Big Announcement!!!

Our family is growing and no, I am not pregnant again! We are adopting! I keep searching for a cute or sweet way to share the news. But the adoption process is not cute or sweet. It is a very long and hard process that brings lots of thoughts and emotions from many people, however the end result is priceless.

Here is what we know: God has called our family to adopt. We are super excited about this and want to with all our hearts. We know it will be a long process and we know it will and has already taken a lot of work. We also know that it will be totally worth it when our little one is home. We know adoption isn’t for everyone and there are a million ways to support orphans as we are instructed. Adoption is for us.

Where we are in the process: We are almost done with our home study. We have turned in mounds of paper work. We have had doctor appointments and chest x rays. We have had one set of finger prints and background checks in 7 states (there will be more). We have written 24 pages about ourselves (combined). We have been interviewed together and separate. We have had 9 references speak on our behalf. Our house has been inspected and any and every piece of information our social worker needed to know, they know. Our home study could and will be done and approved any day now.

We have also turned in what our agency calls “Step 1.” This means our country from which we are adopting, already knows we want to adopt. They know what age and what gender and our placing agency is already looking for a referral for us. We have been told by our placing agency to speak as little as possible on the internet about our exact country. For that reason, we will just say we are adopting from Africa. We would love to tell you the exact country and why we chose it in person, on the phone, or over text.

Who we are adopting: We have asked for a baby from age 0-12 months. Birth order is important to us, so he or she will be younger than Wylie. We did not put a preference of gender. However, we are told that with no preference we are more likely to get a boy. We are definitely ok with that!

Timeframe: From the beginning of the process, they told us 10-14 months. We are 2 months in. Referral should take 1-4 months. Court should take 3-6 months. These are just estimates and anything could happen. Our prayer is he or she is home by the end of the year.

What’s next? We will wait for our home study to be complete and then apply for USCIS clearance. Once we have clearance, we wait for a referral and then court.

Fundraising: Yes, we are going to do some fundraising and apply for grants. Adoption is very expensive. There are agency fees, court costs, foster care, travel, and many other expenses to pay for. Thus far, we have been able to cover the costs. I know this is a touchy subject, but we have a peace about it and have already been overwhelmed with the number of people who want to help. We are confidant that God will help us raise the remainder!! There will be more on this later!

Pray: Please pray for our little one. Please pray for his or her birth parents. Please pray for all of their safety and health. Pray even now that our child will know he or she is loved, cherished, and wanted! It has been a different experience praying for this child. This is the first time not being able to touch my child while praying for them. I cannot protect him or her (not that I could before, but I liked to pretend I could). I have no control over my child’s circumstances right now and it is a very uneasy feeling, but I know God is in control!

Welcome to our adoption journey!! Feel free to check back here for updates!

We love because He first loves us!!
1 John 4:19