No More Numbers

We received a program update from AGCI last week.  If you hadn't noticed, our "numbers" have slowed considerably in the last 6 months.  There are a couple of reasons this has happened but the biggest reason being that our agency, along with a few other agencies, refuses to cross the line, enter into any grey area or practice any behavior that can be construed as unethical behavior. 

 

I'm not going to lie when I say that this waiting part is arduous at the best of times and pure torture at the worst of times.  And while we've had a few hiccups shall we say with our agency, we would never, ever want to use an agency that does not do their due diligence in authenticating a child's orphan status, that would allow money to exchange hands or yes, I'll say it, buy a child to fill a quota.

 

To battle unethical behavior MOWA (Ministry of Women's Affairs; agency in ET that oversees adoptions) is going through each and every agency and not renewing or canceling the license of agencies that work outside the scope of ethical behavior.  Evaluating each agency takes time, weeding out the bad ones takes time; thus adoption; children being placed, cases being processed and court dates being made are slowing down. 

 

While the waiting part stinks and knowing that we now have an estimated 3 1/2 year wait instead of the 18 months we were given initially is a little hard to swallow.  But knowing that our adoption will be done as ethically as possible, we're okay with that to have our peace of mind.

 

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That being said, with the slow down in referrals our agency is doing away with wait list numbers.  The waitlist numbers were really for the families waiting because the agency refers children by dossier registration dates (dossier - great big file of super important adoption paperwork) and let's be honest, sometimes I'd get way to caught up in the numbers game.  I'd be happy when it went down, cringe when it stayed the same and cry when it increased.  I'd get so blinded by the numbers that I'd forget that God knows who are child is and exactly when they'll join their family.

We'll still know what's going on through beginning of the month program updates that will state how many referrals went out, the age of the child referred and the registration date of the families dossier.  We'll still be in the 'know,' we'll just have the weight of waitlist numbers off our back.

So no more numbers, an assumed slow down but you know what, God is in control, He's in the details and He knows who will join our family and when. 

He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just.

A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he. 

-Deuteronomy 32:4