The Latest.

After two years of failed attempts to find Olivia's birth family, last Tuesday the investigators found Olivia's maternal grandfather after only 2 days of searching. Although the grandfather was shocked at what the investigators shared with him about his daughter and her relinquishing a child two years ago, he told them he would try to get in touch with his daughter and in turn get her in touch with the investigators.

Later that day, our attorney Beyla spoke on the phone with Olivia's birthmother! Yes, she has been found! (I don't want to disclose her name, so I'll refer to her as M.) However....... she denied that she was Olivia's bmom! Beyla convinced her that she should come into her office the next day and clear this whole thing up. She agreed. The meeting was all set up for Wed. morning. It was arranged that M. would take the bus from her town to a park where Beyla would pick her up and drive her to the office. M. never showed up. Beyla and her investigators tried calling both M. and her father the rest of that day, but they had turned off their phones.

They tried again on Thursday with the same result. We're praying that M. didn't flee again. She's been elusive for the past two years and our concern is that she's taken off and is in hiding again.

Everyone involved with our case is quite confident she is the right person, combined with the fact that if she had nothing to hide, there would have been no reason for her to skip out on the meeting. The concensus is that she is very scared. Her family apparently was not aware she had a daughter that she put up for adoption and we don't know what kind of relationship she has with her father. At the time of Olivia's relinquishement, she had four children, two older than Olivia and a 4 month-old baby girl. The baby was in the hospital at the time suffering from malnutrition. M. now claims she only has two children, so my guess is that she relinquished the baby girl at some point as well, or the baby may even have died. If that's the case, that she gave up two children, she has a big burden to bear. My heart truly goes out to her.

The investigators said they met someone who knows the family well and through this person they will continue to try to access the family and gain their trust.

Our prayer now is that M. thinks very seriously about her situation and decides to come forward and cooperate. She needs to realize this is the best thing for her child.

Olivia's abandonment/adoptability hearing is in six weeks. It would be such a blessing if M. would cooperate and then show up to the hearing. If she would do what's required of her, our adoption would be finished under the old process and we could have Olivia home by year's end. Then we wouldn't have to go through the CNA and wait for who knows how long.

Tomorrow, Tuesday is an important day for our case as well. The document we signed for Beyla while we were in Guatemala, will go before the judge and he will decide if she can become our mandatory attorney. Hopefully he'll take into consideration what she's been able to accomplish in the last week. Please pray he decides in her favor.

Again, we'll update when we hear something.
Thanks again for everyone's prayers and encouragement!