To let you all know that today, December 29th, 2011, our Immigration application (I600) is being sent via overnight FedEx to Immigration Services...our package is ready! Now, they will receive it and it will take anywhere from 2-6 weeks to get approval...so we need your prayers - daily - even hourly if you have time...pray for a miracle! Once we get approval, we request our Embassy Appointment in Congo. That could also take several weeks...but, it is the last step! Yes, the last step before we travel! Whew!!! As we get closer and closer, I am reminded of God's goodness and His faithfulness! It is our desire that He receive all of the Glory and honor for this journey! As hard as it has been, we can't imagine not going through this fire! It has helped us to draw everso much closer to our Lord. What a joy!
Thank you for your support and your faithfulness in praying for this journey in our lives! You are a blessing to us!!!
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Monday, December 26, 2011
Great Question!
Recently, Greg experienced a woman asking him, or
rather telling him how she felt about international adoption. I thought this would be a great opportunity for us to explain why we are adopting internationally.
First of all, why are we choosing to adopt internationally? Simple, because that's what God told us to do. Obedience to our Lord is more important to us than our feelings or fears. Therefore, our choice was simple.
Next, what are some of the reasons people adopt internationally? Well, there are several, but here are a few:
1. Children in 3rd world countries are dying. They are starving to death, being murdered, being raped (at a very young age), forced into murdering others, and dying of terrible diseases. Even our poorest children in America are being fed and given medical attention. (Unless of course, it is their caregiver that is harming them, which we have no control over).
2. The USA does not protect adoptive parents. When you adopt in the US, there is still a chance that years later, the birthparents can change their minds and the courts will most likely rule in their favor. This means that you can raise a child for 5 years and have them taken away from you. This is not healthy for the child or the family. This is almost unheard of in international adoption.
3. God loves the children in other countries every bit as much as the children in our country and so should we.
4. God loves children of different races every bit as much as he loves the children of our race.
I hope this helps if you have any questions about our decision...
Blessings to each of you!
rather telling him how she felt about international adoption. I thought this would be a great opportunity for us to explain why we are adopting internationally.
First of all, why are we choosing to adopt internationally? Simple, because that's what God told us to do. Obedience to our Lord is more important to us than our feelings or fears. Therefore, our choice was simple.
Next, what are some of the reasons people adopt internationally? Well, there are several, but here are a few:
1. Children in 3rd world countries are dying. They are starving to death, being murdered, being raped (at a very young age), forced into murdering others, and dying of terrible diseases. Even our poorest children in America are being fed and given medical attention. (Unless of course, it is their caregiver that is harming them, which we have no control over).
2. The USA does not protect adoptive parents. When you adopt in the US, there is still a chance that years later, the birthparents can change their minds and the courts will most likely rule in their favor. This means that you can raise a child for 5 years and have them taken away from you. This is not healthy for the child or the family. This is almost unheard of in international adoption.
3. God loves the children in other countries every bit as much as the children in our country and so should we.
4. God loves children of different races every bit as much as he loves the children of our race.
I hope this helps if you have any questions about our decision...
Blessings to each of you!
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Great News!!!
Hello Everyone!!! We have Great News!!! Our Certificate of Indigence came in last night!!! It is being translated and will be ready next week. WooHoo!!!! So, guess who was busy last night filling out 5 different forms with several pages for each form???? Yes, Me! Our Application for Immigration had to be sent out immediately this morning and overnighted to our agency so that they can finish filling it in and FedEx it to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). I was at FedEx this morning waiting for them to open! YAY! Now the wait for this step is anywhere from 2-6 weeks, so we need all of our prayer warriors out there to be praying that it will be closer to 2 weeks than 6...Blessings to all of you and have a very Merry Christmas!!!!!
Saturday, December 17, 2011
No new news....
Well, basically, what's going on with Congo is that their offices have shut down due to their Presidential Elections. Isn't that sweet? Yes, well, what that also means is that when they re-open, they will have a lot of work that has piled up and therefore, things will move very slowly... ugh! I know!
We are trying to stay busy, but at times, we are overwhelmed by the uncertainty of this process. Just when you think its getting better, major obstacles occur. This is the sadness of 3rd World Countries. They live such uncertain lives. They are always on the edge of calamity. We must be in prayer for them. God has given us this responsibility.
Many people want to blame God for the suffering of those who live in these Countries. But if we really think about it, He has so richly blessed us in America and we should be so willing to share with others. Even in other Countries. God created them with the same amount of love that He created us with. Why did He chose to bless us so much? So that we could share with others...I believe that we will be held accountable for what we did or did not do for the least of these...Please join us in prayer and giving for the Congo...
We are trying to stay busy, but at times, we are overwhelmed by the uncertainty of this process. Just when you think its getting better, major obstacles occur. This is the sadness of 3rd World Countries. They live such uncertain lives. They are always on the edge of calamity. We must be in prayer for them. God has given us this responsibility.
