adoption q & a

source

how long will it take for you to bring your child home, what is the process of bringing them home:

  

PROCESS	TIME
Application and Dossier Preparation
Application & Fee – Family	1 week
Application – Agency Review	1 week
Preparation of Dossier
Home Study Paperwork	2-3 months
CIS processing of I800a Dossier Prep and Delivery to Lesotho	2-3 months 1 month
Total Time for Dossier Preparation	5-7 MONTHS
Referral of Child	6-12 months
Court Date	2-3 months
Total Time from Translation to Court Date	8-15 MONTHS
Total In-Country travel Time	3 weeks
Estimated Total Adoption Time	14-23 MONTHS

-lesotho is a very new program so these time frames are just estimates. 

-international adoption can be very unpredictable so the referral time could take much longer.

-the dossier is a compilation of all the papers and records that will be sent to lesotho.  

-the referral of child, is when we will be matched with a child and sent a picture with any and all information they can provide on the child. 

how old will your son or daughter be: 

we opened our adoption to a boy or girl up to the age of 3 . at this time, we feel that it is important to keep the birth order of our family. 

do you plan on having any more biological children: 

right now, our hearts are focused on our child in lesotho. we had been trying for a biological child but put that aside when god opened our hearts to adoption. over the years we have learned that our plans are not always his plans....we will have to wait and see what god has planned for us in the future.

where are you at in the process:

right now we are still in the beginning of the home study phase.

how much does the adoption process cost:

there are a lot of people and a lot of documents and reports involved in international adoption. between the home study, agency fees, lesotho fees, travel fees and additional documents, it will cost us about $32,000. we never planned or saved for this but we know in our hearts that god will provide the way financially. we had recently talked about wanting to save for a house, since we are still renting in chicago. but at this time, bringing a child out of an orphanage and into our home is much more important than owning a home will ever be. we are doing what we can, to save where we can, but we also know that we will be unable to save for the full amount on our own. with this, we will be doing some fundraising and have provided a link on the blog for those who would like to donate. asking for donations is hard for us but stepping out of what is comfortable is something that has already proven to be a huge part of this journey. we are so grateful to each of you who have already reached out to help our family. there is nothing that fills our hearts more than seeing the hearts of those around us. we wish we could wrap our arms around each of you with a big thank-you hug!

do you have any fears about the adoption:

it's easy to have fears when you are jumping into something with so many unpredictable outcomes. but we are growing in our faith and trying to trust god with all our hearts when it comes to the process of adoption.

our flesh may worry about not having enough money, or being prepared for the long waits that are predicted.

but in our hearts, our biggest fear is for our child. we hope to fill their little hearts desires, with family, with love, with hope, with security and so many other things. but with that, they will be leaving the only place that they have ever called home and the only people they have ever known. 

so we pray.......

we pray for their fears

we pray for their transition
we pray for attachment
we pray for community
we pray that they won't feel alone or different

we pray for their heart and that it will be open to us
we pray so many things for this little one,
the little one who sits in lesotho, waiting for a family
the little one who god has chosen for us
the little one who is our son or daughter.