Prayer Request!

THIS WAS SENT FROM OUR CASE MANAGER TODAY. THIS COULD BE A BIG DEAL FOR US:
According to our Country Representative, Ato Zerihun, there is currently a discussion by the court system in Ethiopia whether or not to require adoptive parents to appear in person for the court hearings of their prospective children. This has the potential to make Ethiopia a 2 trip country; 1 trip for court and 1 trip for the Embassy appointment.

This discussion has been precipitated by the alarming number of cases being revoked – 43 thus far. We are attempting to get clarification on the exact nature of revocations, but assume those are dissolutions.

The network of adoption agencies will meet with the president of the First Instance Court to discuss this proposed procedure. We do not have a date for this meeting as yet.

AT THIS TIME, this is only in the discussion stage and no changes have been made to the requirements. We just want to keep you informed as we learn more ourselves. We will keep you apprised of any additional developments as we hear of them. Keep this in prayer.

While we see the obvious benefits of parents meeting their children before court, especially in the case of older children, we also acknowledge the cost involved in traveling twice may be prohibitive for some families.