We finally made some! Almost immediately after announcing our plans to adopt on Facebook my friends have been messaging me with people they know who have gone through the process or are currently going through the process. One of these friends, Helen, sent me the name of a mom in Rome that is going through the process. So, I checked out her blog and the agency she's going through. Her blog (listed in the "helpful links" sidebar, was really helpful to me in listing all the expenses they've incurred as well as fundraising ideas.
As Andrew and I researched (ok, I researched and then told Andrew about my findings), we decided that Africa was where we felt God pushing us to. So I researched the options in Africa and came back to Noelle's blog about Congo. There were a few things that appealed to us about this country. One of the big things is that you only have to travel once. Most countries require you travel two times, which is obviously more expensive, and you meet your child and then have to leave them there at the orphanage for weeks/months!
So we've made our decision! We're applying to One World Adoption Services for a baby from Congo. Now that this decision has been made things can start happening! It's exciting for me to have something to do now, other than just research.
What's next?
We are working on the application today. I did the easy stuff last night (name, birthday, etc.), but I saved the harder stuff (why do you want to adopt, etc.) for today when it wasn't late and Andrew wasn't playing video games in the background. As soon as the application is sent in we can actually apply for the home study. The home study will consist of 3 visits. After that there is a truck load of paper work to get through and lots of fees to pay (not that it's the beginning of fees- the fees start with the application, and continue with the home study).
So right now we're moving forward with the application and the home study, and lots and lots of fundraising so when those things get accepted we have the money to move forward!
No comments:
Post a Comment