Thursday, July 22, 2010
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Answer to Prayer
I am sure there are going to be many posts similar to this throughout the our adoption process. We received an e-mail from a friend Emily met on a mission trip to Europe twelve years ago. Anne is an attachment therapist now living in Phoenix, AZ. She actually works with our agency and has offered to help with any questions we have along the way. She wrote back a few days ago saying one of her friends (who also works with our agency) has a guest house very close to Christian Family Care's office and has offered to let us stay there during our classes free of charge! Anne is also referring us to a babysitter from her church who will watch our kids at the guest house while we are in class! We were so thrilled. God is providing for even the things we assumed we would pay out of pocket for. We were praying he would provide but honestly assumed we would cover the smaller things and just trust Him to take care of the things that were beyond our control. It was a pleasant reminder that HE is in control. There is nothing too small ( not that this is by any means small) or too trivial for Him. We can think we have life all planned out but God want us to trust Him with everything. Step by step, day by day He wants to be a part of it. It's humbling and exciting how great our God is!
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Decisions
Today we had a meeting with a social worker from Arizona's Children. We were able to ask all our questions about the fost/adopt, foster and adoption programs. God has laid on both of our hearts a burden for needy children and a passion for seeing them come to a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. We view our family as an extension of our ministry. We have been weighing our options for some time and have been praying over and discussing the pros and cons to both an agency adoption and a foster care or foster/adopt situation.
After a frenzy of phone calls, bulk mailings andhours days online researching we decided to take a day off from researching and talking through scenarios to just pray separately and see what God said. Last night we came together again to share how we felt the Lord was leading. Hurray! We have decided on an agency assisted adoption. We chose Christian Family Care Agency in Phoenix. We have been praying, discussing and gathering information then praying some more and we both feel at peace and excited about this next step.
We are mailing our application packet tomorrow. Once our application is received our worker will set a meeting and we will travel to Phoenix to meet the people who will be so instrumental in helping us bring our baby home. After this meeting our next step is our home study. Originally we thought the most cost effective option for our home study was to have a local social worker complete it but we were pleasantly surprised this morning when we called CFCA. All the other agencies we looked at would come to Havasu to do our home study but there was an additional $300-$500 fee for travel expenses and none were here in town. CFCA said they would actually charge us a $400 transfer fee if we had the home study conducted by someone else but if one of their adoption workers did the study we would only be charged the regular home study fee! So we will be paying less and be working with our own agency. We were thrilled. It is going to be nice working with Christians who understand our faith. Also, unlike other agencies we looked at, CFCA does not require the $1200 home study fee up front. CFCA has us do all the backround checks, fingerprinting, physicals, etc and we don't pay the home study fee until we mail in all our paperwork. At this point we can apply for grants. All except one of the grants we qualify for require a completed home study.
We will be required to attend adoption classes at Chirstian Family Care Agency's office in Phoenix which will require staying overnight due to travel time. Our classes begin on October 5th and will continue each Tues evening for 7 weeks. God has been faithful in all the details thus far. Aaron was able to locate a hotel where we can stay at a reasonable price only a few miles from the CFCA's office. We are hoping to be able to find a young lady through our connections in Phoenix, who can watch the kids at the hotel rooms during our class. We would then be able to take the children with us spend the 3 1/2 hour drive with them and then spend the night with them in the hotel before returning home early Wednesday mornings. This way Aaron won't miss any work and we will be together as a family. We are going to approach class days as an adventure and bring projects for the drive and hotel etc. It will be a rough schedule but we are going to make the most of the time to "get away."
We are currently filling out grant applications and gathering the required documentation to accompany the applications so that when our home study is complete we will be ready to mail them. We are also brainstorming other ways of saving and raising money. Emily and the girls are sewing and making items to sell in her Etsy store, The Tulip Patch. She has the notions already on hand and will be able to put any profit toward our adoption costs. We are also collecting aluminum cans from friends and neighbors who usually recycle curbside. There have been people from our local freecycle group who are excited to help in this way. We will also be holding a garage sale at some point in the near future. The ideas are flowing and we are open to any recommendations.
Here are our first few financial hurdles:
Description Goal Date Status
1.$50 Application Fee & App Mailed July 16, 2010 Completed!!!
2. $300 Adoption Class Fee Sept. 15, 2010
3. $1200 Home Study Fee Oct. 5, 2010
4. $1000 Matchbook Fee Nov. 1 2010
(This is where we write a letter/family profile or scrapbook that will then be shown to birth moms)
Please continue to pray for our family as we begin this adventure. We are very excited. Please pray for protection and health for the birth mothers who are courageously choosing life and adoption for their children. Please pray that God would be preparing us to receive this new life and that the details would fall into place in His perfect timing. Please pray that our God will be glorified in this process, that our conversations with workers and families will bring glory to Him and that we would have opportunities to share Him.
Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
After a frenzy of phone calls, bulk mailings and
We are mailing our application packet tomorrow. Once our application is received our worker will set a meeting and we will travel to Phoenix to meet the people who will be so instrumental in helping us bring our baby home. After this meeting our next step is our home study. Originally we thought the most cost effective option for our home study was to have a local social worker complete it but we were pleasantly surprised this morning when we called CFCA. All the other agencies we looked at would come to Havasu to do our home study but there was an additional $300-$500 fee for travel expenses and none were here in town. CFCA said they would actually charge us a $400 transfer fee if we had the home study conducted by someone else but if one of their adoption workers did the study we would only be charged the regular home study fee! So we will be paying less and be working with our own agency. We were thrilled. It is going to be nice working with Christians who understand our faith. Also, unlike other agencies we looked at, CFCA does not require the $1200 home study fee up front. CFCA has us do all the backround checks, fingerprinting, physicals, etc and we don't pay the home study fee until we mail in all our paperwork. At this point we can apply for grants. All except one of the grants we qualify for require a completed home study.
We will be required to attend adoption classes at Chirstian Family Care Agency's office in Phoenix which will require staying overnight due to travel time. Our classes begin on October 5th and will continue each Tues evening for 7 weeks. God has been faithful in all the details thus far. Aaron was able to locate a hotel where we can stay at a reasonable price only a few miles from the CFCA's office. We are hoping to be able to find a young lady through our connections in Phoenix, who can watch the kids at the hotel rooms during our class. We would then be able to take the children with us spend the 3 1/2 hour drive with them and then spend the night with them in the hotel before returning home early Wednesday mornings. This way Aaron won't miss any work and we will be together as a family. We are going to approach class days as an adventure and bring projects for the drive and hotel etc. It will be a rough schedule but we are going to make the most of the time to "get away."
We are currently filling out grant applications and gathering the required documentation to accompany the applications so that when our home study is complete we will be ready to mail them. We are also brainstorming other ways of saving and raising money. Emily and the girls are sewing and making items to sell in her Etsy store, The Tulip Patch. She has the notions already on hand and will be able to put any profit toward our adoption costs. We are also collecting aluminum cans from friends and neighbors who usually recycle curbside. There have been people from our local freecycle group who are excited to help in this way. We will also be holding a garage sale at some point in the near future. The ideas are flowing and we are open to any recommendations.
Here are our first few financial hurdles:
Description Goal Date Status
1.
2. $300 Adoption Class Fee Sept. 15, 2010
3. $1200 Home Study Fee Oct. 5, 2010
4. $1000 Matchbook Fee Nov. 1 2010
(This is where we write a letter/family profile or scrapbook that will then be shown to birth moms)
Please continue to pray for our family as we begin this adventure. We are very excited. Please pray for protection and health for the birth mothers who are courageously choosing life and adoption for their children. Please pray that God would be preparing us to receive this new life and that the details would fall into place in His perfect timing. Please pray that our God will be glorified in this process, that our conversations with workers and families will bring glory to Him and that we would have opportunities to share Him.
Ephesians 3:20-21 (NIV)
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen.
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Meeting
Tomorrow afternoon we meet with a social worker from Arizona's Children to discuss the options of fost/adopt vs. agency adoption. We have received a lot of information in the mail the last few days from different agencies and have been able to get a clearer picture of the pros and cons of both options. The worker we are meeting with is also the person locally who could do our home study if we go with the agency adoption. God has been faithful in past decisions and we know he will give us discernment as to which would be the best choice for our family. Untimately our desire in this process is to be obedient and glorify Him in our decisions and our relationships with those involved.
Monday, July 12, 2010
Our Journey Begins
We are at the beginning of the adventure of adoption. The process will be long and difficult, but ultimately worth while. We feel that God has blessed us with an amazing family and we want to use our skills and love to raise up another child. We are currently trying to figure out the financial aspects of adoption, and deciding on an agency. Our hope is to finalize an adoption before the end of 2011. Follow us here for all the updates.
Our first hurdle is to save enough money for the home study. About $1600. Once the home study is complete then we will be applying for grants and waiting for a baby!
Our first hurdle is to save enough money for the home study. About $1600. Once the home study is complete then we will be applying for grants and waiting for a baby!
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