approved!

Alas, a morsel of good news! We received word from our caseworker this morning that our non-objection letter has been written and is just waiting for the minister’s signature. This is fabulous news. This means that we have been approved to adopt by the Rwandan government. This was a huge hurdle to cross, and God has made it happen!

One rather large caveat to all of this, though, is that as expected, our approval comes with the infamous six month letter that we have heard so much about over the past few months. Long story short, the letter states that there are no children at the orphanage at this time that meet our criteria (infant boy <1 year of age) and that they will give us six months to wait for a match. If no match is made, then our dossier will be closed.

We have a ton of questions surrounding this, and like all other families waiting to bring their children home from Rwanda, we have very few answers. Word on the street is that the ministry plans to formally answer some of these oft asked questions in the near future. I’ll be waiting with baited breath…

So, let’s review:
1. We have been approved!! By the Rwandan government!! After all this time!! Thank you God!!
2. We have six (5? 4?) months to receive a referral. Or else… well, we don’t really know. But I can guess that it wouldn’t be good.
3. We need prayers for a miracle. That our referral would be speedy. That other orphanages would open up for adoptions. That the required paperwork would be made available for orphaned children so that they would be eligible for adoption. For God to give those working at the ministry and in the orphanages supernatural efficiency and a fresh sense of urgency to place the fatherless in families.

Y’all, God’s hand has been all over this adoption. He has proven Himself faithful over and over and over again. So, with a renewed sense of hope this morning (which came at the perfect time, of course), we will continue to wait for a miracle.