As some may know, international adoption needs to be approached very cautiously. Some programs have been shut down as there was corruption going on, or mother's were being strongly convinced to give up their children in hopes of being adopted and sent to America. Because of this our agency has moved forward very slowly- they have tried to embrace the African culture and mindset towards this process and learned that is not necessarily beneficial to push to make things happen. Because of this, the process has slowed a bit. The Director of Social Services of the country in Africa came to Hawaii in July and spent time with the prospective families as well as the children who had been adopted. She was very happy with what she saw. Since her return to Africa one family has brought home adorable twin girls and another family, currently in country awaiting passports, will soon return with their sweet little girl.
Kristine, the Director of the adoption agency, leaves for Africa this Monday, the 28th. She stops through D.C. and will meet with the Ambassador of the country to continue building a strong relationship with them and stressing the program's focus of providing these children with stability and security. Once in Africa she will be identifying children for assignment to waiting families. We are "Next on the list".
We are praying that God moves in a big way as there are a number of things that need to "Line Up." She needs to be able to find two boys, under 5, that are available for adoption and that are "siblings or know each other and can get along." Get the idea??? We did tell them that if there was a sibling group that had two boys and a girl, we would be open to it.
We are really praying that Carrie can travel in November and be home with the boys by Christmas. Realistically they are trying to get one more group to travel before the holidays and then it may not be until Spring that more groups can go.
So..... We are asking you to join us in prayer over these next few weeks. Kristine will be in Africa Sept 28-October 14th.
- Pray she finds us a match. Pray that it is very clear to Kristine that these are OUR children and that they stand out to her.
- Pray the paperwork is a smooth process and that God would go before us and line everything up. Paperwork and Africa are not the easiest of combinations :)
- Pray that their TB tests will be 100% negative. Even with a hint of being positive, it could mean many more months in the country or even Carrie leaving and needing to return.
- Pray for some dear friends that are awaiting the final paperwork on their assignment. They need the birth father to sign away his rights. This one is a HUGE request!!!
- Pray for our sweet little boys that are waiting for us to find them. Pray that their hearts would be protected and that they would know the love of God even as we are away from them.
- Pray that Vierah would have the time and the energy to do what she needs to do and that we could find favor in her eyes to make this adoption happen smoothly.
- Please pray that we would have the shortest turn around time in Africa. Right now, families have been there from 4-6 weeks. This is a long time to be apart.
- Please continue to pray for the funds. Any tax deductible donations can still be sent to:
LifeSong for Orphans
Attn: Elliott Adoption
PO Box 40/202 N. Ford Road
Gridley, IL 61744
Please put Account #834 in the memo line.
In the meantime we wait. We rest in the fact that God's timing is perfect, but we long to be with the boys. It feels as though a part of our family is missing and we desire it to be complete. We are heading to CA on vacation October 22nd-November 1st. We are hoping to enjoy some fabulous Fall weather. We are in full swing with home-schooling. Colin really enjoys it and it is fun to watch him be a little sponge and soak it all in. Madeline is still going to pre-school three days a week from 8-12 and just loves it. Gracen is practicing for her climb on Mt. Everest. If I had a dollar for every time I told her to get down or get off the kitchen table I could pay for the adoption :) She is talking a lot more and torturing her brother and sister by invading their "castles" or what ever else they may be working on.
We have two wonderful young women that have moved in with us. Megan will actually be here October 7th. Kayleigh has been a blessing to have and has helped us greatly as Carrie has been working full time lately in an effort to cover some of the adoption fees. Marlene moved out in August and is currently at Bible College in Spain. It is a true joy to watch her grown in her faith and be a part of her journey. We are looking forward to having her back in January. Old friends have been visiting, so the house continues to run as a "Bed and Breakfast." :) Shelly and Lukas were here last week and it was a wonderful time of being with old friends.
As you can see, it is never boring! We appreciate you walking this road with us and if you have any questions please feel free to contact us. If you live in California, we'd love to get together while there and we'll keep you posted with our plans. We will be in Lodi the majority of the trip, but we are hoping to make it to Southern California as well.
We will let you know the minute we hear anything! Thank you so much for your prayers.
~The Elliotts
