Please continue to pray. This is the latest on the Acres website...

30 May 2008

Thank you again for all your prayers for the policy-writing process for Liberian intercountry adoptions. Patty has been heard on the radio two days in a row and has appeared in the newpapers twice. The staff have been meeting regularly with the Congress and aiding in the development of an emergency policy to bridge the gap until the next legislative session begins in the fall. The Congress has agreed to stay in session for at least one additional week into their customary break in order to stabilize this matter. A revised proposal (developed in cooperation with adoption professionals and a US lawyer and judge) will be submitted and discussed on Monday, with the hopes of passing it by the end of the week.

In addition, AOH(L) Executive Director Patty Anglin, AOHL Country Director Eric Sewa, and AOHL Operations Manager Gregory Coleman met with the Chinese Ambassador to Liberia Thursday to donate financial aid to the victims of the May 12 earthquake in China. The donation is earmarked to meet the needs of children orphaned and/or displaced by the tragedy.

My brother's wife is pregnant, 31 weeks now. We see her at least once a week and it's been so fun to watch her belly get bigger. We are so excited for them. At times, I admit, a touch of jealousy moves in...only because the end is in sight for them, it's predictable. She knows this baby will be here in July. I'm waiting. No answers. I'm getting used to it, but it doesn't mean it's always easy. I have no idea when this will end. I have no idea how long I'll be "paper pregnant."

Yesterday my aunt sent me a beautiful card. She didn't want me to think our girls are ever forgotten, to remind me that she is praying with me while I wait for the girls God has chosen for us.

My belly isn't growing this time around. There's no kicking inside as a constant reminder of the new life that will be joining our home. But, believe me when I say that not a minute goes by that I don't think about our new children and the life they will bring to our home.

So, we continue to wait and pray.

I received this email today from Lighthouse...

Dear Lighthouse Liberia families,

The following is a report from the Acres of Hope Staff:

Dear Families and Friends of AOH:

We want to thank you abundantly for your fervent prayers for the public hearings on adoption today in Liberia. The meeting lasted almost 7 hours and was filled with testimonies from people of every opinion. One of our missionaries, David Felando, testified as both an adoptee and an adoptive parent whose family of nine, including their two Liberian children, is now living and working in Liberia. Patty also testified as an adoptive mother of many, including two Liberians, and also as an adoption professional. In addition, several of our birth parents gave testimony from their hearts.

Overall, the Liberian staff feels very positive about the hearing. The Congress listened to both sides, but expressed support for international adoption. In fact, one Congressman closed the meeting with remarks that strongly supported the need for adoptions to continue.

No policy was decided today, but the staff will be meeting with Congress more next week to develop the policies. I do not have more details at this time, but as things unfold, we will keep you abreast.

We will share any further reports with you immediately.

Thank you for praying with us this week. Please continue to pray with us.

Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife Mary Beth are incredible advocates for international adoption. They have adopted three little girls from China and established Shaohannah's Hope, an organization that has provided adoption assistance to so many families. On Wednesday their five year old daughter, Maria, was killed in an accident at their home. Please read more here and pray for their family tonight.

Public hearings begin on May 23rd in Liberia. Lawmakers will be working on new adoption legislation that will greatly effect our adoption. Until these things are settled, out adoption is essentially on hold. Please see the letter below, posted on the Acres of Hope website.

Editor's Note: On May 14, we were informed that the date of the public hearings has been changed to May 23rd. )

13 May 2008

Dear Families and Friends of AOH:

We now know the date of the public hearings regarding adoptions in Liberia . They will be held on 21 May. Please pray for the legislators and other policy-makers as they prepare for these meetings. Also, please pray for those on the side of adoption to make their points clearly understood, to present the facts with both truth and passion, and to be confident in their role as a voice for those who have no voice. Pray that the new policies will guard the rights of families and children without placing undue strain on participants in the adoption triad (biological families, orphans, and adoptive parents). Pray that God's heart for orphans and for adoption will shine out clearly and that God will be glorified by each word spoken and by each one's attitude. Please also pray that the Father would send his angels to do battle with the forces of Satan that would threaten the very lives of the children of Liberia . Pray that darkness will gain no foothold here, that Christ will be the clear and total victor.

In addition, please continue to pray for families and children who are waiting. Keep the staff of AOHL uplifted during this difficult and stressful time.

Thank you. Without your support, we would crumble. With your prayers, the lives of orphans will be saved.

Please pray with our family. Thank you.

This morning my boys had waffles, hot off the waffle iron for breakfast. For lunch, vegan mac and cheese from scratch. Dessert options after lunch included daddy's amazing scones, mommy's brownies, or Aldi's strawberry frozen fruit bars. Guess what Riley said when I gave him those dessert options after he had already eaten these two delicious meals today? He said, "That's all?" You can only imagine the lengthy lecture that followed about what children in Liberia have to eat each day. Seriously, it is so important to me that they begin to understand now that the world is so much larger than their own little part of it that they see each day.

However, I was really impressed with a sentence Riley wrote on his own this week. He's in kindergarten and they are learning about sentence structure right now. They had to write a sentence using the word "give." He wrote, "It is good to give the money we don't need to people who need money." Both Riley and Trey received a lecture on greed last week while asking for toys they don't need right now. Maybe my lectures are at least slightly effective!

No adoption news...we're waiting.