Our adoption journey started in 2020 with a desire to expand our family through adoption. It has been a long, perilous, and emotionally draining road. Our journey started with a desire to adopt from Ukraine and included an initial referral trip to Zaproizhzhia, Mariupol, and Berdyans'k in eastern Ukraine, January 2022. Later in 2022, after it became clear that the war in Ukraine wasn't going to end quickly, we made the difficult decision to pivot away from Ukraine and pursue an adoption from India (thanks Chloe!). We have accepted a referral for a little girl from the southern part of India and are working hard to bring her home as quickly as possible.
We got up yesterday at 4a to be ready for a 5a possible court appearance. 530 came and went, 6 came and went, 7 came and went; we didn't hear. We reached out to our agency adoption coordinator for clarification. The update we received was that our case was "passed." Unsure what that meant, we waited. Fast forward a day, and we now have received a scan of our daughter's signed adoption order! Up next, birth certificate, then passport, then we fly. Thank you all for your continued prayer and support!
Waiting is hard, but waiting is good. In God's perfect timing, we were asked to wait. We don't know why, we may never know why, but we waited. We watched our little girl celebrate her first birthday from a world away, struggling to grateful for technology that allowed us a glimpse into her birthday. And then we waited more. Thankfully, after 8 weeks of being told "you'll have a date next week," we finally have a scheduled Court date! Our court date is scheduled for 1/24/2024 at 330p IST (5a eastern). Thank you all for your prayers and support during this time of waiting. We will post again after the court date with the outcome, and hopefully a picture of our baby girl!
In our last update we were excited to report that our "case" was prepped, reviewed, and submitted to the district magistrate (DM) so our court date could be scheduled.
Unfortunately, there was a mix-up, wires got crossed. Yesterday, we received the disappointing news that the Specialized Adoption Agency (SSA) in India (they have legal custody of special needs children waiting adoption) spoke with the District Child Protection Unit (DCPU) for an update. The DCPU confirmed that our file is still being reviewed and has not been submitted to the DM for court date scheduling. The update we received two weeks ago was for another couple who is just ahead of us in the process. Great news for that couple and their baby, but sad news for us.
The good news from this update is that the delay does not seem to be caused by an issue with our file. The DCPU told the SAA that our case will be reviewed and submitted for scheduling next week. So hopefully we will get a late Christmas present of a pending court date.
As we wait, I'm reminded and encouraged by Lamentations 3:21-25:
This I recall to my mind,
Therefore I have hope.
The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,
For His compassions never fail.
They are new every morning;
Great is Your faithfulness.
“The Lord is my portion,” says my soul,
“Therefore I have hope in Him.”
The Lord is good to those who wait for Him,
To the person who seeks Him.
Why can we hope in the Lord in the midst of disappointment and difficult circumstances? Because, unlike Jeremiah who trusted without knowing the end, we know how the story ends!
This is how it ends, Revelation 19:11-16:
And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and wages war. His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses. From His mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron; and He treads the wine press of the fierce wrath of God, the Almighty. And on His robe and on His thigh He has a name written, “KING OF KINGS, AND Lord OF LORDS.”
Do you know this "King of Kings and Lord of Lords" who will ride into war on a white horse in final judgement? If you do not, please consider your ways! The end is written, this judgement is coming against all who do not repent of their sin, trust Christ as their savior and Lord. Romans 3:23 says that everyone has transgressed (sinned) against God. Romans 6:23 says "the wages (earnings) of sin is death," because of your sin, you will die and face judgement. The second part of Romans 6:23 though gives hope: "but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." How can this be? Jesus died a death He didn't deserve to secure reward and a future we do not deserve. This is a free gift. Romans 10:9 says "if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." Believe, trust, repent, and confess Jesus as Lord today.
In so much of this process, patience is key. We submit paperwork, and then wait. Then news comes that we've cleared another step, and then more waiting. The latest good news is that our dossier has been submitted to the court and we are waiting on our court date! We may find out our court date this week, maybe not. We are prayerfully asking for a court date in December, but above all we pray we will wait with God honoring patience. We appreciate prayer that we'd get a court date in December so we can, possibly, travel in January.
For those of you familiar with adoption, you can appreciate the ups and downs along the journey. Today is an 'up' moment: We received our No Objection Certificate (NOC). This shouldn't have happened during Diwali as all gov. functions are shutdown during this festival which goes from Nov. 10 to Nov. 15. In an adoption, the NOC is granted after a legal review of the prospective adoptive parent's dossier (its really the entire family dossier). For India this is certificate is only granted after 7 levels of legal review to make sure all our paperwork complies with all requirements of the India adoption authority (and thus the Hague Convention), and it also signifies that the adoption authority in India has determined that adoption to us is in the best interest of the child. It is a big deal. The next step is for our case to be presented to a magistrate who will have the authority to make the legal adoption decree. We will know more about the timing for the next steps once Diwali is festival is complete.
