Praying for Russia

I know I told you all we're taking a little blogging break this week, but I wanted to pop in and encourage all of you to pray for the situation that is happening with international adoptions in Russia right now. As of right now, Russia has banned the United States from adopting from Russia; this bill is to take effect beginning January 1st.

Here is a link that explains the new law in more detail.

As far as I've seen, there will be an attempt to appeal the new law, but there is no guarantee it will change.

Here is a statement released by our agency on the topic:

"Update on Russia

With the news that Russia has banned inter-country adoption to the United States, our agency is deeply saddened by the thought that many thousands of orphans in Russia may be deprived the ability to join loving families. There are still some conflicting reports for how this affects families currently in process. We are continuing to monitor this situation and are working with advocacy organizations such as the National Council For Adoption to join them in expressing our disappointment that politics can be put above children’s interests. We are continuing to pray for the children living in Russian orphanages as well as the families in process to adopt." source

So you might be thinking, "what can we do?!" In all honesty, I'd say pray and pray hard, share the story, ask your friends to pray with you.  Do you know any families who are in the process of adopting from Russia? Pray for them, surround them with support, imagine having a child and then not knowing if you'll ever bring them home.  Bring them meals, be there for them in this time.  Although this is truly difficult for us all to comprehend, we must remain hopeful.  

Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.

Romans 12:12