Why Adopt?

People often wonder why Michael and I would choose to adopt when we have so many biological children. There are so many children in this world who are going without the love of a mother and father and the security of a stable home environment. We feel it is our calling to provide for at least one of those children through adoption.

Adoption is a natural choice for us since I was a birth mother as a teenager. I placed my infant son with a family through a semi-open adoption. I am excited to be on the other end of the situation and be able to now help a mother in need.

Our Progress in the Adoption Process

As of June 19, 2010, we have the written homestudy report in our hands and are researching adoption grants to help finance the adoption. We are preparing our documents for the Ethiopian government, but can't proceed much further without the first half of the Ethiopian program fee (roughly $6,000).


Timeframe from now until we bring our daughter home: Our personal goal is to bring our daughter home by the Fall of 2013.

Pages

8/24/10

Paperwork Nightmare

Everyone is always wondering how our adoption is coming. My answer is usually the same: slow. Not only are we constantly discouraged by the financial aspect of funding the process, but the paperwork involved is beginning to resemble a monster that is consumming our house. On top of fundraising and paperwork, we also have four children to raise and homeschool, as well as regular life to live.

I have begun to dread opening emails from the adoption agency. They usually read something like this: "Dear Jessica, Please find attached a new form required by the Ethiopian government. Please fill out the form, notarize it, have it state certified, supply new fingerprints, and return it to me with a money order for $670." Yikes. Not only is that a fee we weren't anticipating, but that sort of process can easily take us six months. And fingerprints cost $80 a person.

Through all this we know that God has a plan for our family. He is guiding this adoption and it will work out on His time, not ours.