Here are the answers to some of the most frequent questions we get about our adoption journey…
Q. Why Ethiopia?
A. We really wanted to adopt from a 3rd world country and provide a home to a child that would otherwise have very little opportunity for a future. There are really only a handful of countries that Americans can easily adopt from and from that list Ethiopia just surfaced as the best fit for us. We are thrilled to be adopting a little girl from Africa!
Q. How long will it take?
A. The adoption process will take us about 12-15 months. We are praying that we will have our baby girl by the early spring of 2010.
Q. Why does it cost so much?
A. Our adoption will cost in excess of $27,000. The fee covers everything from Agency fees, Ethiopian government fees, translation fees, travel, orphanage fees, medical, document fees, etc. Our agency provided us with a very detailed explanation of all the costs involved in the adoption. We are raising support to cover the costs of our adoption. Currently we have raised about half of the funds. If you are interested in supporting us or have some great fund raising ideas, just let me know!!
Q. How old will your baby be?
We have requested a baby between 0-12 months old.
Q. When will you know who your baby girl is?
Once we complete our Dossier (which is basically a massive amount of paperwork and forms that we have to complete) we are placed on the “waiting list” for a “Referal”. A Referal is when our agency matches us with a baby girl and sends us a picture and medical record of the baby and asks us if we would like to adopt her. On average you wait about 5 months to receive your Referal after completing your Dossier. Hopefully we will be matched by the end of the summer/early fall.
Q. When do you go pick her up?
A. Once we accept our “Referal” there is some paperwork/legal stuff that takes place in Ethiopia then we wait for our “Travel Dates”. This often take several months after you receive your Referal. For many, this is the most difficult stage of waiting.
Q. Do you want (and/or are you able to have) more biological kids?
A. Yes! Lord willing we will have many more biological kids over the next several years and possibly adopt again. We chose to adopt not because we were unable to have biological children, but because we really felt called to rescue an orphan and make her a part of our forever family. What an amazing responsibility and honor!
