On the other side of the world {in Russia} there is a little boy....
His name is Kirill.
Kirill was found by his mommy and daddy on an adoption list. They worked feverishly to get all his paperwork in so they could bring him home. And during that time of working to bring Kirill home they found that Kirill is the first child from his region in Russia EVER to be adopted with Down Syndrome.
A birth mother keeping her child with DS is unheard of in this area of the world. Adoptions of children with DS just don't happen in this region, these children are literally hidden away from society in orphanages and mental institutions. As it turns out Kirill would be a pioneer. If Kirill's adoption was approved, it would pave the way for other children with special needs to be adopted from this region as well.
And so just two weeks ago, Kirill's mom and dad were there in Russia headed to court to fulfill the necessary steps to bring Kirill home...
and they were loving on Kirill....
and after enduring five agonizing hours of difficult questioning before the judge...with strong statements on their behalf from two doctors, two social workers and the Minister of Children's Services fighting on their and Kirill's behalf...and prepared for the court's stamp of approval,
the Judge gave her ruling:
"Your application to adopt is rejected"
The Judges reasoning:
Kirill is "not socially adaptable" due to his "medical condition" and he is better off in an institution than in a home with a family. The Judge did state several times that Greg and Tesney were a good family, that they met all the criteria to adopt a child, but that she would not approve the adoption because Kirill has Down Syndrome. She told them that they could adopt another child, because legally their application had no problems according to Russian adoption law. She said she would approve their adoption for a 'typical' child, but not this child.
The ONLY reason?
Because Kirill has Down Syndrome.
{Home study approved and Immigration approved for a child with Special Needs}
BUT
here's where we come in...
Linny over at A Place Called Simplicity has organized a day of prayer and fasting for Kirill. PLEASE please please stop by there to get the details on how you can join us!
Please spread this as far and wide as you can. I have created a facebook event to share this. Please find it on our page HERE then click the "Select Guests to Invite" box in the top left to share this.
You can read more about the family at their blog HERE.
