Snuggling in with the Mama who has loved and prayed for him, whose arms ache for him.
Photo credit: Tesney Davis
Kirill, like Mari, has Down syndrome. Kirill was born in a country where most children with Down syndrome don't leave the hospital with their birth parents but instead are given for adoption and are placed in orphanages to await the day when their forever families find them. And so he waited. And guess what? His forever family DID find him! He has a Mom and a Dad and even a Big Brother and they all love him so much! They are the Davis Family and they have been praying and loving this child for so many months now and looking forward to when he could come home once and for all. {I remember what that feels like. Do you remember when we were there during Mari's adoption?} The adoption process in the country where Kirill was born is different than the process in Colombia so the Davises took a trip to meet their son. They got to play with him and hug him and tell him how much they love him. But then they had to come back home for a little while to wait for their court date. Can you imagine? That alone would break your heart! But they did what they had to do and they finally got their court date.
But that is where this adoption journey that started out like so many others goes careening off the tracks. The Davises went to court, just as expected. They had provided all the requested information. They had answered all of the questions posed to them ~ FIVE HOURS WORTH, mind you ~ to the very best of their ability. They waited patiently, or even not-so-patiently for the formality of the Judge signing off on their request to finalize Kirill's adoption and make him, legally, the son he has been in their hearts for such a long time. But the Judge said No.
No? But WHY? The answer, to the Judge, is simple. Kirill has Down syndrome. {Yes, we know that. But why did she say no?} THAT IS WHY. Because he has Down syndrome, the Judge believes Kirill to be "'not socially adaptable' due to his 'medical condition' and he [is] better off in an institution than in a home with a family." Just typing that quote from the Davises' blog brings me to tears. Maybe you haven't heard what life is like in mental institutions overseas? Take a minute to read the post Julia wrote last month about it HERE. Maybe you haven't heard the statistics that show how many children die within just a couple of years of being transferred to an institution? Maybe you haven't seen the pictures of children as old as 6, 7, or older who are more the size of infants tied to their cribs in silence? Maybe you haven't, and maybe that's a blessing because I can promise you that the images will haunt you. And you WILL cringe every time you hear the word from that moment on. At least I do.
Just to imagine that a person could believe that Kirill would be better off in an institution than with a family who loves him is incredible. But when you think of all the miracles we have seen with Mari since she has been home with us, when you look at all the progress she made in just the first year, it is heartwrenching and nauseating. And let's not forget Mari was in a Foster Care environment, not an institutional one!
The Davises are appealing this Judge's decision to the Supreme Court in Kirill's country. Please, please, please pray that God will soften their hearts to allow Kirill to go him with his family! Please visit the Davises and let them know you are praying. I will be. And I'll be thanking Him for the blessing of having Mari in our lives and will be hugging her just a little bit tighter.
*And, by the way, I have just learned that there is another family, the Hooks, going before the same judge in the next couple of days for the adoption of their daughter, a child with Down syndrome. They have been warned that they are facing a "High Risk of Denial". Please pray for them, too. God is good. All glory is His. I pray His will brings these families together forever!
