Help Needed

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you." ~John 14:18

Today, my heart is very heavy with the passing of the Russian law essentially prohibiting Russian adoptions by Americans.

A sweet friend at church has a brother and sister in law who are mid-adoption right now for their sweet son, Josiah, who they met just a few weeks ago for the first time.  At this point, it is unclear how this law will affect them (or any of the other families that are in process), but we need to be on our knees for this law to be changed and changed quickly.

I received a forwarded email plea from this family today that I would like to share with you all...when you are finished reading, I ask that you take action.  Blog it, Facebook it, Tweet it...and then DO IT.  Make the call.  Send the email.  Above all, whisper a prayer.

These are CHILDREN.  And they have families who are here...in America.  Already loving them.  Already waiting for them.  Already preparing for them.

Help bring them home.
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Greetings family and friends!

First off, Courtney and I want to say thanks for your continued prayers and support throughout this journey. Your continued calls, e-mails, texts, Facebook and Twitter messages are a source of encouragement for us. We give thanks for each of you and praise God for allowing you to be a part of our lives and in turn this journey.

Second, many of you have asked how you can help. As you know, this morning (our time) President Putin signed into law the ban on US Adoptions. We talked with our Adoption Agency and they have suggested that we have our family and friends contact two different sets of people. The best thing we can do right now is lobby for an agreement that would allow families like ours, who have met their children and are waiting on a court date, the opportunity to finish out the process and bring their children home.

First, call on the White House directly. You can contact the comments line and talk to an operator at 202-456-1111. Please say something to this effect:

“Hello, my name is _____ and I live in _____. I am calling on behalf of my (friends or family members) Josh and Courtney Clarke who are in the process of adoption from Russia. They have already signed a letter of intent in Russia for a two year old little boy and are waiting for a court date. I ask that President Obama contact President Putin directly to talk about the ban on adoptions from the United States, but specifically to work out a deal that would allow families like Josh and Courtney, who have already met their child, to bring them home safely.”

They also asked us to contact our Representatives and Senators. You can find your elected officials on this websitehttp://www.house.gov/representatives/find/ and http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm . When you talk with someone in their office please say something to this effect:

“Hello, my name is _____ and I live in _____. I am calling on behalf of my (friends or family members) Josh and Courtney Clarke who are in the process of adoption from Russia. They have already signed a letter of intent in Russia for a two year old little boy and are waiting for a court date. I ask that Congressman or Senator ______ contact Secretary of State Clinton and other members of the State Department to talk to them about the ban on adoptions from the United States, but specifically to work out a deal that would allow families like Josh and Courtney, who have already met their child, to bring them home safely. We also urge you to ensure that the United States State Department is following through with every commitment made in the agreement signed in July to ensure that adoptions can continue for years to come.”

Please make sure you do not reference anything negative about Russia or President Putin.  

Our goal is to let them know that the number “46” that appears in the news isn’t an arbitrary number that has no impact in their districts, but that we are real families that are longing to have our children home.

If you do not feel comfortable calling, then please don’t. There is no pressure to do this. If you would like to e-mail any of these people, please use the scripts above for your e-mail. Our agency mentioned to us that phone calls are most effective because of the time sensitive nature of this law.

However, more important than the letters or the phone calls are your prayers. We covet them, not only for us, but for the other families that do not know the status of bringing their children home and the almost 800,000 children in Russia that do not have any parental rights attached to them.

As we move forward we truly echo the words of Daniel 3:17-18, “our God is able to deliver us… but even if He does not…” we will still worship Him alone. Our prayer is that God’s will be done. We know He has the power to bring Josiah home tomorrow, but we also know that may not be His will. No matter the outcome of the governments of this world, we know who still sits on His throne and will reign forever more. Our faith will not be shaken. He is still our God and we are still His people. We will forever worship Him.

Love you all.

Josh and Courtney
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Now, I ask you...can you imagine what this family...THESE families...are going through?  I'd venture a guess that you CAN'T imagine.  Because I know I can't.  I implore you again, please help bring these children home. 

If you are so inclined, you can leave a word of encouragement on the Clarkes blog.  You can find them here.  They need to feel our support. 

Until then, may God watch over these children and bless their families as the wait.