Many people want to blame God for the suffering of those who live in these Countries. But if we really think about it, He has so richly blessed us in America and we should be so willing to share with others. Even in other Countries. God created them with the same amount of love that He created us with. Why did He chose to bless us so much? So that we could share with others...I believe that we will be held accountable for what we did or did not do for the least of these...Please join us in prayer and giving for the Congo...
Friday, December 9, 2011
One down, One to go!!!
Parental Authorization came in and now we wait on the Certificate of Indigence!!! We are praying that it comes in soon so we can send off our Immigration application!!! That could take anywhere from 2 to 6 weeks, but it is so much closer!!! Our son is being well taken care of so we know that he is okay. However, when we do bring him home, he will experience culture shock and he will need much time to adjust. We want to ease him in and be very patient with him so that he will have as good of an experience as possible. Please understand that we will be keeping him home a good bit and we will not receive many visitors. However, as soon as he is showing signs of adjustment, we will introduce him to you little by little...Thank you all for your understanding and patience with this. We want him to know that he is safe and secure with us. Blessings to you all!!! We pray you each have a very Merry Christmas celebrating the Christ Child!!!
Friday, November 18, 2011
A wee little bit of news...
Well, we have a wee little bit of news...we got news that our Certificate of Non-Appeal is in and it is with the translator now. Yay! We are still waiting on 2 documents: the Certificate of Indigence (proof that Isaiah is an orphan) and the Parental Authorization.
We will then proceed to file for approval with US Immigration. Once that is done, it is time to file for the Visa's and an Embassy Appointment...it is looking like March may be closer to the time that we will travel. Thank you all for your fervent prayers...please continue to pray...Blessings to you all!
We will then proceed to file for approval with US Immigration. Once that is done, it is time to file for the Visa's and an Embassy Appointment...it is looking like March may be closer to the time that we will travel. Thank you all for your fervent prayers...please continue to pray...Blessings to you all!
Sunday, November 13, 2011
I wish I could tell you that we have news, but the truth is that we may not have news for quite a while. The reason is that in DR of Congo, they are having issues with strong violence and killings...these things are above the ordinary violence that happens daily and are due to the upcoming elections. They are expecting things to only get worse. They are having to stop progress in other areas (including adoptions) in order to focus on these issues.
Please join us in prayer for the orphanage that Isaiah is in and the workers who are taking care of him and the other children. Their lives are at risk during this time and we must pray for God's protection over them.
It is looking more and more like it may be February or March before we will know when we will travel. Please pray for patience for us...it is so hard to wait for our son to be able to come home.
On another note, we heard a kitten meowing in our bush. We saw her run into the back yard. She went through the fence, Hannah (12) climbed on the fence and tracked her down. We secured her and brought her home. She was about 6 weeks old and beautiful! We bathed her and fed her (and boy was she hungry!). We made signs to go around the neighborhood to see if someone would claim her. No one did. We are now looking for a home for her. She is so sweet. The kids love her and want to keep her. We just can't. Our other 2 animals are very jealous. Please pray for us...lol
Thank you all for hanging in there with us through this journey! I know it seems as though it is taking forever, but God's timing is perfect and we will trust in Him. We love you all!
Please join us in prayer for the orphanage that Isaiah is in and the workers who are taking care of him and the other children. Their lives are at risk during this time and we must pray for God's protection over them.
It is looking more and more like it may be February or March before we will know when we will travel. Please pray for patience for us...it is so hard to wait for our son to be able to come home.
On another note, we heard a kitten meowing in our bush. We saw her run into the back yard. She went through the fence, Hannah (12) climbed on the fence and tracked her down. We secured her and brought her home. She was about 6 weeks old and beautiful! We bathed her and fed her (and boy was she hungry!). We made signs to go around the neighborhood to see if someone would claim her. No one did. We are now looking for a home for her. She is so sweet. The kids love her and want to keep her. We just can't. Our other 2 animals are very jealous. Please pray for us...lol
Thank you all for hanging in there with us through this journey! I know it seems as though it is taking forever, but God's timing is perfect and we will trust in Him. We love you all!
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Waiting on God's Timing...
As we wait, we reflect on God's Perfect Timing. If we believe He is in control and if we trust that He is who He says He is, we will Trust Him fully for His perfect timing. It is only when our flesh contrasts His Will that we become discontent in the midst of what He is doing...I have to admit, my flesh is very weak! I see my weakness more and more as time goes on and as we wait. This is not necessarily a bad thing. When I am weak, He is strong. And when I acknowledge my weakness and His strength, I am able to trust Him more fully for His perfect provision. Perhaps this is where He wants us, stripped of ourselves and broken, so that He may clothe us with Himself and heal us of our brokenness to His glory. He alone deserves the glory for this journey that we are on. We simply joined Him in what He was doing and allowed Him to lead us.
