The wait is getting excruciating. My children now joke that I have “been pregnant” longer than an elephant. That has been shortened (in good fun) to mom is a big fat elephant. We have to laugh when we can.
Our paperwork has been registered in country for 28 months as of March 6th. When we began this journey the top-end estimate for waiting for a match was 24 months. We knew that was an estimate, but just like a due date, by the time you reach that date you are uncomfortable, tired, and willing to do whatever it takes to have that baby in your arms. Once they are here you can gain some normalcy in your life and body. The last few months have come with their own set of challenges which I will share with you below. Our current situation, coronavirus, only adds to the unknown and complications. I know God knew all of this was coming, but it sure did knock me off my feet. Holding fast to His peace. In January we learned that, for the first time as far as anyone I know knows, the matching committee met but only matched children with families from Italy. It was believed at that time that no US families were matched. It was rumored that there were some politics at play causing no American families to be placed. In January, when the matching meeting met and only matched families from Italy it sparked concerns that something was wrong. A US adoption agency confirmed there was a political situation that caused the committee to not match children with US families. We were told that the US agencies were discussing the matter with the Department of State to find a solution. What we have learned since January is that a dignitary from Burundi has requested a visit to the United States to visit with families that have adopted to ensure what they are doing is truly in the best interest of their treasured children. This becomes complicated because they were requesting the US to pay for this visit. I don’t pretend to understand all the politics around this situation, but I was told that due to ethics the Government and adoption agencies could not pay for that visit. So part of the solution was finding an outside organization that would donate to this cause. US adoption agencies have had positive discussions with the US Department of State (DOS), and the other US Hague accredited agencies to solve this problem. We were told that an invitation had been issued to this dignitary, but at that time he had not confirmed that an invitation had been issued. Maybe it hadn’t trickled down to his office yet, or maybe it had not yet been issued. I have no idea where things are at with process. I have no idea if movement happened before the covid-19 outbreak lockdowns. I have no idea. What I do know is that we were told not to expect any matches to US families until this visit occurred. What does that mean now? I have no idea. I have learned since January that one family from the US did receive a match at some point in January. Maybe that occurred at that group meeting, maybe, as is rumored, the matching committee is moving toward making matches as they have children files completed and not waiting until they have lots of files and meeting to match many families at once. This would be good news as it would help families to potentially be matched sooner. In the past, the Central Authority has let staff in-country know when they might be meeting as a committee. He will no longer be giving any indication of meeting dates before they occur. Our agency will know they met only if a family from our agency was given a referral for a child(ren). From the very beginning, Burundi has made it clear they wanted to get the process of adoption right with a few agencies before they opened up to more agencies. That said, I believe this step could simply be part of the process that was eventually going to happen no matter what, not a reflection of concern on the part of Burundi. If I could have chosen, I would have liked a referral before this, but God. Of course, the Coronavirus has impacted all of us. I must say, it’s getting harder to see posts from parents frustrated they have all this time with their children. I would give anything to have time with all my children. I know that God knew this was coming and all I know to do is pray through it. So I am asking you to join me in prayer to cover this situation. God will give us our match in His perfect timing. No dignitary meeting or virus can stop Him from moving. GOD IS STILL MOVING! We are so excited to let you know that a family was recently in Burundi to bring home their little one. They were so gracious to take over 3 bags of soccer balls purchased from the Bike-A-Thon funds. They also took a few pairs of the Shoes that Grow. What a joy to see the faces of the children receiving those soccer balls. We are so grateful that they were willing to join us to get those items into the hands of sweet children in Burundi. We would greatly appreciate your prayers as we continue to wait. Prayer that God will continue to give us all peace in our wait. Thank you for continued to support, love and prayers. LOVE YOU ALL!
0 Comments
|
Donate to our Adoption!Click to set custom HTML
AuthorMy name is Deidra Miller. I have been married to my wonderful husband, Dusty, for 17 years. We have two biological children and our family is growing again. We prayed for 2,786 days and God answered our prayers. More days (almost 4 years) have been added as we wait for God's perfect plan for our family. We can't wait to meet our beautiful twin boys! Archives
October 2022
Categories |