Please Sign this petition. . . call for help

We have to bring this sweet little face home. Please pray for us.

When we first started our adoption, we were well aware of the risks involved in Guatemalan adoptions. We were advised early in the process that Guatemala and the United States are not signatories of the Hague Convention, designed to safegaurd the rights of children against child-trafficking. We were assured, however, that our agency has implemented policies that go above and beyond the specifications of the Hague (as do a majority of the agencies operating in Guatemala). Nonetheless, we recently received news of a very disturbing memo from the US Department of State, threatening to close all adoptions from Guatemala that are not finalized by December 31st, 2007.

Our impression has always been that we could disregard such political posturing in the past (designed to put political pressure on Guatemala's president to become Hague compliant), because our adoption is "grandfathered" in; our adoption would be completed and our child would be allowed entry into the United States. Somehow along the way the DOS has changed their minds and are now NOT making good on their initial "good faith" promise. They are saying that any "in process" adoptions that aren't completed by December 31st of this year (which Lucia's adoption could or could not be completed by this time) will not have a guarantee for completion. This is a very serious situation that could affect our adoption as well as countless others. Our agency has advised that we send signed petitions and elicit the signatures of as many friends and family as possible. Please take a moment to click on the link below and provide your name and email address. I have signed this petition and given my e-mail. They sent me one e-mail confirming my signature, but have not sent any others.

http://www.petitiononline.com/foafoa1/petition.html
This situation is very complicated and a bit hard for me to explain, in detail; but, the latest statement from DOS (United States Department of State), speaks for itself... It is pretty easy to find if you google it. There is no doubt that reform needs to happen in Guatemala so that they no longer need to reliquish so many children to adoption each year. However, it will not happen overnight and if "in-process" cases are not allowed to finish, the children will be the ones left without homes. Guatemala does not have the infrastructure to support the 5000+ children that are currently in process. This statement is not what is best for the children who are in the process of adoption. Please say a prayer for us tonight that Lucia will come home as soon as possible. Please also include all of the children in Guatemala who could end up stuck in this mess.
We would be devastated if we cannot bring home Lucia to a part of our family. She is our daughter emotionally and in our hearts. Please pray that this is all resolved. At this point it is still just a threat, but a little scary. Here is a link if you are interested in reading more about this situation.

http://www.5000orphans.com/


***For those of you who have a few extra minutes to email your senator on our behalf, I will paste a form letter below. By using the below link, all you will need to do is to copy/paste the below letter into the provided space and fill in your info and the letter will automatically be emailed to your senator at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting our family on this journey.
Here's the link to email your senator:

http://www.rallycongress.com/wiki/800/?gclid=CIuf-dPQ4Y4CFRthYQodrSaqWA

Copy the below letter and paste it into the provided space for you to email your senator:

Our friends are in the process of adopting a child from Guatemala. On September 25, 2007, the Department of State (DOS) issued a so-called “warning” in which it stated that unidentified “Guatemalan officials” had informed DOS of a “plan” to disrupt in-process adoptions from Guatemala effective January 1, 2008.
I am deeply troubled and saddened that the U.S. government, rather than informing American families how it was acting to protect their interests and those of the children they are adopting, chose instead to take a course calculated to induce panic and interject additional stress into a process that is already emotionally overwhelming. DOS should be resisting this “plan,” which would harm thousands of American families.
Equally troubling is that the “plan” DOS refers to is inconsistent with the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption, particularly articles 7, 9(a), 9(b), 20, 24, 33, 35, 44, and 46, which DOS is charged by law with implementing in the U.S. and has promised to assist Guatemala with implementing.
I write to ask your help in bringing all appropriate pressure to bear on DOS to do everything in its power to protect and advocate for American families and the children they are adopting, including providing complete and accurate information.