This is similar to our salvation experience in that we must put on the Lord Jesus Christ, not to simply believe, but to trust in Him, to submit to Him, to surrender our all to Him. Only then can we live a life of "freedom" from sin and self. This gives new perspective to the verse, "to live is Christ, to die is gain"...We can live with freedom through Christ's sacrifice and we can die to self and sin, therefore, gaining that freedom in Christ...the peace that comes from this death and life is immeasureable... unattainable in any other way, but through the Lord Jesus Christ and the sacrifice that He made to set us free.
I praise God that He has set a perfect time aside to bring our son home to us...No man can interfere with this timing. It will be exactly when He says it will be. Not a second before or after. Praise God that He is in control.
More of you, Lord, and less of me...
Blessings to you all...
This is similar to our salvation experience in that we must put on the Lord Jesus Christ, not to simply believe, but to trust in Him, to submit to Him, to surrender our all to Him. Only then can we live a life of "freedom" from sin and self. This gives new perspective to the verse, "to live is Christ, to die is gain"...We can live with freedom through Christ's sacrifice and we can die to self and sin, therefore, gaining that freedom in Christ...the peace that comes from this death and life is immeasureable... unattainable in any other way, but through the Lord Jesus Christ and the sacrifice that He made to set us free.
I praise God that He has set a perfect time aside to bring our son home to us...No man can interfere with this timing. It will be exactly when He says it will be. Not a second before or after. Praise God that He is in control.
More of you, Lord, and less of me...
Blessings to you all...
Thursday, October 20, 2011
No new news as of yet...but we did get a new photo of our sweet son! He is growing up so fast...it is kinda bitter-sweet to get pictures of him. He is standing up really well, could possibly be walking or cruising at this point...He's a handsome fella though...:)
I carry photos of him in my wallet, so if you'd like to see him, just ask...
The time is getting closer and closer to the end of the year and it is looking more and more like we will not be going before the years' end...:(
Not only will we be sad not to hold our son for the holidays, but we will not be able to receive the $13,000 adoption rebate that we would be eligible for if we bring him home before the end of the year. We were really hoping to be able to get this so that we could put it back into the heafty loan that we took out to fund the adoption. If we don't make it within this year, we will be paying it back for quite a while...
That being said, we serve a MIGHTY God who can move mountains, and we are praying for this mountain to be moved!!!
I carry photos of him in my wallet, so if you'd like to see him, just ask...
The time is getting closer and closer to the end of the year and it is looking more and more like we will not be going before the years' end...:(
Not only will we be sad not to hold our son for the holidays, but we will not be able to receive the $13,000 adoption rebate that we would be eligible for if we bring him home before the end of the year. We were really hoping to be able to get this so that we could put it back into the heafty loan that we took out to fund the adoption. If we don't make it within this year, we will be paying it back for quite a while...
That being said, we serve a MIGHTY God who can move mountains, and we are praying for this mountain to be moved!!!
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
YAY!!! We received our documents last night from the translator!!! We reviewed them (about 10 times) and made corrections. We sent them back to our agency, so they are out of our hands for the moment! This morning, we received and email that our documents had been sent on to the translator for the changes to go into effect. YAY! They will then wait for our Certificate of Non-Appeal and send all of the documents together back to Congo to be submitted to the Dept. of Foreign Affairs....YAY!!! And YAY again!!!
Please continue to pray for things to move along quickly...our goal is to bring our son home by the end of this year!!!! Thank you all for your prayers!!!
Please continue to pray for things to move along quickly...our goal is to bring our son home by the end of this year!!!! Thank you all for your prayers!!!
Friday, September 30, 2011
Well, it may be a small step, but our Congo court documents came in!!!! They are with a translator right now, being translated from French into English. We will then make any corrections that need to be made and send them back to the translator to be retranslated. At that time they will be sent back to Congo to be presented to the DFA=Department of Foreign Affairs for processing. This step could take up to around a month. Once we get that approval, we apply with the US to be able to bring our son home. The US could take up to 6 weeks. At the same time, we apply for our Embassy Appointment in Congo and Visa processing...then, finally, we go get our son!
We are still praying that we will be able to travel to get him by the end of this year...please pray in faith with us....
We are still praying that we will be able to travel to get him by the end of this year...please pray in faith with us....
Monday, September 26, 2011
Okay, so here is our most recent update:
"Our DRC office is diligently trying to push as many cases through as
possible before the upcoming elections. Also, a high priority is to
get the corrected documents for the cases that have already passed
court. Our office staff is pushing daily and the court has said they
expect to release around 4 cases this week - however we have also been
told that the corrections would have been issued by now. It is not yet
known whether the court will begin the appeal period when documents
are issued, or if the "clock" is already ticking. As soon as we have
ANY further information on this, Terri will let you know."
