Aaron and I got to talk with Patty last night and she explained more of what's happening with Pence's situation. We so appreciate all of you who are fighting this spiritual battle with us. Here is more information to fuel your prayers.

The obstacle right now is Pence's aunt who works at Firestone Hospital. It is unclear why she doesn't want Pence to leave the hospital and yet will not take him home herself. She visits him, but infrequently. Eric, a Liberian who works for the orphanage, is going to talk with her and try to persuade her to either take him home and lovingly raise him or to release him for adoption with her blessing.

When Patty goes back to Liberia in August, she is planning to take a letter we will write and Dr. Sherman from the Board of Directors of the hospital to the Associate Chief Justice of Liberia and ask for personal custody of Pence so that we can adopt him. She is also threatening to report all of this to the Geneva Convention. And, she will follow up the leads from the video.

Patty has made this her personal mission to get Pence out of that hospital. When she went with the Petersons to pick up Mama/Ruby from Firestone, Pence ran to her. She picked him up and he put his hands on her face, making her look him in the eyes and asked, "Grandma, when is it my turn?" I broke down when she told us that and my eyes are stinging with tears again in the retelling of it. She told him that God has his timing and that neither he nor she has forgotten him. It all just tears my heart out. He wants to come home, friends. My one consolation through all of this has been that Pence is happy where he's at and oblivious that anything is wrong with his current situation. Now I know that is not the case. I'm undone.