Tuesday, January 15, 2013

What can you do?

This is one concrete thing you can do to help us get Tanya home.  So if you're so moved, please contact your representatives.

Members of Congress have a short window of opportunity to sign on to two letters regarding Russia’s recent decision to ban adoptions to the United States. The first letter is to President Vladimir Putin of Russia and the second is to President Obama. Both letters appeal to each leader to recognize the basic human rights of these children and all children in Russia to a family and to work to resolve both the pending cases of children who were in the adoption process prior to the January 1, 2013 ban. 

Senator Roy Blunt and Congressional Coalition on Adoption Co-Chairs Senator Landrieu, Senator Inhofe, Representative Bachmann and Representative Karen Bass are currently circulating these letters for signature by their colleagues, with a deadline to sign on to these letters of tomorrow, Wednesday, January 16 at 12pm EST. Please contact your Senators and Representative today and urge them to sign on to these letters and lend their support to Russia’s children. Offices interested in signing on should contact Libby Whitbeck in Senator Landrieu’s office or Kristina Weger in Senator Blunt’s office.

- You can find your Senators’ phone numbers and email address at www.senate.gov

- You can find your Representatives’ phone numbers and email address at www.house.gov

Please distribute this information widely to your friend and family, requesting they also contact their Members of Congress prior to Wednesday, January 16 at 12pm EST

Our Thanks to Senator Roy Blunt and Congressional Coalition on Adoption Co-Chairs Senator Landrieu, Senator Inhofe, Representative Bachmann and Representative Karen Bass and the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute for their continued leadership on this issue.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

A Whole New Year

As most of you know, Putin signed the legislation that bans US adoptions in Russia late December, and this ban went into effect on January1st of this year.  Happy New Year 2013, I suppose.

Yes, this is terrible news for Tanya, and this is terrible news for me and my family.  But let me make a few things clear.

In this family, we do not give up on each other, and we have not and will not give up on bringing Tanya home.  So for those of you offering condolences, I appreciate it, but she is not gone.  This is a significant setback, to say the least, but we will bring Tanya home.  We don't know how or when, but it will happen.  My mother is convinced it will happen this year - she's downright optimistic!

Things are bleak, yes.  But there are glimmers of hope that may break open in the coming year.  We all recognize that this is political, and politics are constantly changing.  There may be an amendment that allows for the adoption of special needs children.  There may be accommodations for adoptions in progress.  The ban may be overturned by the Russian courts (the bilateral agreement that went into effect in November 2012 called for 12 months notice before stopping adoptions).  God may work in some other mysterious way.  Or it may not happen this year.  I do not know.  All I know is that it is my job, as Tanya's mom, to fight for her until there is no more fight left.  And we are not there.  Not even close.


Psalm 62
5Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from him.
6He alone is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
7My salvation and my honor depend on Goda;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
8Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.       Selah