I wrote this update over a month ago, but never published it, as I was hoping for an answer to give you all, but I decided that now is the time to share how our adoption journey has gone so far:
*4-15-16
Okay... Where to start? It's been a while, and the road has both been bumpy, uneventful, and also almost completely blocked.
It's been almost a
year since our Dossier was sent off to Uganda, filled with hope and excitement for a quick match. As is the case in developing countries, there were issues that needed to be resolved and delays.
Last fall we felt close to finally receiving a long-awaited referral and began discussing a sibling more in-depth with Gambo. He seemed just as excited as we were and talked often about things he would do with his brother or sister.
Finally the day came! An email with information on a little girl. We cautiously and excitedly read about this girl who was waiting for a forever family, looking for "signs" that she would be our new daughter, while being careful to evaluate everything and seek God's will for our family. We spent the next week going back and forth over the information, while we sought advice, wise counsel, and I secretly started dreaming and planning for her. Yet, something was letting me hold back from fully going all in.
We asked for clarification about some of the paperwork as some of the details were confusing. When we finally got the answers to our questions, we saw very clearly that it would not be possible for us to adopt this little girl and we had to pass on her referral to another family. It was sad, but at the same time we felt so at peace with the decision. We had done everything possible to be well-informed and ready, and the door closed for us. We took and deep breath and held on, confident that another referral would be coming soon.
Enter the beginning of this year, another possible referral was at hand, but this time, with joy and after thorough investigation, we saw this other child reunited with his relatives. Bittersweet.
We knew the road was going to be bumpy, but we weren't fully prepared for the shock that awaited us at the beginning of March.
Some of you may have heard in the
news what has happened in Uganda. There has been legislation proposed in the form of a
the Child's Act Amendment to help protect the rights of Uganda's children from exploitation. The Act has been circulating Uganda for many years with no movement. This year there has been some rewriting of the bill, so that it was actually proposed before parliament and voted on... and passed. This is wonderful news for the rights of children in Uganda, but also comes at the cost of
significantly decreasing the possibility for international adoptions to occur--- which can also be not-so-good news for children with no family who are waiting and waiting, where international adoption is their
only hope for a family. You can read more about what the bill means at A Child's Voice
here.
This Amendment has been passed by parliament, but must be signed by the president of Uganda to become law. He still has not signed it.
What does this mean for us?
From what I've gathered the new act seems like it would require
residency in Uganda for at least a year, and approval from a governing board before being able to adopt internationally. This would make it
impossible for us (and many other families as well).
It seems we may have come to the end of our road to Ugandan adoption.
We are still waiting on official word that it has been signed into law, so I even hesitate to post this, but it is looking more likely that it will happen. At any rate, it seems difficult to imagine our family completing an adoption in Uganda before we move this summer. (Oh, by the way, we are moving again)
Where do we go from here?
We ask for your
prayers for our next step. During this next phase of life, we are going to be in a difficult position to be able to pursue an international adoption. We are
looking at other avenues, as we do still hope and pray to add to our family and include a sibling for Gambo who looks like him. This is important to us for him to not feel alone as he grows up.
We love Uganda, and it will always hold a place in our family. We hope that someday Uganda will open up clear and ethical opportunities for foreigners to adopt internationally, but we do not know when that will happen.
Our bumps and road blocks mean God is still moving and directing us to what He has next for us, and toward what will be for our good. We keep trusting him, yielding to His timing and His plan.
*5/25/16
UPDATE:
It looks like the President has
now signed it into law. We had a brief thought that there might be a step toward another referral, but it looks like this is finally our answer. God has other plans for us.
This door has closed.
Yet God is good! He knows what will come, and we can trust Him.