"During times like this, its really important to maintain some
perspective on the country that we are working in and that you are
adopting from. Otherwise it can be absolutely maddening to wrap your
head around the delays. One of our adoptive families once described
the local copy center - a woman on a street corner with a small copier
with the power cord going down the street. During my trip, I saw what
I lovingly refer to as the Congolese Petsmart - a chicken, a monkey, a
goat, and a stray dog - all either in a cage or tied to a tree on the
side of the road. So, as you might imagine, nothing in Congo works
anything like it does here and definitely NOT in the timeframe we
Americans are used to. Please remain patient. We are doing everything
we can and will continue to keep everyone updated."
Basically, we continue to wait...and Pray... thank you all for your prayers!
"Our DRC office is diligently trying to push as many cases through as
possible before the upcoming elections. Also, a high priority is to
get the corrected documents for the cases that have already passed
court. Our office staff is pushing daily and the court has said they
expect to release around 4 cases this week - however we have also been
told that the corrections would have been issued by now. It is not yet
known whether the court will begin the appeal period when documents
are issued, or if the "clock" is already ticking. As soon as we have
ANY further information on this, Terri will let you know."
"During times like this, its really important to maintain some
perspective on the country that we are working in and that you are
adopting from. Otherwise it can be absolutely maddening to wrap your
head around the delays. One of our adoptive families once described
the local copy center - a woman on a street corner with a small copier
with the power cord going down the street. During my trip, I saw what
I lovingly refer to as the Congolese Petsmart - a chicken, a monkey, a
goat, and a stray dog - all either in a cage or tied to a tree on the
side of the road. So, as you might imagine, nothing in Congo works
anything like it does here and definitely NOT in the timeframe we
Americans are used to. Please remain patient. We are doing everything
we can and will continue to keep everyone updated."
Basically, we continue to wait...and Pray... thank you all for your prayers!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Reading Up
So, we are trying to read up on Transracial Adoption. There are many issues, apart from what we are used to, that may arise as we raise our new son.
We are reading books and educating ourselves of the cultural differences that we need to be aware of and embrace. We want our son to feel accepted in his own skin color and to be comfortable with his family and his culture.
We have read:
Brown Babies, Pink Parents
We are reading:
Inside Transracial Adoption
We are planning to read:
I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla
Growing Up Black in White
Outsiders Within
From Ashes to Africa
If you'd like to make a book suggestion, we would welcome your input.
Please continue praying for our journey.
We are hoping things will be moving along again soon.
Blessings,
Tina
We are reading books and educating ourselves of the cultural differences that we need to be aware of and embrace. We want our son to feel accepted in his own skin color and to be comfortable with his family and his culture.
We have read:
Brown Babies, Pink Parents
We are reading:
Inside Transracial Adoption
We are planning to read:
I'm Chocolate, You're Vanilla
Growing Up Black in White
Outsiders Within
From Ashes to Africa
If you'd like to make a book suggestion, we would welcome your input.
Please continue praying for our journey.
We are hoping things will be moving along again soon.
Blessings,
Tina
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Apparently several documents that came out of court at the same time ours did had typo issues and are being re-done. Apparently ours is one of them. This basically means that the waiting will be longer. Since they still use typewriters in Congo, this may take a while....
In the meantime, God is working in our lives... He is molding our character and getting us ready for our new addition. :)
God is good, and may I just say, God is good ALL the time...
We were able to take the family to a Buffalo farm in Alabama on Saturday and had a blast! I will try to post a photo soon. We went fishing at a pond on the farm and Joshua, our youngest, caught about 3 fish!!!! The only other fish that was caught was by Hannah, but He jumped off the hook at the very last minute!!! Awwww, so sad :( But, did we ever have a great time together! We also hope to get some Buffalo meat in the next several weeks...;)
We are currently reading some transracial adoption materials that have been very informative for us and are helping us to be prepared for what to expect...
Keep praying for our journey and we will do the same for each of you!
P.S. Tina's aunt Betty Gail unexpectantly passed away a week ago and we would appreciate your prayers for the family!
Blessings to you all!
In the meantime, God is working in our lives... He is molding our character and getting us ready for our new addition. :)
God is good, and may I just say, God is good ALL the time...
We were able to take the family to a Buffalo farm in Alabama on Saturday and had a blast! I will try to post a photo soon. We went fishing at a pond on the farm and Joshua, our youngest, caught about 3 fish!!!! The only other fish that was caught was by Hannah, but He jumped off the hook at the very last minute!!! Awwww, so sad :( But, did we ever have a great time together! We also hope to get some Buffalo meat in the next several weeks...;)
We are currently reading some transracial adoption materials that have been very informative for us and are helping us to be prepared for what to expect...
