Child Bill of Liberia

The following information has been confirmed about the bill that has passed in the House of Representatives:
A four month residency would be required in Liberia by adoptive families.
Adoptions would only be allowed for children who have lost both birth parents to death.
A Central Adoption Authority would be established in Liberia to oversee adoptions and accredit adoption agencies.

This bill is not law yet. It still needs to be voted on by the Senate. It would effectively end adoptions in Liberia. It sounds like it is possible that President Sirleaf would take the adoption clause out of the bill, and put that into the hands of the committee she formed to deal with adoptions. The problem with that is that the majority of the committee members are the very people that have trying to stop international adoptions and are very tied to UNICEF and Save the Children.

What we really need is for God to turn the heart of the President in favor of adoptions. Most of the people in Liberia are for adoptions... it is NGOs that have convinced the leaders of the country to see adoption as a form of child trafficking. Somehow they need to be stopped from perpetrating this lie.

There has been an indication that the Liberian government would give permission for in-process adoptions to move forward. But this is not in writing and no details have been given as to when they would be allowed to move forward or how far along in the adoption process a family would need to be to be allowed to finish. While our dossier is in Liberia, and we have been matched with Kelvin and Hawa for over 5 months... Liberia had never started to process our papers. We have no idea what this means for us in regards to being allowed to adopt and bring the kids home.

Part of me is dumbfounded that this is really happening. But a bigger part of me is not really surprised at all for some reason. Each step of this process has been difficult. Why would it get easy now? There are mountains in our way... we can't go around or through or over. They have to be moved. Hmmm.

The faith of a mustard seed, people. The faith of a mustard seed. Ever seen one of those things? They're tiny. I mean... really, really tiny.

Matthew 17:20
For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you."

I oscillate between being resolved in my faith that God is bringing them home, and getting teary and wondering in my deepest heart, "what if he doesn't?". I know that's just my humanity. But I don't want to waver in my belief. I can't think about the "what ifs" right now. I have to trust in the power of the only one who can possibly get Kelvin and Hawa into my arms.


Eph 3:20
"Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen."