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 and hours 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.