Unsettling News

Today in Addis Ababa Sofani’s extended family had to appear in court to meet with the Judge as part of the adoption process.   This is a standard court hearing that is typically uneventful – more procedural than anything.

Things didn’t go as planned and there has been a delay in the process.  Staci and I are distraught and are asking for your prayers.

First, this is a new Judge.  She began on May 1^st.  Alemu, our representative from the International Agency in Addis, said that it was his first encounter with her in court.  She requested additional information to be provided; thus reassigning a new court date for Sofani’s extended family.  They have to reappear in court on May 14^th.  Staci and I will not be traveling to Addis as planned next week.  God willing we’ll be rescheduled later this month.

The issue is that Sofani has a 7 year old sister that was adopted to a family in the U.S. about a year ago.  We’ve known this all along and have intended to track them down and reunite Sofani with his sister when he arrives in the U.S.  We want them to know each other and stay in contact.  The Judge feels that this family should be contacted first and given an opportunity to adopt Sofani.  That’s not at all what we wanted to hear.

Sally, our representative from the International Agency in Michigan, is now in contact with the agency that Sofani’s sister’s parents used to let them know what the Judge said today.  Sally gave their agent all of the background on how I met Sofani and how Sofani wound up in the transition home in Addis.  I have requested that they give my information to the family so that I can talk with them about our story with Sofani.  I am dying to speak with them.  I want them to know how God has led us to this point and plead with them to allow the process to make Sofani our son to continue.

Of course we want them to say that they don’t want to adopt him but it’s definitely a possibility that they could decide that they wanted to pursue him.  If the roles were reversed I could certainly understand their position and their desire to keep them together.  My prayer is that they’ll be touched by our story and understand how close we are to adopting Sofani having just gone through this emotional rollercoaster themselves a year ago.  I pray.

If the Sofani’s sister’s parents allow us to continue, we believe that they will have to produce a document to this effect to accompany Sofani’s extended family in court in Addis on the 14^th.  What exactly the Judge is looking for needs to be clarified.  This is in the works as I type this.

As you know this has been a smooth and tremendously joyful process to this point.  We have reached our first bump in the road.  When we entered into the process we knew that it wouldn’t go exactly as planned because of all the variables out of our control, but you never want to experience anything that could completely derail our course.

This afternoon’s events have ripped our guts out.  It has prompted us to ask the question, “What if God has been using us this entire time to reunite Sofani with his sister?”  “How could we get this far in the process and have something like this happen?”

I ask you to pray that God’s will be done.  If Sofani is meant to be our son then allow things to progress.  Pray for Sofani’s sister’s parents as they’re faced with this decision.  Pray for the Judge and her ruling.  Pray for my family.  And, most importantly, pray for Sofani.