We are in the process of adopting Jilin, a Palawano girl we have known since she was very young. Both her parents died when she was only a baby. She longed for a home and parents, but that dream seemed to be gone forever. She spent her early years drifting from hut to hut and family to family. Later, she disappeared for several years, becoming a child servant to various far-flung families in the lowlands.

Eventually we found Jilin again, and through the providence of God, her impossible dream has become a reality. It is a long and incredible story that we don’t have space to tell here. It has taken time for Jilin to really accept the fact that she belongs. It is incredible to me to see the change that takes place when a child truly realizes she is wanted and loved and has a place where she belongs. It is a blessing God had granted to us.

In the Philippines, the adoption process is a long and involved procedure, more than four years so far in our case. Last year, the court appearances came to a close, and we were told we would receive final signed papers in 90 days. It has been seven months since then, and we’ve had no response from the judge or the court. Our lawyer cautions us against pushing things because it might lead to our request being denied. So we have waited, realizing that there is little, humanly speaking, that can be done to hasten the process. The big problem we face is that Jilin is now fifteen and a half years old. If the adoption is not finalized by her sixteenth birthday, she will never be granted a visa to enter the United States. That means that when we come home on furlough, she will not be allowed to come with us. It also means that she won’t be allowed most places in the world where we might want to travel.

Fortunately, God is higher than all courts, judges and presidents. Please join with us in prayer that Jilin’s papers will be signed soon and she will be granted a visa for travel.

[Editor’s note: When the George family returned to the Philippines at the end of May, they learned that Jilin’s adoption had been granted. Praise the God who answers prayer!]

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