I have been grappling with how to even begin to address this precarious issue, and I have prayed for wisdom and discernment as to the words to utilize, and I have asked the Lord for courage and boldness as I face the realities of what the news means to my family and others.
Admittedly, there is a part of me that does not even want to write this post, but while painful, I know it is the right thing to do. It is wrong to keep our mouths shut when we know of something wrong.
We have recently learned that the adoption agency that we used for our first adoption, of Mayah, has been indicted for "Conspiracy to Defraud the United States in Connection with Ethiopian Adoptions." Full Story Here
Obviously, we are fraught with a plethora of emotions. What does this mean regarding our adoption?
We were not shocked that there was corruption in some adoptions, as we are not ignorant enough to believe that it does not exist. However, we honestly thought that we would avoid the corruption with adopting an "older waiting child." We did not go into the adoption process blind; we went in with eyes wide open. Yes, we were excited and reliant on the Lord to preserve the integrity of our adoption, but we also were on the look out for red flags. When we used IAG, they had the proper ratings and licensure. Nevertheless, in light of this new information, we are concerned with the circumstances that surrounded our first adoption.
Now, we do not know if our adoption through IAG was ethical or not; however, we have contacted the State Department to look further into our case. However, there are hundreds of other families that are probably doing the same thing. We have also contacted a searcher to investigate it further; he is in Ethiopia and has already begun to research our case to verify the paperwork or uncover the truth. It will probably be some time before we know anything further, but please pray that the truth would be revealed.
Our adoption has been finalized. They will not take our daughter back, but we need to know if she really does have a family member back in Ethiopia or if there was anything unethical about her adoption. If she has a living relative, we need to be in contact with them. I don't know what that would look like. I don't know how it will all work out, but we are just taking the next step and trusting that the Lord is going to give us all the strength to get through this, and that somehow He will work it all out for good,...somehow.
Why does this happen? Because we live in a fallen world. It is dark here, and there is sin everywhere. Because greed is a powerful thing and evil is rampant. We are in need of a Savior!
Yes, we are sad. We are broken. We are sick over it.
How can we be "called" to adopt, and believe we are following the Lord's calling on our lives, and end up potentially participating in an unethical adoption? The short answer, I don't know.
I have read a great deal of information regarding all of this online, and one specific blog post stands out in my mind (sorry, I can't remember where I found it), but it talked about the story of Joseph in the Bible. There were some pretty evil emotions, motives, and circumstances that surrounded him going to Egypt; however, a magnificent, omniscient God allowed them to happen, and used those things for good. I am not saying that it is okay to do the wrong thing if it ends well, I am not saying that at all. I am merely pointing out that God can still use evil for good, and I trust that He will.
God is sovereign, and I know that He knew all this would happen. We sought His guidance and sought to be obedient to His word.
There is a part of me that questioned "Why Lord?" But, quite perfectly in His timing, we are studying Job in our Sunday School, and God's providence in my ladies Esther Bible study. And, why not us? I know that I do not get to know all the answers to why.
Like, why is there evil in the world? I do not know.
Unfortunately, I fear that this news will just affirm the suspicions and hesitations of families to adopt for fear of unethical adoptions which saddens me because there are still there are so many children that do need families. There are good, ethical organizations working ethically and morally. There are no guarantees in adoption (or in most things), but I pray that the truth will be revealed. I pray that all those involved with corruption and unethical practices would be discovered and stopped.
This news has nothing to do with the adoption we are in the process of now. The adoption agency we are using currently is on the accredited list from the State Department (to view accredited agencies). We have seen the videos and pictures from our child's shelter, and we know that it is completely honest and ethical.
Admittedly, there is a part of me that does not even want to write this post, but while painful, I know it is the right thing to do. It is wrong to keep our mouths shut when we know of something wrong.
We have recently learned that the adoption agency that we used for our first adoption, of Mayah, has been indicted for "Conspiracy to Defraud the United States in Connection with Ethiopian Adoptions." Full Story Here
Obviously, we are fraught with a plethora of emotions. What does this mean regarding our adoption?
We were not shocked that there was corruption in some adoptions, as we are not ignorant enough to believe that it does not exist. However, we honestly thought that we would avoid the corruption with adopting an "older waiting child." We did not go into the adoption process blind; we went in with eyes wide open. Yes, we were excited and reliant on the Lord to preserve the integrity of our adoption, but we also were on the look out for red flags. When we used IAG, they had the proper ratings and licensure. Nevertheless, in light of this new information, we are concerned with the circumstances that surrounded our first adoption.
Now, we do not know if our adoption through IAG was ethical or not; however, we have contacted the State Department to look further into our case. However, there are hundreds of other families that are probably doing the same thing. We have also contacted a searcher to investigate it further; he is in Ethiopia and has already begun to research our case to verify the paperwork or uncover the truth. It will probably be some time before we know anything further, but please pray that the truth would be revealed.
Our adoption has been finalized. They will not take our daughter back, but we need to know if she really does have a family member back in Ethiopia or if there was anything unethical about her adoption. If she has a living relative, we need to be in contact with them. I don't know what that would look like. I don't know how it will all work out, but we are just taking the next step and trusting that the Lord is going to give us all the strength to get through this, and that somehow He will work it all out for good,...somehow.
Why does this happen? Because we live in a fallen world. It is dark here, and there is sin everywhere. Because greed is a powerful thing and evil is rampant. We are in need of a Savior!
Yes, we are sad. We are broken. We are sick over it.
How can we be "called" to adopt, and believe we are following the Lord's calling on our lives, and end up potentially participating in an unethical adoption? The short answer, I don't know.
I have read a great deal of information regarding all of this online, and one specific blog post stands out in my mind (sorry, I can't remember where I found it), but it talked about the story of Joseph in the Bible. There were some pretty evil emotions, motives, and circumstances that surrounded him going to Egypt; however, a magnificent, omniscient God allowed them to happen, and used those things for good. I am not saying that it is okay to do the wrong thing if it ends well, I am not saying that at all. I am merely pointing out that God can still use evil for good, and I trust that He will.
God is sovereign, and I know that He knew all this would happen. We sought His guidance and sought to be obedient to His word.
There is a part of me that questioned "Why Lord?" But, quite perfectly in His timing, we are studying Job in our Sunday School, and God's providence in my ladies Esther Bible study. And, why not us? I know that I do not get to know all the answers to why.
Like, why is there evil in the world? I do not know.
Unfortunately, I fear that this news will just affirm the suspicions and hesitations of families to adopt for fear of unethical adoptions which saddens me because there are still there are so many children that do need families. There are good, ethical organizations working ethically and morally. There are no guarantees in adoption (or in most things), but I pray that the truth will be revealed. I pray that all those involved with corruption and unethical practices would be discovered and stopped.
This news has nothing to do with the adoption we are in the process of now. The adoption agency we are using currently is on the accredited list from the State Department (to view accredited agencies). We have seen the videos and pictures from our child's shelter, and we know that it is completely honest and ethical.
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