In case you didn't know, there are currently 147,000,000 orphans in the world.
Monday, June 27, 2011
New T-Shirts
I'm adding two new shirts to our fundraising. The cost of each is $20. We will receive $10 in profits to go to our adoption fund! The first order is set to go out in two weeks. I am not able to purchase one at a time, so tell everyone you know to order one. The pink tees are precious for little girls. They fit sizes 6-14.
In case you didn't know, there are currently 147,000,000 orphans in the world.
In case you didn't know, there are currently 147,000,000 orphans in the world.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Saturday, June 18, 2011
Conflicting Information
We have been receiving conflicting information about Bulgaria. Right now, the wait for a young child with minor or correctable special needs is THREE YEARS! Some agencies have been telling us things are speeding up in Bulgaria. Well our Lifeline representative specifically asked their Bulgarian representative how long our wait would be based on the needs we are willing to accept (we sent her a list). He informed her that our wait time would be 2-3 years or longer! Do not get me wrong. We are not in a rush to adopt. What is important to us is we go where there is a need. In my opinion, if the wait time for a referral is 3 or more years, the need isn't great. There are many children all over Europe with special needs. We don't feel equipped to handle those.
Our "decision" yesterday was to go ahead with our home study through Lifeline. We would choose a placing agency that works in Russia and Uganda. Once the home study is complete, we would apply for grants. If enough funds were provided for Russia, then AWESOME! That's where our hearts have been and still are. If the funds weren't provided, we'd go with Uganda.
I emailed an agency to let her know our plans. I then receive an email from her stating that the judges in Uganda are having parents stay in country longer for more bonding time and more time to soak in the culture. I truly respect that as adoptions can and have become corrupt and like a baby market. However, we aren't in a place in our lives where we can spend 6 weeks in Africa. So there's another blow to our plans.
But I'm ok. I just wish God would come down and tell us what all this is about and what He wants us to do. But He's not going to and I know that. We just have to walk by faith, not by sight. So right now I am trusting that if He has put our hearts in Russia because that's where our child is, then He will provide the funds. Of course, we aren't committing to that just yet. We are waiting until the last minute to choose a placing agency and a country.
Our "decision" yesterday was to go ahead with our home study through Lifeline. We would choose a placing agency that works in Russia and Uganda. Once the home study is complete, we would apply for grants. If enough funds were provided for Russia, then AWESOME! That's where our hearts have been and still are. If the funds weren't provided, we'd go with Uganda.
I emailed an agency to let her know our plans. I then receive an email from her stating that the judges in Uganda are having parents stay in country longer for more bonding time and more time to soak in the culture. I truly respect that as adoptions can and have become corrupt and like a baby market. However, we aren't in a place in our lives where we can spend 6 weeks in Africa. So there's another blow to our plans.
But I'm ok. I just wish God would come down and tell us what all this is about and what He wants us to do. But He's not going to and I know that. We just have to walk by faith, not by sight. So right now I am trusting that if He has put our hearts in Russia because that's where our child is, then He will provide the funds. Of course, we aren't committing to that just yet. We are waiting until the last minute to choose a placing agency and a country.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
It's Official
Jonathan wants to keep a journal of our adoption process. So right now I have a reason to be on the computer at 10:00 p.m.
Today we printed the paperwork that goes along with our fingerprints and criminal history report. This is the first step in the home study process. Jonathan was taken aback when we had to pay $51.25 EACH to have this done. I said, "That's just one of the many expenses that make up the $28,000."
For now we will be using Lifeline Children's Services as our agency for Bulgaria. We can change our minds up until the end of our home study. It has been so difficult for us to decide on a country. There are so many factors such as, age of children referred, time in country, quantity of trips, oh and don't forget COST! Jonathan really wants to adopt from Uganda. And I did too at one point. We were all ready to adopt 1 boy and 1 girl, then I started having doubts. See, we weren't comfortable with having 1 African child. Years down the road, they are probably going to realize they are different and they will possible feel alone. We would hope that's not the case, but it's possible. We thought it would be in the best interest of the child to have an African sibling. It's much easier (in theory) to adopt 2 children at once rather than go through the whole process again later. Besides, it only adds a couple thousand dollars to the cost. However, we aren't sure it is in the best interest of the mom (me) to bring 2 children into our home at once! And who knows if we'll be able to come up with another $25K to adopt a second child in a few more years? So I want to take the "easy" road and adopt one lighter skinned child and be done.
