Ethiopian Adoptions

I am warning you up front - this one could get long. There is a lot stirring in my heart this week and it has kind of come to a head this weekend. I will do my best to articulate as clearly as possible but I can't make any promises that this will make sense.

Last weekend I was notified by one of my dearest friends who lives in Nairobi that they had experienced a senseless tragedy. There is a young couple with two small children who work with YWAM in Nairobi who attend my friend's church. Their names are Ebel and Lora Kremer. He worked with the least of these, the nameless and faceless orphans. He was helping build homes that could house up to 12 orphans that would be mothered by a widow! Which, by the way, I think is a fantastic way to care for both orphans and widows which James mandated in James 1:27 ...."Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." So Ebel and Lora had moved from the Netherlands to do exactly this. Someone broke into the YWAM base last Friday early morning - they shot and killed 36 year old Ebel and sexually assaulted his wife. All of this trauma unfolding in front of their two small children. Now, some may say that these things happen everyday somewhere, right? And there is truth to that. At this point they don't feel like they were targeted but that it was just a horrible robbery. Except that I don't believe it was random. I think the enemy didn't like what Ebel was doing. I think that the enemy was seeking to destroy. My friend's husband put it so amazingly well when he said something along these lines: "Satan NEVER wins! God has not had his say yet, this is not over, and Satan will pay for what he has done - exponentially!"

All week long I have been praying and interceding for my friends who are walking through this, for Lora and her children as they have packed up their life to return to the Netherlands and for the children who remain in Nairobi. I have been impressed upon again the fight over the souls of these forgotten children!! They are not forgotten by God! He knows them each by name! He created them in His image!

Fast forward through the week to this weekend. For those of you in the adoption world I am sure you have heard the possible changes happening in Ethiopia that would greatly impact the adoption process! Long story short: Ministry of Women's Affairs (MOWA) in Ethiopia have to sign off on each adoption as well as the courts. Right now they process around 40 cases a day! MOWA just gave notification that they will be cutting back the number of cases they process to 5 a day!!! This means it will take 8 times longer for families to be united with their children! We are talking about an insane decrease in Ethiopian adoptions being processed!! And for those children with HIV, special needs, etc....this could be a death sentence.

This has my spirit all riled up today!! I thought through things yesterday but today my spirit has risen up! God's promises are "I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." - John 14:18. "God sets the lonely in families....." - Psalm 68:6. There is something else going on here. Again...I can't help but see the enemy at work here. He is contrary to everything God has spoken. And the fact that children would remain alone, lonely and waiting....well that smacks of only making the enemy of their souls happy! I have found myself crying angry, sad and desperate tears. My heart is crying out, "God!! Would you please move heaven and earth this week?"

There are big meetings happening this week between the adoption lawyers, Minister of MOWA and president of the courts to talk about possible solutions to this crisis. I know there is a day of fasting and prayer being mobilized for Wednesday, March 9th! Would you join with me and the thousands of others storming heaven on that day? Seriously.....for those of you who think you can't really do anything to help the orphan. This is your time! You do not have to give anything monetarily - you just have to be willing to get on your knees! Get your children praying with you. As families. As friends. I am just asking you to pray hard this week for hearts to be softened. For solutions to be found. For these children to not be held up in the system.

Isaiah 58:6 "Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of the injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke?"

I had someone tell me at the beginning of our adoption of Eden that God moves heaven and earth for the orphan. And I believe it!! I am believing for resolution in this specific situation in Ethiopia!! Would you believe with me? Would you join me on Wednesday?