Pray for the Orphans

Dear Readers,

This is a plea for prayer cover for the May 12 meeting of the Russian and American governments regarding the status of American adoption of Russian orphans.

Background
As you may know, a few weeks ago an American adoptive parent placed her adopted Russian son on a plane unattended and sent him back to Russia with a note saying she was returning him. The Russian government was naturally outraged, and has demanded more rights to protect Russian adoptees. They have threatened to completely halt American adoptions if their demands are not met.

On May 1 they submitted a draft agreement to the US State Department in preparation for face-to-face negotiations on May 12. While that meeting is not likely to be the final meeting on the subject, the tenor and outcome of that meeting is very important. If Russian negotiators do not see substantial progress in the discussions, they may recommend suspension of all American adoptions indefinitely.

Prayer Request
We covet your prayers for the negotiators to have the mind of Christ in their discussions, even if they do not know Him personally. We ask that you would pray for them to place the best interests of the children above their own political interests. We ask that you would pray for them to allow adoptions to continue, acknowledging the far greater good that has resulted from these adoptions than the evil associated with a few cases. Finally, we ask that you would join us in praying specifically for our 3 children, as the oldest could get caught in their system if the issue isn’t resolved before her 16th birthday.

- Mr. Beaver