Monday, November 29, 2010

Latest with Ukraine Adoption

Hey everyone,

We heard from our agency today with the following update:
"During the Thanksgiving break, we received new, updated information directly from Ukraine, that the judiciary committee of Parliament rejected bill 4313 after coming to the conclusion that the bill is in contradiction with other Articles in the Family Code of Ukraine. This took place after Joint Council sent us the overview of events, and we assume that this is why the new development was not mentioned in the above notice. Certainly, the opinion of the judiciary committee is very important, and always has a big influence on the final decisions of Parliament.

We also were notified that Parliament has scheduled a final vote to take place on December 16th. A large group of lawyers, including some who work as adoption coordinators, are preparing a petition to be presented prior to this final hearing. The purpose of this petition is to emphasize the importance of keeping international adoption open without any disruptions."

The situation continues to change. Pray that December 16th will mark the end of this uncertainty, and Ukrainian adoptions will continue. These children need a home, love, and a family to call their own. Please continue to pray over us as we are trying to figure out how to move forward - with Ukraine or a domestic adoption.

Much love,
Jessica

Thursday, November 11, 2010

Waiting

Hey everyone,

We have decided to wait out the next few weeks until a possible 2nd vote from the Ukrainian parliament may or may not take place. Here is the latest from the US Department of State.

Adoption Notice
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Bureau of Consular Affairs
Office of Children’s Issues

November 3, 2010

The Ukrainian legislature is in the process of voting on a bill that would suspend all intercountry adoptions from countries without bilateral agreements with Ukraine, including adoptions from the United States. The bill passed a first reading and vote, but must still pass a second reading and be signed into law by the president. The second reading could take place in the next few weeks. If the bill passes the second reading, it may be signed into law as early as the end of 2010. The draft bill appears to include suspension of all adoptions in progress.

The Department will post updates as information becomes available. You can track with the following link. http://adoption.state.gov/news/ukraine.html.

Much love,
Jessica

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Another Step Back

Well, just as we were about to send off our Dossier and fee to our agency today, we found out the Ukranian parliament voted to put a moratorium on international adoptions. Unfortunately, it passed. Thankfully, because of finding out through another blog, we did not submit our paperwork and fee.

Here is what we know - we are recieving conflicting information for how long it may actually take. It may be 6 months or less. With our paperwork being submitted soon, we were guessing our travel date might be
 in February. If it takes less than 6 months, we will be cutting it so very close, and spend thousands of dollars with no guarantee.

From our agency -
"As of today Ukraine is not closed; there are a few proposals that were discussed. We are communicating with our coordinator who is checking everything, and will let you know the latest tomorrow."

We definitely need your prayers, guidance, and feedback. This has been the most emotional roller coaster, and all happening within the last month. Please pray for the many orphans, not just in Ukraine, but all over the world, as we approach Orphan Sunday on the 7th.

Tomorrow, once we receive an update, we will take the time to pray and decide how to proceed. I will update as soon as I can.

With a heavy heart,
Jessica