Lots of prayer and discussion have happened in a very short period of time. We very quickly realized that God was leading us to an international adoption. We have felt very drawn to Ethiopia. We found the Man Up and Go documentary after we had been discussing Ethiopia, and that really confirmed it for us.
As we have talked and prayed about the specifics we have decided to seek out a little girl. We have applied with America World and are entering the adoption process.
There are lots of questions, but we do know we are seeking God's will and pursuing a special calling.
We have to raise some funds before we can continue the first part of our adoption process. Our first goal is $8,000.
We are so thankful for the overwhelming support we have had from friends and family. Encouraging words are powerful. It means so much to hear that others are praying, and I can assure you we feel them, too.
We have several fundraising projects going. You can always get some baked sweets from Jonna or some yard work from Kevin. Keep checking our site for new things.
A major blessing came from the huge generosity of Shannon and the MCHS FCA. They had a Car Wash on our behalf and raised $1,000!
On May 20, we began our Home Study process.
On May 22, we started our "Paper Chase" for our Dossier.
(As of August) We have completed our Home Study and are getting much closer to submitting our Dossier.
We are thrilled to report that we have raised about $12,000!
We still need a little more to have enough for our Dossier submission, but we are sooooo close!
(As of September 2013) The first half of our adoption is funded!!!! We have enough to submit our
Dossier....which will be any day now.
.... Today! - (September 28)
We mailed the Dossier to America World!
DELIVERED!! DELIVERED!! DOSSIER DELIVERED!
We are now officially waiting for a referral!!
Our Dossier is in ETHIOPIA!!!!!!!
(As of Summer 2015) We continue to update our paperwork and fingerprints. We want to make sure we are ready at all times. We have completed one Home Study update and a second round of USCIS fingerprints.
The wait times in Ethiopia continue to increase. We are praying for miracles in spite of the updates we hear. Paperwork is very slow in Ethiopia. The process for each child is painfully long. The purpose is to protect the children, but their levels of government are not staffed to meet the need. We are also on a waiting list within our agency. Some agencies have smaller lists, but there is a level of trust we have in America World that would be hard to match. I could go on and on about their direct involvement in Ethiopia and their intense commitment to honoring God in everything they do. We feel we are where God wants us to be. We trust Him daily to work on behalf of the precious girl that
Feel free to ask questions at anytime. It's a complicated process, and each country has a slightly different process. We welcome your questions and appreciate your interest and concern throughout this journey. The wait time is hard, because - we can't "do" much; we don't have updates; and we give people vague answers about the future and timeline. But, we appreciate every time someone asks.
Even though it seems like nothing is happening, our sweet little girl is present in our home every day. We talk about her, dream about her, pray for her, and make plans that include her. EVERY. DAY.
I have FAITH in my God! I have FAITH in His will. He is greater than the reality of what I can see.
We continue to save and raise funds in preparation for all that is ahead. As the wait increases, the fees also rise along with it. We will need $25,000-$30,000 more dollars to complete the rest of this process. There are lots of variables like travel expenses, but we are trusting God in every detail.
We will keep fundraising and praying until we can bring our sweet girl home. Thank you!! Thank you!!
UPDATE - February 2016
The Ethiopian government is working on changes to their international adoption process. The proposed changes will make our family ineligible to adopt. They are definitely working to limit the number of international adoptions, and their cooperation with agencies is shifting.
We have decide to transfer to the China program. You can read this post to learn more about this decision.
We are now beginning a paper-chase for our China dossier. We hope to have that completed in the next few months. - as fast as possible!
UPDATE - August 2016
We have completed all of the preliminary approvals and paperwork.
DTC - Our dossier was sent to China 8/5/16.
LID - It was Logged In on 8/9/16.
We are waiting for a referral!!
UPDATE - September 2016
One month after LID - 9/9/16 we received a referral!!!!!!
We got our Letter of Approval 9/26/16
We are in the process toward Travel Approval!!
Wooohooooo!!!!!
TRIP TO CHINA!
November 23 - December 8 2016
Gotcha Day - November 28
SOFI IS HOME!!
