*Koen's Wish

Yesterday at dinner Koen said "Liv home." I asked "do you want Liv to come home?" He nodded and said "yeh." Keith and I agreed that we wanted Liv to come home too.

It surprised me that he apparently has some knowledge of Liv. We have prayed with him for her a little, but not talked too much about her around him, as I know he doesn't understand. But, he's understood something, and joined us in wanting her here soon.

The latest news in the Vietnam adoption world is that the USCIS is requiring abandoned orphans to get DNA tested and matched with their birth parents before their adoption can be completed. Abandoned to them means that the birth parents have "relinquished permanetly" the child. The USCIS wants to ensure that children are not being taken from their parents who actually wants to and can raise them. The problem though, is that according to Ethica, 85% of Vietnamese orphans have been abandoned anonymously. The USCIS has not yet addressed what they do in those cases, and how the DNA testing will work. You can read more about this at Voices for Vietnam Adoption Integrity.

I can only imagine that this too will slow the process, but if it helps clean up the system, I must be for it.

There is a petition going around to help bring Vietnamese orphans home to their waiting families. Go to Americans United for Vietnamese Orphans and sign it to help.