UPDATE: Delay

Well we got some news on Wednesday. Unfortunately, not what we had hoped to hear.

The Executive Director and the Program Director returned from a 2 week trip to Vietnam last week. They went to meet with officials and smooth out the process trying to find ways in which to make the whole program run smoother for families.

They have located space within the Somerset (where families stay in HCMC) to move their office and are in the process of going through the legalities of moving the office to this location. They believe this move will be great for families when they travel. They will have a computer that families can use to e-mail friends and family, and they will have Skype downloaded on the computer for families to use to call home. They will have a copy machine for families to use as well as a fax. This way families who don't have laptops or just don't want to take the chance of dragging them across the country will still have free access to the internet.

They are also planning on expanding their license to work in different provinces of Vietnam so that they don't only focus on HCMC. There are many agencies working out of HCMC and more getting licensed every day. In fact the country of France just reached an agreement and there have been well over 1,500 requests for children in just a few months. They felt that it would be beneficial to have other provinces to look to for referrals of children.

They have also spoken to the facilitators in regard to getting more up to date information on children as families wait for their travel dates. Since the time from referral to travel can be anywhere from 2-4 months they feel that it would be helpful to families to receive updated photos, weight, length and head circumferences on children. Currently this information has not been readily available and they have often not been able to get it. They worked on putting systems in place so that this information will be available to families in the future.

Unfortunately with these changes also come delays, due to the legal process in Vietnam moving the office and adding provinces is not as simple as writing a letter informing them of their move and their desire to expand. They must get permission etc...from several places in order to make these changes official. And with all things in Vietnam this means time. They are hoping that these changes don't delay new referrals for too long but they do expect a delay.

These changes are awesome additions to the program. But not the information we had really wanted to hear. It is a shame that a program must essentially shut down so that paperwork can be changed. But it is their government and they can do what they wish.

Kristi and I feel so strongly that Vietnam is where we are called to adopt from, and that the facilitators are the best in any country. So we will wait out these delays, and pray for an expedited process to the changes. Please keep this in prayer. It is not going to be easy to wait. But we have to. God wants us to. Lilli was two years, and now worth every day of the wait. We have faith that God will bless us the same when it comes to Katelin.