Adoption/Foster Journey #3 - Part 5
July 23rd 2020
We just got back from the most beautiful trip to Colorado. I had a lot of time to reflect on God's goodness and faithfulness as Matt and I hiked Buffalo Mountain. I will save my reflections on this day for another post. You can read about it here. But I will say, this trip, and even more specifically that hike, was very needed.
On the morning of the last day we were there, I opened up the news and the headlines read "Documents burned on the grounds of the Chinese Consulate in Houston" and " Chinese Consulate in Houston ordered to close by US". That is not a headline that you want to wake up to when you are in the middle of a China adoption. If you remember, we are specifically waiting for the consulate offices to open, so that all of our dossier documents can be authenticated. We have been waiting since March. Now this. What does this even mean? One other consulate office is open in the US, but the cost and wait to even get our documents certified there is minor compared to the overlying gloom that seems to be cast over US-China relations. God, please let there be peace, let there be some agreements and civil communication. Children are waiting...please don't let this be another mountain for them.
I reached out to our agency...they are gathering information and trying to pass on what they know. Unfortunately the information they could provide, was that we have now passed a deadline that I knew was looming....documents are only good for 6 months before the expire (once authenticated they are good for a year). But if you remember, we started this process back in November of last year. Our documents, one by one, are expiring. What does that mean...we have to re-do part of our "paper chase". New documents...that will continue to wait on being notarized, certified and authenticated. This added step also changes the cost and fees that will occur, if we choose to send all the documents through D.C. which still could take months to even be authenticated.
I don't know. Lord, I refuse to give up on China adoptions. If we do...who will continue to fight for all those waiting. Lord, my heart is there...this is our daughter's birth country. I longed to go back...I thought I heard you calling us to walk this way again.
Matt and I continued to talk about it. I am more confused then ever. Maybe we should open our hearts and minds to other ways to serve and love the children who need families. I think I struggle with this...because the obvious way to serve locally is to foster. But, as I have mentioned before, you cannot legally pursue international adoption and be licensed to foster in the state of Texas. If we pivot...we have to pause on China. I don't feel at peace about any option right now...but I don't feel at peace about being idle either. But I guess that leads me back to my knees...to pray more. If burning documents in the Houston Chinese Consulate and expiring documents is our next closed door...then where is the open one?
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