Some New Ethiopia Program Updates!

Dear James & Kelly,
We are writing to inform you of several announcements made by the State Department regarding Ethiopia adoption. In conjunction with the previous announcement that re-instates the requirement for families, who submit paperwork after May 9th, to be present for court, the State Department announced the possible use of a special power of attorney in the case that both adoptive parents are unable to be present.[http://adoption.state.gov/news/ethiopia.html] While America World continues to strongly recommend both families travelling to be present at the court date, this special power of attorney will be permitted for use only in the case that one spouse cannot travel during the scheduled court date due to unavoidable obligations and/or in the case of an emergency. Upon receiving a referral, families are welcome to speak in more detail with their family coordinator about this possibility if needed.

In addition, the State Department has also issued an alert on travel to Ethiopia before and after the national parliamentary elections scheduled for May 23, 2010. [http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/pa/pa_2108.html]This alert was issued in result of the violence in the past that ensued in Addis Ababa and other parts of Ethiopia before and after the national elections. Families who are scheduled to travel between May 23, 2010 and July 1, 2010 are encouraged to evaluate whether they feel comfortable to travel or would like to delay their travel until after the travel alert has expired on July 1st. We respect families’ decisions regarding these matters and if you have further questions concerning this please feel free to contact our travel coordinator.

Lastly, the Government of Ethiopia recently announced that they have revoked the licenses of nine orphanages in different regions of the country. [http://adoption.state.gov/news/ethiopia.html]. These orphanages are: Adera child orphanage, Agar Lewegen orphanage, Almaz orphanage, Biruh Zemen orphanage, Help for the Needy orphanage, Holy Savior orphanage, Kunket orphanage, and Tsega orphanage. Children in these orphanages have been relocated to accredited orphanages, and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs has stated that those children should still be available to be matched for international adoption. America World did not work with any of these aforementioned orphanages and therefore this change does not affect any children referred to any America World families.

We desire to provide our families with current information in regards to the adoption process and will continue to inform families of any changes and/or announcements made in regards of Ethiopia adoption.

" . . . AND we're back to TWO TRIPS!"
Dear James & Kelly,

We want to inform you that the change in the court policies recently put on hold will be re-instated beginning May 9th, 2010 by the Ethiopian Federal Court. This change requires both prospective adoptive parents, who submit paperwork to court for an official court date after May 9th, to appear at court in person to testify to their desire and commitment to adopt their referred child(ren).

Families affected by this change will need to be prepared to travel to Ethiopia approximately 4 - 8 weeks after receiving a referral in order to be present in Ethiopia for their appointed court date. Families will remain in Ethiopia for roughly 4 -7 days and will then return to the US. After officially passing court, families will then travel back to Ethiopia approximately 6 -12 weeks later to pick up their adopted child(ren).

A meeting was held yesterday by Ethiopian Federal Court to address this change. As the court is currently working on the details and logistics of this change we ask that you hold specific questions at this time. Please feel free to reference the conference from March 11th that referenced these initial changes. America World will continue to keep you updated as information is shared and decisions are made both in Ethiopia and as an agency.

Although we do fully support the Ethiopian Federal Court’s decision, we know that this change, and the back and forth about the change, can be challenging for families. We will continue to pray for your family as you move forward in your adoption process.


The good news is, the adoption tax credit was renewed and increased!!! That will be a big help. We are continuing to sell coffee through our Just Love Coffee Store (http://www.justlovecoffee.com/BringPhinHome) and we have a tshirt in the works.

Also- we are in the middle of trying to sell our house. The inspections are today and we would appreciate your prayers. What a blessing it would be to be able to bring Phin home to an actual ROOM with his own BED! Pray pray pray!! Love to you all. ;)

This entry is for all of you out there who, for a moment, have found respite here. Know that you are welcome and I am hopeful you will find, in these pages, a way to ease the burden you carry.

For you who are grieving, struggling, doubting and trying to summon the courage to get out of bed tomorrow . . . I pray peace upon your hearts tonight. There really is so much beauty in the world. But there is also so much pain.

To the mommies and daddies who said goodbye to their children this week, God be gracious unto you and make His face shine upon you. My heart breaks for you and I am reminded of moments past that blistered and shattered like the sun. Moments when, the world as I knew it, came to an end. Those moments are here for you now. If I could, I would lay with you on the floor. I would sit with you and not try to explain why this terrible thing has happened. I would tell you that though it feels as if your heart will never beat again . . . it will. I would also tell you that nothing and no one will ever be able to make it right. And so I pray our Lord's faithfulness would not cease. And that His angels would bear you up and give you rest.