9 Months Old

I haven't posted in a while. Not much going on. Today our sweet princessa is 9 months old. It's a bittersweet day as we wait to hear something from PGN. We're sitting in the black hole of "No change to your case." That basically means that nobody knows anything. Eight weeks and 2 days ago (but who's counting?), we entered PGN. We're seeing other people with "in" dates very close to (and some after) ours coming "out" of PGN. This is good, it means we're close. So we wait. We pray. We wait some more!

God has blessed us with communication with our foster family. This week we received new pictures of our girl. She looks happy and healthy.

Keep praying that we hear something soon. We could use a "second wind" right about now. We've been told that the wait from being out of PGN until our US Embassy Visa appointment is the toughest. To be honest, we're ready to be in that "tough" stage!

We'll keep you posted...

Blessings,

Amy

Psa 40:5
O Lord my God, you have done many miracles for us. Your plans for us are too numerous to list. If I tried to recite all your wonderful deeds, I would never come to the end of them.

Urgent Prayer Request

We learned this week that the Guatemalan government moved up the reading of the "Ortega Law", a law that would have devastating effects on the adoption process in Guatemala. In short, the law will halt all adoptions from Guatemala to the United States as of Dec 31st. Currently, there is no "grandfather clause" attached to the bill. This means all cases currently in process, if not completed by Dec. 31st, would be indefinitely tabled. There is no plan for when they would resume or what the requirements for adopting under the new law would be. There are rumors that a committee is working on a grandfather clause and will try to attach it as an amendment. Our prayer is that before the law is finalized, the Guatemalan government will add a provision allowing in-process adoptions to be completed under the current law. We are also praying that the grandfather clause will cover all the children currently in the system who don't yet have a waiting family. For instance, our agency has 21 little boys and 8 little girls who have not been referred to a family yet. We are praying that they would be allowed to be adopted under the current system. Otherwise, they may never find a "forever family." The final vote on the law will take place Tuesday October 9th.

Blessings,
Amy

Psalm 146

Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, I tell myself. I will praise the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praises to my God even with my dying breath. Don't put your confidence in powerful people; there is no help for you there. When their breathing stops, they return to the earth, and in a moment all their plans come to an end. But happy are those who have the God of Israel as their helper, whose hope is in the Lord their God. He is the one who made heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them. He is the one who keeps every promise forever, who gives justice to the oppressed and food to the hungry. The Lord frees the prisoners. The Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts the burdens of those bent beneath their loads. The Lord loves the righteous. The Lord protects the foreigners among us. He cares for the orphans and widows, but he frustrates the plans of the wicked. The Lord will reign forever. O Jerusalem, your God is King in every generation! Praise the Lord!

Doctor's Visit

Samantha saw the doctor on October 2nd. All looks good. She is now 16 lbs 1 oz and 68 cm (approx. 26 3/4 inches). She was laughing, smiling and putting everything in her mouth. From the pictures we can see that she has gotten her ears pierced. Something her foster family asked if they could do and we consented to. She looks beautiful. Thank you again for your continued prayers as we await her arrival home.

Blessings,

Amy

Uncertainty

From the beginning, we knew that international adoption could be uncertain. We've faced that many times, but not nearly as much as we face it now. Last week, President Berger, the Guatemalan President, announced plans to suspend all intercountry adoption with American families on January 1, 2008. President Berger’s plans also call for the suspension of adoptions currently in-process. Does this affect Samantha? Possibly. At this point, we really don't know. If we get through PGN without a KO, we should be out by the end of October. Reality would say that's highly unlikely. Most families get kicked-out at least once. Our faith reminds us that God called us to this and it's in His hands. We are clinging to scripture and to our faith in a Sovereign God.

So, what can you do? PRAY! I've included a link to the JCICS (Joint Council on International Children's Services) site which lays out a comprehensive response to President Berger's announcement. If you'd like to make contacts, here is who to contact and what to say...http://jcics.org/Guatemala5000.htm#Participate. JCICS has asked that for maximum impact all contacts be made October 9, 10 and 11. Those days are days that really need to be covered in prayer. Prayer that people make the contacts and that those contacted listen to what is being said. So many of you have been walking this road and praying alongside us for months. We are moved to tears when we consider how blessed we are. Would you join us again, praying specifically on the 9th, 10th and 11th? We cannot tell you how badly we want our little one home. We know our faith is growing and we are being refined as we walk through this. Thank you again for standing with us, for supporting us and for holding our arms up when we're too tired to go on. We'll keep you posted.

Blessings,
Amy
Hebrews 11:1 What is faith? It is the confident assurance that what we hope for is going to happen. It is the evidence of things we cannot yet see.

Happy Birthday - 8 Months Old!

Today, Samantha is 8 months old and we have been in PGN for 4 weeks without a kick-out (that we know of!). I don't have any major news to report, no new pictures, no new medical information. But, being a milestone day, I thought I should say something! When we started this journey last year, I prayed that God would bring our daughter home for Christmas this year. At this point, that dream is still a possibility. One of my dear friends reminded me that we can pray expectantly and believe that God may honor our expectations. So, I am doing just that. I know that God may have another time line, and that's ok. But, for now, all we want for Christmas...is our Samantha at home! Happy Birthday, little one.