Keep praying for our journey and we will do the same for each of you!
P.S. Tina's aunt Betty Gail unexpectantly passed away a week ago and we would appreciate your prayers for the family!
Blessings to you all!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Still no news, but in the meantime, we are checking into the vaccine's that we will need to have before we travel to Congo. Some of the ones that we will need are:
Yellow Fever (mandatory)
Typhoid
Hep A
Hep B
Malaria (pills)
Polio
Tetanus (optional)
We are planning to start these soon to avoid possible side effects when it is time to travel.
Also, we are starting to put together a travel list and purchase things that we may need for our trip...
If you are interested in sending donations for the orphanage, we will be glad to take them with us. Send us an email or call and let us know what you would like to send.
Some ideas are:
Small toys
Medicines (Childrens ibuprofen, lice medication, vasaline...)
Small dry erase boards with markers
Childrens books (simple ones with picture of item and English name)
Cloth diapers
Bath soap (bar)
Pacifiers
Sippie Cups
Inflatable toys
Small sports balls
Crib toys
School supplies (pens, markers, coloring books, etc...)
Sleepers
Baby-safe dolls
light blankets
Cash donations for food or other items...
If you are interested in sending items, please let us know within the next month so that we can be prepared ahead of time.
Thank you all for your sweet prayers and support!
Blessings to you all!!!
Yellow Fever (mandatory)
Typhoid
Hep A
Hep B
Malaria (pills)
Polio
Tetanus (optional)
We are planning to start these soon to avoid possible side effects when it is time to travel.
Also, we are starting to put together a travel list and purchase things that we may need for our trip...
If you are interested in sending donations for the orphanage, we will be glad to take them with us. Send us an email or call and let us know what you would like to send.
Some ideas are:
Small toys
Medicines (Childrens ibuprofen, lice medication, vasaline...)
Small dry erase boards with markers
Childrens books (simple ones with picture of item and English name)
Cloth diapers
Bath soap (bar)
Pacifiers
Sippie Cups
Inflatable toys
Small sports balls
Crib toys
School supplies (pens, markers, coloring books, etc...)
Sleepers
Baby-safe dolls
light blankets
Cash donations for food or other items...
If you are interested in sending items, please let us know within the next month so that we can be prepared ahead of time.
Thank you all for your sweet prayers and support!
Blessings to you all!!!
Thursday, September 1, 2011
New Photo
Boy, I feel blessed. We got 2 new photos last week and today received one more! Our precious Isaiah is standing up in this one! It was kinda sad to see him making such progress without us, but we are so thankful to be able to see him. He is holding on to a pole and looking as sweet as can be! God is so good to us! We are trusting Him daily for His provisions and His timing!!!
Thursday, August 25, 2011
Feeling so excited today! A couple that just got back from DR Congo just posted photos that they took at the orphanage while they were there....and we got to see 2 photos of Isaiah!!! He is growing so much! It was so nice to see him in the arms of one of the workers and he looked so content!
This was a much needed little blessing in the midst of our waiting!!!
God is so good! He has such a way of throwing in unexpected blessings when you most need them! Thank You Lord!!!!
Thank you all for keeping us in your prayers...
We are expecting to be getting our court documents very soon to go over and look for errors and then send them back for further processing.
God's timing is perfect and more and more we are learning to fully depend on Him...Love to All!
This was a much needed little blessing in the midst of our waiting!!!
God is so good! He has such a way of throwing in unexpected blessings when you most need them! Thank You Lord!!!!
Thank you all for keeping us in your prayers...
We are expecting to be getting our court documents very soon to go over and look for errors and then send them back for further processing.
God's timing is perfect and more and more we are learning to fully depend on Him...Love to All!
Tuesday, August 16, 2011
Waiting... patiently....
Okay, so God has definitely been speaking to us on our low level of patience. He is showing us more and more each day that trusting Him is mandatory. Resting in Him is a must. Listening to Him moment by moment is necessary.
In the news, Congo is obviously having issues.
They are coming up on elections on Nov. 27th. The last time they had elections, thousands, even tens of thousands, died. There is the threat of Civil War, again...
While this could be discouraging to us, it could also remind us that even moreso, our Isaiah needs to be with us, his forever family. But, not before God gives us the green light. Not one single moment before.
You see, our Heavenly Father Was and Is and Is to Come...that means He knows whats coming and He alone knows when certain things should happen and how they should happen. Therefore, our trust MUST be in Him and His timing. We cannot see what He sees. We cannot know what He knows. We cannot do what He can do. Why would we want to do anything else but to trust Him? We simply can't risk going our own way...it's to dangerous. Its too risky. There are too many unknowns for us. We must follow Him fully and completely, or face serious consequences.
As for us, we will Trust in the Lord!