I feel weird for even saying all this. I hate referring to my possible future children as "African" and "lighter skinned", but I do want to be candid on this blog and hopefully talk about things that others may be feeling. These are real thoughts and concerns and I hope this will help others open up and talk about their adoption concerns.
So anyway... hopefully tomorrow we will make it to the police station to have our fingerprints done.
Today we printed the paperwork that goes along with our fingerprints and criminal history report. This is the first step in the home study process. Jonathan was taken aback when we had to pay $51.25 EACH to have this done. I said, "That's just one of the many expenses that make up the $28,000."
For now we will be using Lifeline Children's Services as our agency for Bulgaria. We can change our minds up until the end of our home study. It has been so difficult for us to decide on a country. There are so many factors such as, age of children referred, time in country, quantity of trips, oh and don't forget COST! Jonathan really wants to adopt from Uganda. And I did too at one point. We were all ready to adopt 1 boy and 1 girl, then I started having doubts. See, we weren't comfortable with having 1 African child. Years down the road, they are probably going to realize they are different and they will possible feel alone. We would hope that's not the case, but it's possible. We thought it would be in the best interest of the child to have an African sibling. It's much easier (in theory) to adopt 2 children at once rather than go through the whole process again later. Besides, it only adds a couple thousand dollars to the cost. However, we aren't sure it is in the best interest of the mom (me) to bring 2 children into our home at once! And who knows if we'll be able to come up with another $25K to adopt a second child in a few more years? So I want to take the "easy" road and adopt one lighter skinned child and be done.
I feel weird for even saying all this. I hate referring to my possible future children as "African" and "lighter skinned", but I do want to be candid on this blog and hopefully talk about things that others may be feeling. These are real thoughts and concerns and I hope this will help others open up and talk about their adoption concerns.
So anyway... hopefully tomorrow we will make it to the police station to have our fingerprints done.
Monday, June 13, 2011
Be a Part of the Puzzle
I got this puzzle today, but I'm not telling what it is of. It is made up of 2,000 pieces! We need your help putting it together. All you have to do is purchase a piece for $5. The $5 goes to our adoption fund and your name will be written on one of the pieces. When the puzzle is complete, it will be displayed in our home and we'll always be able to see all those who helped us put together the pieces of our family.
We are still trying to decide on a country. Our hearts are in Russia, however the cost is way above what we can fathom raising. We are also looking into Bulgaria and Western Samoa. If we go with Bulgaria or Western Samoa, this will pretty much complete our funding. If God's plan is for us to adopt from Russia, we'll just have to wait and see what miracles He has in store.
Friday, June 10, 2011
Update
Not much has happened in our adoption process. We STILL haven't chosen a country. We are currently on a waiting list for an orphanage in Uganda. The issue with Uganda or any other African country is, "Do we want to only have one African child in our family?" We could adopt 2 at the same time for half the price of adopting a single child from Russia, but I'm just not sure I want to take that on.
Another country that has recently opened up to international adoptions is Western Samoa. They are only working with about 5 pilot families now. The agency hopes to be able to open it to the public in three months.
Then we are getting mixed messages about Bulgaria. One agency says the laws are changing and adopting a young healthy child will get easier and quicker. Other agencies aren't seeing much change right now. Most of the children from Bulgaria that are available for international adoption have special needs. This is actually good because it means Bulgarians are adopting the healthy children. We are just trying to find what fits our family and finances. I suppose I need to get back into fundraising. So check out the tabs at the top and my etsy shop is linked to on the sidebar.
Another country that has recently opened up to international adoptions is Western Samoa. They are only working with about 5 pilot families now. The agency hopes to be able to open it to the public in three months.
Then we are getting mixed messages about Bulgaria. One agency says the laws are changing and adopting a young healthy child will get easier and quicker. Other agencies aren't seeing much change right now. Most of the children from Bulgaria that are available for international adoption have special needs. This is actually good because it means Bulgarians are adopting the healthy children. We are just trying to find what fits our family and finances. I suppose I need to get back into fundraising. So check out the tabs at the top and my etsy shop is linked to on the sidebar.
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