Thanks. And a request for prayer and preparation.

Dear Friends and Family. Words cannot express how grateful we are for the incredible outpouring of love, prayers, service, and time during the nine-day nightmare that began April 11th when we were first faced with the prospect of losing our children.

We truly have the most incredible family and friends on the planet. Thanks for the 130 character reference letters that many of you took the time not only to write, but to fed ex or even drive or walk a distance to hand-deliver. Just reading through the first part of them has been one of the most affirming experiences of our lives. I even saw Kim get teary-eyed a couple times! The encouragement that has been offered has renewed our strength to press on.

In the midst of this crisis, we have yet another thing to be grateful for. Thanks to a generous donation by a friend, International Bible Society (in Colorado Springs) has enough seed money to launch a program targeted toward the 300,000-ish Internally Displaced Persons (IDP’s) in Kenya. They will provide them with books called “Survivors” targeted toward kids, brochures called “How to Overcome Violence” targeted toward youth, and Bibles for young and old alike. Please keep this important initiative in your prayers, as people who have endured the traumatic events that they have-- along with the difficult conditions in camps-- have significant emotional and psychological challenges that are difficult for most of us to comprehend. IBS can be a key partner in providing hope, encouragement, and even a positive way to channel feelings and thought patterns.

WE HAVE ONE MORE REQUEST.

Unfortunately, despite some heroic efforts on our behalf, we have not been able to obtain the approval letter from the US government that Kenya is asking for. The judge told us in no uncertain terms that if we don’t have it, she will throw us out of court again on Friday. We are trying one final path of escalation. If we do not receive the letter that we need by tomorrow, we will need your help one more time. We will need to do a “shock and awe” all-out barrage of emails and phone calls from everyone that we know (and everyone that you know who would be willing to help), to Senators, Congressmen, and even the President, simply asking for this letter.

Before 8pm EST tomorrow night (Monday) we’ll either give the wonderful news that we have the letter, or we’ll be asking for you to help us in a nonstop 2-day plea to the US government to help us simply get the cover letter that we need.

The blog will include instructions on how to help, along with brief phone call bullet points and an email that can simply be copied and pasted for you to add your name. BUT PLEASE PRAY THAT WE GET THE LETTER TOMORROW SO THIS WON’T BE NECESSARY. We really, really don’t want to go this route, but the bottom line is that we have no choice but to comply with the judge or else we risk losing our children. So at this point we will knock on anyone’s door who can help us get the letter that we need to keep our family intact.

In case you are wondering, the content of the letter that we need is listed below. Thanks for all of the words of encouragement, prayers, and even fasting on our behalf.

Baba Sundi

US Approval Number BAL-07-006-5039 April 18, 2008

RE: Kenya High Court Adoption Matters Number 179 & 180 of 2007
Jeromy and Kimberly Smith

THIS DOCUMENT IS FOR THE AUTHORITIES IN KENYA ONLY

Dear Honorable Justice (Insert Name):

The United States government has determined that Jeromy and Kimberly Smith, both of whom are US citizens, are able to properly care for two adopted children from Kenya, as per their approved I-797-C, dated January 10, 2007. It is our understanding that the proposed adoption will be finalized in Kenya. Once the adoption is finalized, United States legislation recognizes the children as full members of the adopting family and as such, the children are treated in the same manner as all other children of legally constituted families.

The United States welcomes the adopted children from Kenya as the legal son and daughter of Jeromy Chad Smith and Kimberly Ruth (Nissly) Smith. As such, the children adopted by the Smiths will be issued full and immediate citizenship upon entrance into the United States.

The State of Maryland, as well as all other states in the union, respects and honors the United States Immigration Laws concerning adoption. The State of Maryland, through government licensed agencies, monitors adopted children in the home to ensure health and security for the adopted child. Therefore, the State of Maryland honors Kenyan adoptions as full and complete, awarding citizenship under the IR3 Visa.

Furthermore, please be assured that the global child trafficking issue is a crisis that the United States government takes very seriously. Therefore, international adoptions are treated with the utmost care and caution. To proactively prevent the use of children as domestic servants and eradicate all other forms of abuse, the United States takes all of the precautions outlined in the attached USCIS letter, dated April 18^th. After the adoption is finalized, specialized US government agencies monitor the home environment of the children on an ongoing basis. Carolina Adoption Services, an agency licensed by both the United States government and the Hague Convention, has approved the Smith’s home study for international placement and will be scheduling home visits every 3 months to ensure that the adopted children of Jeromy and Kimberly Smith are being raised in a safe and healthy environment.