I have a lot on my heart today. There's a little girl in Uganda that needs a family. Our agency does not do adoptions through Uganda so if we pursue this adoption, we will be on our own.  I already fill overwhelmed with the help of  my agency. How will we do this on our own?! Then I realized, God will guide us through everything! This little girl is autistic and has epilepsy. Matt and I have always thanked God for our healthy children and now we are considering making this little girl our very own!?!  I do not even know if  it will be possible to adopt her. At the moment, we are contacting several people and trying to figure out if this is even a option. I have moments when I stop and think........will this be too much to handle? What would my children think? Then I realized.....God has a plan for us. He will not fail us. He would not give us anything we couldn't handle! He wants us to be faithful to Him and Obey Him. What if this is God's plan. I do not know if my family would understand either. I am sure people are going to ask us.......WHY???? Why would we want a special needs child when there are so many healthy ones out there. Well, we am not "picking" our child. God will decide who He wants us to have. He is the one who put adoption on our hearts so He knows what He is doing. I know that my children would embrace this little girl, too. Matt and I have both cried over this little girl.  So, I ask anyone who reads this, pray!!!! Pray that God will show us the way. Pray that this little girl finds a family if it's not us.

HOW MUCH WILL THIS ADOPTION COST????????

HOW MUCH WILL THIS ADOPTION COST????????

If It Only Grew On Trees!!!

I have had several people ask me about the cost related to our adoption.

I think often times people are amazed with the cost of bringing our daughter home.

I thought I would post the numbers for you as well as the timeline for the process.

As you read the financial obligations please pray with us that we would trust God to provide for our every need!

Application and Dossier Preparation

Application Fee
$250

1st Installment of Program Fee
$1,500

Home Study (varies by state)
$1,200 - $2,500

Additional Home Study Documentation Prep. Fee (varies by process)
$0 - $100

Home Study Visit Travel Fees(could include mileage, etc. based on current federal mileage rates)
$0 - $200

Adoptive Parent Training (2 adults)
$175

Documents/Background Checks/Miscellaneous(varies by state and number of states previously lived in)
$100 - $1,000

USCIS Fee & Update Fee + Fingerprinting
$890

Notarization, Certification & Authentication (varies by state)
$400

DOSSIER SUBMISSION & WAITING

Courier Service
$150

2nd Installment of Program Fee
$2,000

Post Adoption Report Deposit(fully refundable if all post-adoption reports are returned on time)
$1,000

Dossier Service & Translation
$800

1/2 International Program Fee (1 child) •••
$3,750

REFERRAL & TRAVEL

International Specialist Consultation (varies by specialist)
$100 - $400

3rd Installment of Program Fee
$1,500

Post Adoption Administrative Fee
$385

1/2 International Program Fee (1 child) •••
$3,750

Trip 1 - Airfare (2 adults; prices will vary by season and location)
$2,400 - $4,000

Trip 1 - In-Country Travel Package (2 adults) ••••
$1,400 - $2,500

Trip 1 - Visas (2 adults)
$40

Trip 2 - Airfare (2 adults; prices will vary by season and location)
$2,400 - $4,000

Trip 2 - Airfare(1 child; prices will vary by season, location and ticket - ie: lap pass or child seat)
$250 - $1,000

Trip 2 - In-Country Travel Package (2 adults) ••••
$1,000 - $2,000

Trip 2 - Visas (2 adults)
$40

Visa/Embassy Fee (1 child) •••••
$404

POST  ADOPTION 

Post Adoption Visits (varies by state)••

$600 - $1,300

Post Adoption Visit Travel Fees(varies by state and location from social worker)
$0 - $300

TOTAL •$25,484 - $35,334

I hope this helps answer some of the questions that you all have asked about the cost to bring our daughter home.

FEELING OVERWHELMED FOR US YET??

DON'T

We have been so blessed to see God's hand in this entire process, including the finances. When we first felt called to adoption, the money really scared us. We talked about putting it off because we just didn't know how WE were going to make this fit into OUR budget.

The Lord has challenged us to obedience. Following Him isn't always easy..it doesn't always make sense and I assure you that you never know what is around the corner. However, we trust that He has called us and He will provide right when we need it. This is not about our budget or anything that we can do on our own. This is all about HIM!! We are stepping forward in faith.

Our Home Study Visit With Our Children

Our social worker came today to interview our children. I was a little nervous that my children would say something to embarrass us. Children say the funniest things. They are constantly saying things to embarrass us. That's okay because one day we can embarrass them back!  I think they did a great job. Kaylin, however, told our social worker that our dog bit our cat. REALLY??? Our dog has NEVER bitten our cat. She continued to tell her that Chupa, our cat, has bitten our dog, too. Again, NO SHE HASN'T.  So now our social worker probably thinks that we have wild animals. Silly little girl!!! Chupa, our cat, has hissed at our dog, but that is about it. Then, as we were all sitting on the couch, Kaylin yells at her brother, "GET OFF ME!"-he was sitting very close to her. After that, they started arguing over the remote! *sigh*  HA HA. All I could do is look at Matt and smile. I am just glad that was all they did. Last night, as we were talking about our social worker coming, Kaylin says, "Mom, we will not call her poopy pants."  At that moment, I thought to myself....this will be a hit or miss. They will either embarrass us or say all the right things. But you know what.....it went great! I stressed over NOTHING. Everything went great. What a great day! My children are wonderful, too!  I honestly do not know what I would do without those two in my life. They are constantly making us laugh! Kaylin is very outspoken. She is our tomboy princess. She wants to do everything her brother does. Kyler is very smart and oh he loves to talk, too. His teachers probably wish they could push "mute" on him. He does have a HUGE heart though. He loves building legos. He amazes me everyday. Kaylin and Kyler are best friends. They truly love one another. The moment we told our kids that we were adopting they were so excited. Kaylin cannot wait for a sister. Kyler, however, wants a brother. Every day we talk about the adoption. Kaylin loves talking about her sister in Africa. Kaylin also loves looking at Ethiopian children. She is always asking us if the girls in those pictures are her sister. She is so eager to meet her sister. We do not even know her yet, and we love her! Every night Kyler prays for the orphans. He is excited to change someones life. I cannot wait to bring a little girl into our home. I know it will not be easy at first, but we have A LOT of love to give! When Kaylin and Kyler are apart, they are always thinking about one another. When I take Kaylin to the store, she wants to buy her brother a toy. Kyler always wants to make or buy Kaylin gifts, too. I am truly blessed to have such amazing children.

Feeling a little discouraged

I feel very discouraged today. I got an email today saying that the wait time trend has continued to increase,  they see the need to amend the time frame in order to better represent expectations for families receiving referrals.  The wait times are increasing from 14-18 months to 18-24 months for a male or female infant or toddler.  They do not have as many families requesting children four years and older and thus the wait for those families will likely be shorter than the current wait times.This is a process that is out of  my agency's hands and is contingent on the governmental bodies in Ethiopia. With that said, Matt and I are considering an older child. This will take a lot of prayers and discussions. Please keep us in your prayers. I know that God has a plan so we will trust in Him.

Matt and I have decided to start a blog.  I am really excited to share with all of our friends and family about what is happening in the process. I know it will not be easy and I am anticipating some bumps in the road, but it will be worth it at the end!! We would really appreciate your prayers. I look forward to all the Lord has for us in this coming year. Matt and I believe that God is calling us to adopt a baby from Ethiopia! God has been weaving our story together for some time, and we know as we wait for His timing He will display His handiwork in such a way that only He can do. We continue to be blessed beyond words as we see how His hands have given us hope through our adoption journey.