On Wednesday, June 1st at 7 pm (MST), a Canadian Christian who has adopted a Chinese girl organized a special prayer meeting for families adopting Chinese children.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, many countries shut down their international adoption programs, including China. In the months that followed, many countries made changes to adoption procedures in response to the pandemic, while other countries are loosening in-person visitation rules. However, China remains as one of the few countries which have not resumed finalizing adoptions.
The official agency in charge of adoption said the international adoption program was suspended for the safety of children, and the time for reopening is still uncertain.
The National Council for Adoption, an American adoption advocacy group, estimates that there are more than 250 families that either had travel approved right before China’s pandemic entry restrictions were put in place, or are now at the point in the process where they are waiting to receive travel approval.
Cathy Crowell learned about this group through a Facebook group. These families have been approved for adoption and have completed the relevant documents. They only need to take the last step – come to China to pick up their children – to complete the adoption process. These families already see the adopted children as their own children, and those children also know that families from foreign countries will adopt them. Because of the pandemic, both of them have experienced a long wait, which is a torment for them.
Cathy shared the situation of the prayer meeting. Some mothers prayed with tears, saying, "God, we need you to move the mountain, to make a way for us to get to China to receive these children into our lives, for the children to have forever families."
Cathy and her husband Greg also adopted a Chinese girl Hosanna who was born with Beta Thalassemia Major. They found Hosanna’s biological family with the help of the media, which was really a miracle. Hosanna received a bone-marrow transplant from her matched sibling and was cured last summer.
Because of her own experience, Cathy pays special attention to these adoptive families and knows their pains and struggles. She said that the information these families are eager to know the most is when they can come to China and pick up their children.
