We played musical chairs the majority of the night due to the smoke that kept blowing in our faces. These volunteers, women after God’s own heart, intrigued me. The more they shared their stories, the more I felt like I belonged. We wrapped dough around a stick and stuck it in the fire. It was kind of like roasting marshmallows, but with bread… that took much more time.. and yummier.
One of the volunteers was sharing with us the adoption process of her oldest daughter. She explained how difficult it was, taking 5 years to compete.
In Romania, the adoption process is WACK! First, there’s a process of having the child on the weekends (Friday afternoon to Sunday afternoon) for an extended period of time, but biological parents still have the ability to regain full custody.
Secondly, you have to be a resident of Romania in order to adopt Romanian babies. So, international adoption is out of the question.
After a baby has been abandoned, the government has to track down 3 generations of family members to make sure that nobody will take responsibility for the baby. The majority of the babies come from gypsy communities, so by the time the family members are tracked down, the children are no longer babies, making them less desirable.
Firm Foundations is currently working on a way to get the laws changed so the adoption process isn’t so tedious. They’d like to see it that if the child isn’t claimed within the first 3 months of abandonment, it could be put up for adoption.
I’ve always wondered if God would call me to adopt. It’s something that I’ve thought about heavily. My heart continues to grow for these children the more I see the need.
Please join me in praying for this country, Firm Foundations, and the adoption process. There are innocent babies who need families. Lets come together as a body of believers and pray for walls to come down and doors to be opened!
