Why International?
We decided on International adoption because there are MILLIONS of orphans in Africa, and the likelihood of an orphaned child in Africa to even survive is very slim. In America we have a foster care system, that is not always the best answer, but it is something. I just read about a family that recently adopted a 6 month old from Ethiopia that weighed 7lbs. My kids weighed more than that when they were born.
Why 2?
At first we were just going to adopt 1 girl. The more we read, we saw that siblings were being adopted separately, or not adopted at all. That broke my heart! The second reason is I think it would be hugely beneficial for them to have each other. I would imagine that making this transition into place that's not familiar, into a family that doesn't look like you might be easier if you had your sibling with you.
Do we know who the children are? Did we find them when we went to Ethiopia?
We do not know who our children will be. We did not go to Ethiopia to find them. The beautiful thing about adoption internationally is it is all in God's Hands. We have requested 2 siblings under the age of 6, one being a girl. That is all we know about our children. We also know that God knows who they are and we pray for them everyday.
The adoption process...
The process is long and expensive! We began the paperwork process June 7th. It has been a part-time job for me since then. We are still probably 2 months away from having the paperwork completed. It is frustrating! I am learning patience! :)
After our paperwork is complete we will be put on a wait list. It could be 1 month or 1 year before we get a referral for our children. A referral is pictures of the children and any background information they have (which usually isn't much). We have the option of accepting or denying the referral. Once we have accepted a referral the adoption process in Ethiopia begins. Bart and I have to fly to Ethiopia for a court date. We will meet our children and must remain in the country for 7 days. If we pass court we come home (without our babies!) and wait 4-6 weeks for the adoption to be finalized. We then fly back to Ethiopia and bring our babies home! :)
Our prayer is that through our process we can bring awareness of the global orphan situation to our friends and family. We pray that once people see our process and meet our "different" family, that God will move your hearts to do the same!
Did you know that if 1 family in every Christian church in America adopted a child
there would be no more orphans in America!
What God the Father considers to be pure and genuine religion is this: to take care of orphans and widows in their suffering and to keep oneself from being corrupted by the world. James 1:27
