Our son needs your prayers…now.
Since our last post, we have submitted more paperwork to the
United States to request approval that Dawit is to be declared an orphan. This paperwork was submitted to them back in
September. For the last 4 months, we
have waited and watched from a distance as the US Embassy in Ethiopia scheduled
interviews with those involved with Dawit’s case. Finally, on December 22, the last interview
took place. After this interview, we were
expecting a PAIR letter to be mailed to us so we could further the process to
bring Dawit home. Unfortunately, on
December 31, we received an email from the Embassy stating that could neither
approve nor deny Dawit’s case and that it had been sent back to the USCIS
National Benefits Center in the US. We
were devastated.
With the direction of our agency, we contacted our assigned
officer at the USCIS NBC office in Lees Summit, MO. After 5 days of messages, she returned Josh’s
call and gave him quite a scripted response.
She will be reviewing Dawit’s case this week and next and will then be
reporting her findings to her supervisor.
We should receive a letter in the mail sometime after that with the
official decision on whether or not the US will classify Dawit as an orphan and
a child who is able to be adopted or not.
This is the first time throughout this process that a “failed
referral” has even crossed our minds.
When speaking about Dawit and his case and background on the day of his
referral, our case worker said it was a clear cut case with no known
issues. So naturally, we allowed our
hearts to attach to him. We allowed our
children to attach to him. We allowed
our parents and siblings and nieces and nephews to attach to him. We have one set of nephews and a niece that wholeheartedly
pray for Dawit at every meal (Thank you Brower kiddos!!). In all emotional
meanings of the word, he IS our son and a part of our family.
However, right now the US gov’t is not so
sure they can classify him as an orphan, which will stop Dawit from becoming part of our family.
PLEASE, join with us in prayer for Dawit and for his
case. Please pray for the Officer
assigned to our case, that she would be able to clearly see without a doubt
that he is either an orphan or that he is not an orphan (although none of the
paperwork we have seen leads us to believe this at all). Please pray for our hearts and our children’s
hearts as we endure the next two weeks of waiting.
Most importantly, pray that God will be
glorified in and throughout all of this.
Thank you!
