Fighting Bureaucracies
2010, the year of fighting bureaucracies. The year started for me with a bang by starring a key role in a real life horror film. When the clock struck midnight, I was standing between my grandfather and a totally incompetent nursing staff at the nursing home where he was being held prisoner. That week I went to battle for my Papa to rescue him from this place of torture. We found a way to get through the red tape and bring him home. But in the process, I kept thinking how much the experience was like adoption. Lots of rules and regulations that don't always make sense and surely do not benefit those that they are trying to help.
There is nothing to report about immigration today. Absolutely nothing, because we cannot get them to return our phone calls or emails. And so this day slips into the log of 2010, the day that we did not receive the last remaining document needed to bring Faith home. All along we thought for sure that if anything delayed our adoption it would be from the Ethiopian side. Ethiopia is ready for us to come and bring Faith home. However, the U.S. government holds the key to unlock the door for Faith labeled "forever family". Until we receive that key, we cannot travel, we cannot hold our baby, we cannot bring her home to her family, we cannot provide for her the medical care she so desperately needs.
Our agency has made it clear to us that they will not give us permission to travel until we have this document. We have been hopeful that it would arrive by today. This afternoon I felt like someone had sucked the life from my bones. I really did not have anything left to fight and couldn't let go of the vision of holding my baby girl on May 21st. Things have been crazy around here and my husband is so sick he can barely walk up and down the stairs, but we were going to go get her no matter what we had to do to get there. The reality that May 21st is no longer an option has slowly begun to sink in over the past few hours. I went for a long drive in the car. When I get really frustrated it helps me to turn the music up as loud as it will go and just scream. Now I am pumped, a little hoarse and ready to go again.
Let the fight begin again tomorrow morning with more phone calls and emails. Our next target date is May 28th. The battle is not over. Do not grow weary. Join us once again in prayer as we fight to bring this baby home. If you know of any connections within immigration or of someone that could help us please let us know. No matter how many times we are kicked down, eventually that precious daughter of mine is going to be in my arms forever...and I will not stop until that happens.
And next year, I have decided that Faith and I will spend New Year's relaxing at a spa.
There is nothing to report about immigration today. Absolutely nothing, because we cannot get them to return our phone calls or emails. And so this day slips into the log of 2010, the day that we did not receive the last remaining document needed to bring Faith home. All along we thought for sure that if anything delayed our adoption it would be from the Ethiopian side. Ethiopia is ready for us to come and bring Faith home. However, the U.S. government holds the key to unlock the door for Faith labeled "forever family". Until we receive that key, we cannot travel, we cannot hold our baby, we cannot bring her home to her family, we cannot provide for her the medical care she so desperately needs.
Our agency has made it clear to us that they will not give us permission to travel until we have this document. We have been hopeful that it would arrive by today. This afternoon I felt like someone had sucked the life from my bones. I really did not have anything left to fight and couldn't let go of the vision of holding my baby girl on May 21st. Things have been crazy around here and my husband is so sick he can barely walk up and down the stairs, but we were going to go get her no matter what we had to do to get there. The reality that May 21st is no longer an option has slowly begun to sink in over the past few hours. I went for a long drive in the car. When I get really frustrated it helps me to turn the music up as loud as it will go and just scream. Now I am pumped, a little hoarse and ready to go again.
Let the fight begin again tomorrow morning with more phone calls and emails. Our next target date is May 28th. The battle is not over. Do not grow weary. Join us once again in prayer as we fight to bring this baby home. If you know of any connections within immigration or of someone that could help us please let us know. No matter how many times we are kicked down, eventually that precious daughter of mine is going to be in my arms forever...and I will not stop until that happens.
And next year, I have decided that Faith and I will spend New Year's relaxing at a spa.
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