Interim resolution

Today, 12 Jan 2006, Rada (Ukraine's parliament) passed law 8680 giving interim authority over adoptions to the National Adoption Center until the new adoption authority is legally established under the Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports. The law will come into effect as soon as it is signed by the President, who has up to 15 days to review it. The American Embassy in Ukraine has been informed that the center will reopen after signature by the President.

The embassy is advising those who have previously scheduled January appointements to not travel to Ukraine until the NAC has issued a notice publically confirming that those appointments will be honored.

Still no word on if and when letters will be sent to prospective adoptive families (such as Steph and I) who were registered with the NAC and supposed to be notified in January of our appointment date. A notice posted by the Embassy yesterday indicated that the interim authority is valid through May 1, 2006, at which time the new authority will be in place.

It still remains to be seen whether or not we will receive a letter from the NAC. Perhaps we will have to wait until the new authority takes over to receive an appointment. I certainly hope not. If we do receive an appointment notice from the NAC will the appointment be honored by the new authority? I certainly hope so.

Delay?

Perhaps we have experienced a major setback in our journey. On 20 Dec 2005 authority over adoptions in Ukraine was transferred from the Ministry of Education to the Ministry of Family, Youth and Sports. The New central authority will be called the State Department for Adoption and Protection of Children. This in itself could be good; however the new central authority has not been formally established yet and the Ukraine Supreme Court has ruled that the National Adoption Center no longer has legal authority to process adoptions. This creates a gap in adoptions, a gap that we are standing in, perhaps not standing but wondering aimlessly with no idea of what direction this will take us.

What does this mean for us? Well, we are approved and registered with Ukraine as prospective adopting parents. The NAC had committed to notify us in Dec or Jan of our travel date and appointment with the NAC. Since the NAC is now defunct we don't know what it means. I can only assume that any commitment made by the NAC is no longer valid. How can a now defunct government department deliver on its promises? Will the new Department honor commitments made by the NAC? Will they require new dossiers or a new approval? If we do receive the letter that we expect this month, is it still valid? These things we do not know. We will continue to monitor the US Embassy website and hope that this is all resolved in a timely manner.

Thats the data. The information that is impersonal and simply factual. The real story is in our hearts. This is a very difficult time. We expected to complete this adoption in 2005 and now its January 06 and we are tossed into a wide regulatory gap. We want to be strong and say that God is in control, yet this is difficult. We want to have answers today, but there are no answers yet. We want to tuck our child in at night, but our child is still trapped in an orphanage in a country that its leaders seem more interested in obtaining position and power than empowering loving parents to rescue the fatherless.

We wanted to believe that this would be easy for us and that we would not have a negative experience. In the end perhaps this development will not be negative, presently it certainly doesn't seem to be positive.

Habakkuk 2:3 says "But these things I plan won't happen right away. Slowly, steadily, surely, the time approaches when the vision will be fulfilled. If it seems slow, wait patiently, for it will surely take place. It will not be delayed." (NLT)

Is this development a delay? My mind screams YES---my faith gently and calmly wispers NO.