We began the adoption journey in December of 2009. Not knowing where to start, we researched agencies and finally found one that seemed to fit us well. We became interested in their pilot program to adopt from Burundi, Africa. It sounded like a good program and it was exciting for us to start on this journey. We then dove in to find out more about adoption and about Burundi. We finished out homestudy, got immigration approval, and completed a Dossier.
However, we were told in Dec of 2010 to WAIT. And we waited and waited, not hearing anything from our agency for a long time. Finally we were told that the agency decided to "retire" from the adoption business. They transferred all their cases to a new agency that we knew nothing about, but who looked promising. They sent someone to Africa to find out the real story of what was going on in Burundi. As it turns out, Burundi is not ready to process international adoptions. They have signed the regulations to promise ethical adoptions, and it looks like they want to head that way. But they have not put real procedures in place to make it happen.
This information came as a blow to us, because our hearts were invested in this small country. Our time, our energy, our prayers, our dreams were spent on Burundi. We definitely felt a loss as we were told that it is not a viable option (as of spring 2011). We still hope and pray that one day we may be able to adopt from Burundi. But, it is not God's plan for us at this time.