As we await the right timing for the Certificate of Non-Appeal, please be in prayer for us, for our agency, for Isaiah, for the careworkers at the orphanage, for the workers processing the cases, and for the country that could be at war in a few short months. Please pray God's protection and provision and power over all.
Thank You All for your sweet Prayers!
In the news, Congo is obviously having issues.
They are coming up on elections on Nov. 27th. The last time they had elections, thousands, even tens of thousands, died. There is the threat of Civil War, again...
While this could be discouraging to us, it could also remind us that even moreso, our Isaiah needs to be with us, his forever family. But, not before God gives us the green light. Not one single moment before.
You see, our Heavenly Father Was and Is and Is to Come...that means He knows whats coming and He alone knows when certain things should happen and how they should happen. Therefore, our trust MUST be in Him and His timing. We cannot see what He sees. We cannot know what He knows. We cannot do what He can do. Why would we want to do anything else but to trust Him? We simply can't risk going our own way...it's to dangerous. Its too risky. There are too many unknowns for us. We must follow Him fully and completely, or face serious consequences.
As for us, we will Trust in the Lord!
As we await the right timing for the Certificate of Non-Appeal, please be in prayer for us, for our agency, for Isaiah, for the careworkers at the orphanage, for the workers processing the cases, and for the country that could be at war in a few short months. Please pray God's protection and provision and power over all.
Thank You All for your sweet Prayers!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
The remainder of our process looks like this:
Certificate of Non-Appeal...up to 60 days (approx. 30)
Prepare and submit paperwork to DFA...1-2 weeks
Approval by DFA...4 weeks
Apply for I600 approval from US CIS (Immigration)...up to 2 months
Request Embassy Appointment
Embassy Appointment...2-6 weeks
Visa issued...1 week
Travel!!!
Submit paperwork to DGM...1 day
DGM letter Issued...2 weeks
Travel home!!!! :)
Please pray that each step will take the minimum amount of time...
Blessings to you all!!!
Certificate of Non-Appeal...up to 60 days (approx. 30)
Prepare and submit paperwork to DFA...1-2 weeks
Approval by DFA...4 weeks
Apply for I600 approval from US CIS (Immigration)...up to 2 months
Request Embassy Appointment
Embassy Appointment...2-6 weeks
Visa issued...1 week
Travel!!!
Submit paperwork to DGM...1 day
DGM letter Issued...2 weeks
Travel home!!!! :)
Please pray that each step will take the minimum amount of time...
Blessings to you all!!!
Friday, August 5, 2011
Our prayers have been answered!!!! We have passed court!!!! Woohoo!!! Finally, after about 14 weeks of court!!!
Praise The Lord!!!
Now, we have a few other steps to go. These steps can take anywhere from 2-5 months.
Our next step is to wait for the Certificate of Non-appeal (30 days)...
Thank you all for your prayers!!! Please continue praying as we continue this process...
Praise The Lord!!!
Now, we have a few other steps to go. These steps can take anywhere from 2-5 months.
Our next step is to wait for the Certificate of Non-appeal (30 days)...
Thank you all for your prayers!!! Please continue praying as we continue this process...
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Hopefully soon...
Well, I am now feeling better after about 4 days of stomach and head stuff! Although...now Lizzy is running a fever and feeling nautious! Well, we are a family that shares everything! haha
No official news on the adoption front at this time, but.... we did catch wind that there are a few cases that have recently come out of court that went in at the same time that we did. Our case worker seems sure that we will hear news of being out of court soon, perhaps within the next week! Please pray with us that this will happen and that the rest of the process will go very quickly. We need to get that baby boy home!!!
Other issues that are under consideration right now are:
the orphanage seems to have an issue with head lice, since their are new kiddos coming in daily and they cannot control the passing of it to one another. Therefore, we are preparing for battle. We will be armed with a shaver to shave our baby's head if needed. This is the easiest way to deal with the head lice and hopefully we will not have to worry about contracting it ourselves. We will immediately change his clothes upon receiving him and dispose of or donate his clothes to someone else at the orphanage.
We are also unsure if we will be able to go to the orphanage to visit other children since the lice thing is such an issue. We'll pray and see.
At this time, we are very hopeful that we will be traveling sometime between October and December. We would love to take any donations anyone would like to make to the orphanage for the children and/or workers. The donations would need to be small since we will be limited on the luggage that we can take and will need to take an entire suitcase for Isaiah.
God is so good and His timing is PERFECT!!!
Thank you for rejoicing with us as we continue this journey!
No official news on the adoption front at this time, but.... we did catch wind that there are a few cases that have recently come out of court that went in at the same time that we did. Our case worker seems sure that we will hear news of being out of court soon, perhaps within the next week! Please pray with us that this will happen and that the rest of the process will go very quickly. We need to get that baby boy home!!!
