We received NOC!!!

We are happy to announce that after five months of waiting, we received our No Objection Certificate (NOC) on January 2, 2020! This certificate marks a significant milestone in the Indian adoption process. Once our daughter’s orphanage (SAA) receives this certificate in the mail, they will be able to submit it and our dossier (paperwork we have prepared) to the local courts for an “adoption petition.”

The most common question we have received over the last three days has been, “What’s next?” Our answer is typically, “We now move on to the court process”. This is followed by the question of “How long will the court process take?” Which is always the million dollar question of adoption. “It could be six weeks or up to eight months. We simply continue to wait.” This will be the first time our adoption agency has worked in our daughter's city, so we will both be learning how the local courts operate and if there are pro-adoption judges within the city. Each family’s court case is unique, and it is hard to estimate a time of finalization.

Adoption is tough. We reach new milestones and celebrate each, but the celebration is soon quieted as we consider the next period of waiting we have to enter. We humbly admit that the waiting is getting harder, and it seems each step opens the way for more waiting. Please pray that God will give us patience as we wait. Pray we will look to Him for our strength and hope.

Specific ways to pray:
Pray the rest of our process will go smoothly and that we will be able to welcome our daughter home soon.
Pray God will bless us with a judge who is pro-adoption and seeks to place children into homes quickly.
Pray for our daughter’s caregivers.
Pray for our daughter’s health and that God will be preparing her heart for adoption.
Pray for our caseworker and the other Lifeline staff who have worked tirelessly to advocate for our family.