What do you mean they QUIT?!?!?

On Wednesday of this week, the Daddy Guy and I found out that basically the whole Executive Branch of government of our son's country decided to quit. Yup, you read that right, the Prime Minister and his Cabinet of Ministers quit. This includes the Minister of Justice, the lady whose signature we must have on our paperwork in order to travel and meet our sweet boy.

WHY would a whole branch of government quit, you ask? Well, being a former communist, Soviet Union state, this country has struggled with financial issues for some time. The rising cost of energy and the government's austerity measures (yeah, I had to look it up, too) have lead to some protests by the citizens. Unfortunately, in the protest on Tuesday, some citizens clashed with police and were injured. The prime minister then lead his party to quit.

Our hearts truly go out to the people of this country. They've suffered under communism. Many people are currently suffering under poverty and disparity. Their wages are low, and their cost of living is relatively high in comparison. The cost of energy, which is currently being imported from another Eastern European country, is astronomically high in a country that can have some pretty harsh winters.

The country is scrambling to put together a temporary government in place until an election can be held. This year's election was scheduled for July, but it seems that they will be moving the election to April or May. The president and the parliament are still in power, and the courts are still moving, but without a signature from the Minister of Justice, we can not move forward.

In the meantime, our caseworker from our agency has been wonderful, keeping us informed of the latest developing information coming from Eastern Europe. Our paperwork arrived in country last Thursday, so it should be in translation right now. The next step would be for the paperwork to be looked over by the International Adoption Council and then forwarded to the Minister of Justice for her signature. No minister = no signature. There will be an interim minister and then the new one should be elected soon. The question is, will the new minister see the value of helping orphans move on to their forever families? I mean, the Minister of Justice has many roles. They oversee the courts. There are other facets of the job. Will this person see the value of moving forward quickly and efficiently? Will they know the urgency behind getting these kids out of orphanages and institutions?

All we need is that signature, and we can go meet our little boy. We're praying it happens quickly.