Other issues that are under consideration right now are:
the orphanage seems to have an issue with head lice, since their are new kiddos coming in daily and they cannot control the passing of it to one another. Therefore, we are preparing for battle. We will be armed with a shaver to shave our baby's head if needed. This is the easiest way to deal with the head lice and hopefully we will not have to worry about contracting it ourselves. We will immediately change his clothes upon receiving him and dispose of or donate his clothes to someone else at the orphanage.
We are also unsure if we will be able to go to the orphanage to visit other children since the lice thing is such an issue. We'll pray and see.
At this time, we are very hopeful that we will be traveling sometime between October and December. We would love to take any donations anyone would like to make to the orphanage for the children and/or workers. The donations would need to be small since we will be limited on the luggage that we can take and will need to take an entire suitcase for Isaiah.
God is so good and His timing is PERFECT!!!
Thank you for rejoicing with us as we continue this journey!
Monday, July 25, 2011
The wait continues
The wait continues. We are trying to stay focused on other things right now, so we don't get too discouraged.
We began homeschool last week, so we are now on week 2. The girls did great last week! Hopefully, this week will be great too!
Some friends have asked why we have started so early. Well, it is for several reasons.
One, when we start in July, we have the flexibility to take time off whenever we need it without having to cram for make up work.
Two, it allows us to finish by May, so that we can enjoy nicer weather and be free during our busiest month of the year to do whatever we need to do.
Three, the kids are pretty bored by mid-July.
Four, as a homeschooler, we can do what works best for our family's needs.
We do thank you for your prayers!
Please pray that our case will be out of court soon!
Thank you all!
Blessings!!!
We began homeschool last week, so we are now on week 2. The girls did great last week! Hopefully, this week will be great too!
Some friends have asked why we have started so early. Well, it is for several reasons.
One, when we start in July, we have the flexibility to take time off whenever we need it without having to cram for make up work.
Two, it allows us to finish by May, so that we can enjoy nicer weather and be free during our busiest month of the year to do whatever we need to do.
Three, the kids are pretty bored by mid-July.
Four, as a homeschooler, we can do what works best for our family's needs.
We do thank you for your prayers!
Please pray that our case will be out of court soon!
Thank you all!
Blessings!!!
Monday, July 18, 2011
We straightened Hannah's hair. She is looking more and more grown up every day. What a beautiful young lady she is! We are very proud of her. She is such a compassionate person as well. She loves the Lord and wants to live her life as set apart for His purposes.Still waiting...day by day it gets harder and harder to wait for our precious Isaiah. This is perhaps one of the toughest journeys that the Lord has taken us on.
The mother's need to nuture her children is so very evident in my life at this time. God has so blessed mothers. We do not often realize what a blessing it is to have that nurturing instinct. Granted, some have said that they are perfectly content without it, but for the most part, a mother feels that strong pull on her heart to be the one to comfort, teach, and love her child.
This need is not lessened by adoption. It may even be stronger at times, since the awareness is so consuming that someone else holds their child in their hands. She may wonder, "Are they giving him the care that he needs? Are they loving him as I would? Does he know in his heart that he is loved with a love that only comes from His Creator?" Many thoughts tend to consume one's mind when waiting to hold that gift from God.
And still, you wait. They learn to roll over, sit up, stand up, perhaps even walk, without you. And you wait. This is the hard part of adoption. Waiting for your turn to hold them, to teach them, to love them, all the while knowing that they are already doing so much without you.
We wait. And we pray.
Please pray with us.
Thank You!
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Well, we now have a new photo! Poor baby, he really looks like he wants to say, "Momma, please come get me now so I won't have to wear these girl clothes anymore!" Haha...
I know he doesn't really care about that yet...Still, we are praying and praying that we will be out of court soon...please pray along with us...
Each day is tougher and tougher, but our Lord is sufficient to meet our need. He has blessed us with several who are praying for us and with us for our son's homecoming.
I do want to thank those of you who have encouraged us so much and who are faithful to show encouragement to us when we really need it...without you and God's continued hand of comfort, this would be an impossible journey.
A mother's love reaches across the world and aches to see her child's face and to hold his embrace...you have made this burden lighter...Thank You!
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Still no news :(....but we had an awesome time at Student Life Camp this weekend in Orange Beach, Alabama.
What an answer to prayer! God blessed us so much!
The Speaker, Dave Rhodes, spoke about so many issues that really encouraged us to continue the calling God has placed in our lives.
He also spoke about he and his wife, Kim's, adoption of their son, Frankie, from Haiti. So encouraging!
Hannah had a great time too! She is growing and changing into such a bright young woman..
Greg was able to be a chaperone to about 7 middle school boys, which challenged him in many ways, but God was so faithful to be his strength and allow Greg to be an example for them and a witness to them!
