News from Cheryl in Liberia

Here is the latest news from the agency director who is currently in Monrovia. I am on pins and needles.

As for Florence & Diamond's DNA testing?- we are struggling but we arecontinuing to work on their situation.? Jessie had communicated with theirbirthmother via telephone that someone in her home owns and had told her to bein Monrovia by?Tuesday afternoon.? She agreed.? She had been told she had to go back to the Embassy on Thursd.? She did not show up.? We called every few hours to the person with the telephone and he kept saying she had left.? When she did not show up by the time we had to leave for the Embassy on Thursday we explained to Alma that we are trying to find her.? She suggested we just bring everyone back to the Embassy on Monday.? On Friday I sent one of our case workers up-country, a 6 hour round-trip to search for their Mother.? He just returned and he?did not find her.??Our case worker?left a message with the man with the phone who said she had gone to a funeral.? Our case worker also left the transportation money with the man and we have continued to call up-country.? We will continue working on finding her.

I am sure that Jessica is now ready to write an e-mail asking what will happen if we cannot find her - all I can do is to ask Alma if she will consider not doing the DNA testing if that happens. Alma has turned out to be a reasonable, nice, African American woman.? She is doing the DNA testing herself, not involving a doctor. She now has a part-time assistant - "Tom" who divides his time between the consular section and the political section.