The Frustration with National Adoption Day

I was appreciative of a text message this morning from a dear friend telling me they were inspired by an article in this morning’s Index Journal.  I still have only read the short version on the website and not read the entire article, but I was interviewed earlier this week concerning adoption.

Honestly, it took me a moment to realize why I was being interviewed for two reasons: 1) There are plenty of other families that do more than us for the cause of adoption, and 2) I forget that Eli is adopted.  In fact, I don’t like talking about it when one child is distinguished as the biological child and one as the adoptive child.  God brought both of our children into our family.  Different ways, but they are both our sons.

I went along with the interview because today is National Adoption Day, and I figured, if our family could inspire others to adopt, that’s a good thing.  That’s worth it.

We had a wonderful day as a family today playing in our home and helping with some friends’ wedding, but it ended on a very bitter note.  Right before family worship tonight, I read a tweet from a dear friend that read:

“Nat’l Adoption Day was nothing but tear-filled as I pried a crying, confused Alethia off of her sobbing mother at the airport because the good ole USA won’t let her come home”

My dear friends, Josh and Tasha Via, have moved to Uganda for the last 8 weeks to bring their daughter home.  They went with their 3 young children and another on the way (Tasha just entered 3rd trimester).  Their precious Alethia has been in an orphanage for a huge part of her life, she has lived with the family for the last 2 months, and this week, they found out that she was denied her US Visa.  Tasha and her other 3 children (and the baby on the way) had to leave Josh and Alethia today to make the trek back to America.  With respect to privacy, you need to know that the Vias did not do anything wrong.  Their agencies didn’t mishandle something.  But a tiny discrepancy in paperwork has caused a little girl to be pried away from her mother tonight.

There is a problem when bureaucratic red tape negates the need of a child.  On National Adoption Day, a family is being torn apart due to nebulous paperwork.  I understand the severity of getting things right through the proper channels and systems, but is anyone thinking about the severity of the situation of this little girl?  I am frustrated and infuriated tonight with a system that claims to help children out and yet blocks so many of them from coming home.

Tonight, beside my sons, we knelt on the floor and prayed for a miracle.  We prayed for Tasha to be able to make the trip home and keep her baby safe and her children.  We prayed that God give Josh direction.  And then Eli prayed, “God, let Alethia come home to her mommy and daddy.  Amen.”

Will you pray with us?

3 thoughts on “The Frustration with National Adoption Day”

  1. Travis,
    Thank you, my dear friend, for your prayers and making our needs known to those who follow you and your ministry. I’m proud of your influence for the Gospel and how you leverage each and every opportunity to make Jesus famous. God is going to get the glory through this process. I’m thankful that He was deemed us worthy to endure this. I love you bro.
    josh via

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