Congo

CONGO.

 If you asked me what came to mind when I heard this word a year ago, I would say words like this....hope, love, misfortune, tragedy, adoption, family, orphan no more, excitement, anticipation, redemption.

If you ask me what comes to mind today, my answers are much different. My words are more harsh, more raw. My words are...greed, corruption, loss, grief, anxiety, anger, impatience, harvesting, unstable, hopeless.

It is amazing what a difference a year can make in someones view points. There has been one thing after another happen with Congo and our case since we started. We sensed things were starting to spiral downward this past fall. We received our referral in May and were making progress at a snails pace. We were still hopeful that things would speed up and we'd be traveling this Spring. Unfortunately, that is not the case.

Since being in the program we have absolutely fallen in love with this country and all the hardships it has endured. I have spent hours upon hours researching Congo and talking with other adoptive families who have gone before me and who follow behind me.  The one theme that riddles this country up and down is CORRUPTION. In the poorest nation in the world these people have to fight to survive. They see an opportunity to profit and they grab it, even if it's to the disadvantage of children and their families.

I truly believe our agency is doing everything in their power to ensure an ethical adoption, but in this country it is hard to do. I can not share many details at this point, but as of late November our adoption was put on hold...not by our choice.  There were some questionable events surrounding some other children at Cora's orphanage and it has caused a  large investigation into each childs file.  We do not know how long this will take, but we do know there is a large possibility Cora's file is swept up in the unfortunate greed of her caretakers. We are still hoping to bring this beautiful girl into our family, but at the moment our hope is dim.

With all the events surrounding our case and a number of other issues with Congo there have been several families leave our agencies Congo program. I am hopeful for these families and their new journeys God is leading them on, but I am disheartened by the events also and feeling a pull to do the same. For now we will wait a while longer and pray for clarity. Most of all, I pray for Cora. I pray that she be exactly where God intends her to be, whether that be with our family or in her home country.

It is with a heavy heart I write this post. Please pray for this country that is so dear to our hearts. Pray for restoration and hope for the true orphans of DRC.