We have been getting lots of questions about where we are in the process and how it will work. There are lots of decisions to make, but here is a quick run down of what we are looking for. A domestic adoption, age range from 0-12 months, any ethnicity, twins/siblings and open to consider drug use. While we are open to an age range, it is likely we will be matched with a newborn because of the agencies we are working with. We have chosen to work with a consulting agency called Christian Adoption Consultants (CAC). Our consultant’s name is Dawn and I have to say she has been so helpful answering so many questions and guiding us along the way. By using CAC, instead of going directly to an agency or lawyer, we have some great perks. One is we have someone who is there to answer questions honestly. She is there to advocate for us and is not directly connected to the birth parents; no conflict of interest. She is experienced at her job and can help explain “warning flags” to us that others may not catch or be able to talk about. It also helps that she has adopted 9 children and knows the process well :) We also love CAC because they work only with agencies and lawyers who are ethical and treat everyone in the process with respect and operate at a high standard. They truly want the adoption to work. Several of the agencies/lawyers provide counseling and support for the birth parents before and after the adoption. These agencies/lawyers work in adoption friendly states. This means that 24-72 hours after birth, the paperwork to sign the child over to us can be signed and the child can not be taken back. We will still have followup visits from the social worker and then see a judge for everything to be finalized, but the birth mother can not change her mind once the paperwork has been signed. CAC also gives us access to work with several agencies at once without the crazy fees. We have sent in paperwork and profile books to 5 different agencies and lawyers.
The process of matching….We are starting to read through the profiles and decide who we would like them to present our family’s profile to. The birth mother will then take a look at the family profiles she receives, and pick who she would like to be her child’s forever home. The profile books are a scrapbook of your family to show them what your life looks like; work, hobbies, values, extracurriculars, etc. There really isn’t a timeline on how long this will take. It could be next week or (hopefully not) years from now. By working with multiple agencies and lawyers we are hoping our timeline will be shorter, but we are trusting that God will make it very clear who He has waiting to be a part of our family.
In the mean time we are planning fundraisers to help with the costs associated with bringing our baby home. I am working on organizing these and will post them on Facebook. Our first fundraiser will be a Shopping Event June 5th in the afternoon. I will put details up soon. Hope you can make it and bring a friend or two with you!!!
We would also love your prayers. Here are specific needs.
- That God will make it clear who it is that He has planned for our family. That we wouldn’t just jump at the first family, but that He will guide the process.
- For the birth parents. I can’t imagine the journey they must go on in order to love their child enough to allow someone else to take them in their family.
- That all the details will be worked out. There are so many things that could happen that trying to plan for them all is impossible.
- This verse was part of my devotional today and it is perfect for where we are right now. " Do not worry. Learn to pray about EVERYTHING. Give THANKS to God as you ASK HIM for what you need. The PEACE of God is much greater than the human mind can understand. This peace will keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6-7
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