text of the Agreement is actually finalized by the two parties involved in creating the agreement, it will be sent for further approval by Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Prosecutor General’s Office. After that, it will be sent to the Russian government and on to the Duma to be approved as law. According to Russian officials it will be complete by the end of the year.

In the meantime, activity seems to be picking up in Russia as an agreement draws near. We have been told by our agency that our region will (finally) be inviting one of the four families assigned to our region to travel in August or September of this year. Please continue to keep us in your thoughts and prayers as we continue to wait for our first trip invitation!

US/Russia Bilateral Agreement Update

We have learned that the US and Russian officials are meeting this week to review the Bilateral Agreement again. We anticipate that there will be no complications or opposition. On the Russian side, once the Agreement is complete, it will be sent for review/approval to several Ministry offices as well as to the Prosecutor General’s Office in Moscow. Then it will go before the Russian Duma (Parliament), where it will hopefully be signed into law. It is believed that this could be finalized by the end of the year. At this point, we know only one of the terms of the agreement: There will be no more independent adoptions allowed in Russia. Adoptions may only be completed by agencies accredited in Russia (our agency is one of them).

We do have some potentially good news from our agency: our region has indicated the possibility of a first trip invitation in August or September for one of the four families currently waiting to travel. That means we have a 25% chance of still traveling this summer! Our region had previously been on hold since April when the Russian goverment decided to pursue an agreement with the US before continuing with international adoptions. We remain hopeful and ask that you continue to keep us in your prayers as we wait!

The Gift of Hope

For we were saved in this hope,
but hope that is seen is not hope;
for why does one still hope for what he sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see,
we eagerly await for it with perseverance.
Romans 8:24-25 NKJV
I am Hope
I give you more than future glory,
I am your present glory.
I understand when you are uncertain
about My will,
when you cry out in despair
for the life of a loved one,
the mending of a relationship
that has gone awry like a sprung coil,
or for physical healing.
Do not lose heart,
do not lose hope,
because I hear
and I answer.
My ears are not closed to your voice;
I know your heart, I hear you,
but My perfect will does not flop like fish
on the sand. I cannot change
because you insist
you know better than I.
Allow My written Word,
which throbs with the power of hope,
to enter your mind and body
like fresh blood in your veins,
new life in your thoughts.
Your faith is the very substance,
that is, the express image,
of what what you hope for.
The unseen answer is
your present assurance
and evidence of the fulfillment
of My loving promises to you.
You have what you have asked for.
Take My mind, My wisdom,
My knowledge, My understanding,
these My gifts to you,
to give you hope,
for your hope is My Son,
the One who builds your mansion even now.
Tell Me, how will you recognize the sound
of His holy hammer and chisel
without hope?
Caress the sister of love,
which is My gift of hope,
for you have not been guided
by human wisdom, no.
I have taught you by My Holy Spirit,
so now! Bulldoze the mountains,
sound the battle cry,
prepare to win!
Your hope of glory
is Christ in you.

Update from Russia Today

Thank you!

We just wanted to extend a big THANKS to everyone who helped with our garage sale fundraiser last weekend. Once again we made over $1,000, this time towards our travel expenses (last year we used the $1,000 we made to pay for our home study). We could travel as soon as summer or early fall. We are getting closer every day! Here are some pictures from the event. Thanks to all of the friends and family who came out to see us and help bring Hope home from Russia!