Still no definites

We have received several updates from our agency just keeping us posted, but I haven't included them in the blog as there wasn't any new information. They were just confirmations that talks are still in the works. Here is an excerpt of a recent email with a bit of new information:

USCIS and DOS have issued a joint statement with the government of Vietnam announcing that the processing of new adoption cases will not resume until both countries sign a new bilateral agreement. Please see the press release, below, as well as the attached releases, FAQs: Adoptions from Vietnam to the US and the Joint Statement, for more information. This information can also be found on Joint Council’s website, www.jcics.org.

The United States government is committed to supporting Vietnam in its efforts to establish practices necessary to appropriately process intercountry adoptions. We have therefore expressed our willingness to begin negotiations on a new bilateral agreement with the government of Vietnam that addresses the deficiencies in their current system. We cannot predict when a new bilateral adoption agreement with adequate safeguards for all parties will be concluded.

As indicated in the joint statement, all dossiers that have not been matched with a referral will be picked up by our agency representative and held in our office in Hanoi. Please know that this is merely a matter of where to store the dossiers during the interim. It is Faith’s understanding that the DIA and the U.S. Embassy have set Monday, October 27^th as the date to officially begin negotiations toward a new agreement. We will continue to monitor the progress toward this agreement and send out any updates as we receive information. Again, the returning of dossiers to each agency representative in Vietnam does not necessarily indicate a step backwards towards a reopening, but is rather a logistical step of where to store the dossiers while a new agreement is worked on. Families will remain in the same spot in our queue during the interim.

We continue to pray and trust that God will work it out in His timing. Sometimes this is proving to be easier than others. Somedays I sit and know she will be here and dream of what it will be like to look back on this journey and praise God for the wonderful blessing she is to our family as well as all He taught us along the way and somedays it is just a bit discouraging and sad to be waiting and waiting and waiting.......

At peace knowing God is in control

No new information regarding the adoption from our agency. We have been sent information that talks are still in the works to get an interim agreement between Vietnam and the US. The following excerpt is from our agency:

Joint Council continues to be in close communication with officials at the Department of State to ascertain the progress of diplomatic efforts between the United States and Vietnam on a new Memorandum of Understanding. As stated previously, only those families who received a written letter of referral from the DIA on or before September 1st, 2008, will have their cases processed to completion.

According to the latest numbers released by the Department of State, 524 families were matched with a child by September 1st, and of that number, 247 families have filed an I600 petition with USCIS.

Joint Council will continue to release more information on the processing of these cases as we receive it from the Department of State and USCIS.

We feel a deep sense of peace over this situation. Several people have asked us - and we are grateful for all the people following the journey and all the prayers and support - and we have come to know that our God is bigger than all of this and we will look back on this someday knowing exactly why it didn't go quite like we thought it would. Our plans are definately not His plans and we serve a mighty God.