Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

So, it looks like we're going to have to travel to Ethiopia twice, once we receive our referral (which is looking like it won't be for quite some time). Apparently, the federal courts in Ethiopia announced yesterday that adoptive parents will now have to travel to Addis Ababa to appear in person for their court date. While this means that we will get to meet our girl sooner rather than later, it's really going to put a sizeable dent in our pocketbook. Previously families only had to travel once, when the adoption was finalized & the visa to travel had been received. This goes into effect immediately for anyone who doesn't already have a court date. That would be us. We don't even have a referral yet. In addition, MOWA (the Ministry of Women's Affairs) have made a decision to not issue "letters of adoption" to relinquished children from some areas of Ethiopia. Unfortunately, of the 4 orphanages the agency deals with, 3 of them are in those regions. They will only issue letters for abandoned children. The hope is that this decision is temporary, because it has drastically reduced the number of referrals. I understand the logic behind the decision, as every effort must be made to ensure these children have been given up for the "right" reasons & that they haven't been taken from their parents under false pretenses. It still stings a little, though, knowing that our referral could now be years away, instead of just a year or so. Oh well, just another bump in the road to Wren.