I enjoyed being chaperone to 6 middle school girls, who I am looking forward to continuing a relationship with and being a mentor to.
What a joy it was to go on this journey with our youth group!
Please be in prayer for us as we (as Kim Rhodes shared with me):
"instead of seeing time, see God's timing"...
What an answer to prayer! God blessed us so much!
The Speaker, Dave Rhodes, spoke about so many issues that really encouraged us to continue the calling God has placed in our lives.
He also spoke about he and his wife, Kim's, adoption of their son, Frankie, from Haiti. So encouraging!
Hannah had a great time too! She is growing and changing into such a bright young woman..
Greg was able to be a chaperone to about 7 middle school boys, which challenged him in many ways, but God was so faithful to be his strength and allow Greg to be an example for them and a witness to them!
I enjoyed being chaperone to 6 middle school girls, who I am looking forward to continuing a relationship with and being a mentor to.
What a joy it was to go on this journey with our youth group!
Please be in prayer for us as we (as Kim Rhodes shared with me):
"instead of seeing time, see God's timing"...
Friday, June 10, 2011
Still no news. Feeling discouraged. Waiting. Waiting. Waiting. This is torture. Hhhhmmmmm.....Well, our VBS week went really well..had a blast with our 21 tourists in Big Apple Adventure! Kept us busy and now we are pooped! Time for some R & R. I hope.
Please pray for Greg's family. He has had 2 uncles pass away in the past month.
Mom and Dad returned from Ohio to wish our Nephew Brandon well for his high school graduation. He will be serving in our US Navy in a few short weeks!
Blessings to All!
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Hello All,
Just writing to let you know that we are still waiting to hear from the courts in Congo about approval. Hopefully we will be hearing something pretty soon...Everyone here is doing fine. We have completed homeschool (as of April 29th) and we completed IOWA testing on Tuesday, May 24th.
We are FREE for the summer!!!! YAY!!!!!
Now to get ready for VBS!!! Tina will be teaching 1st grade and Greg is leading a VBS prayer team this year! We are pumped up and ready!!! (Almost) :)
The next event on the calendar is the Youth Student Life Camp to Orange Beach, Al. on June 24th-27th. Hannah will be going and so will Greg!!! Tina is on standby incase she is needed... :)
Well, not much more going on, but if you'd like to get together this summer, let us know!!!
We love you all!
Monday, May 9, 2011
We got another new photo of our sweet Isaiah Micah! He is just growing and growing so fast! He is so precious! Please pray for patience and peace as we wait to hold him in our arms! Thank you all so much!
BTW, thank you to the couple who gave us such a sweet gift to help us in this journey! We are so blessed to have you in our lives! You are precious to us!
We love you all!
We love you all!
Monday, May 2, 2011
Well, it seems that they gave us the wrong name for Isaiah, so we are having to re-do a few of the documents with the right spelling. We were told that it should not slow us down, but you never know about these things. Please pray for a miracle. We have faith that God will provide.
I did go to Ohio over the weekend, Thursday through Sunday, to see my sis and her family. Had a great time! I enjoyed getting away and relaxing a little. That was nice and much needed.
I will update soon!
Tina
I did go to Ohio over the weekend, Thursday through Sunday, to see my sis and her family. Had a great time! I enjoyed getting away and relaxing a little. That was nice and much needed.
I will update soon!
Tina
Friday, April 22, 2011
Well, we finally got a new picture of our little Isaiah!!!! He is quite adorable if I do say so myself! Makes me want to have him in my arms all the more!
He actually is sporting a beautiful flowered shirt. This is just more evidence that he needs to come home to mommy so I can dress him with some boy clothes! Haha! Of course you know, they must use whatever they have to dress him at the orphanage, and at 8 months old, he could care less what clothes he wears, only that he has them! Thank you for your prayers...it is increasingly difficult each day that passes to wait and wait and wait...and now it is looking like it could take even longer because they are very shorthanded and are becoming overloaded with cases in Congo. Many people have responded to the great need there, which is great! However, it slows things way down for those who are already in the process...
Please keep us in your prayers....
We love and are so grateful for all of you!!!
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Hello Everyone! Well, it looks like we are being submitted to court at this time. We will not know exactly when we are in court or any updates while in court. We will only know when we are out of court (4-8 weeks). We will receive a judgement at that time. Then the 30 day certificate of non appeal period begins. We will then be submitted to DFA (Dept of Foreign Affairs) for approval. This could take 4-6 weeks. After that, Embassy Appt is requested and US approval is requested (could take 1-2 months)...then, hopefully, we go get him! Please pray for God's Will most of all! Blessings, Tina
Monday, April 11, 2011
Hello everyone! We do not have news yet, but are hoping we will at least get a new photo soon. Isaiah will be 8 months old on the 13th, so I'm sure he is growing a lot right now. We just want to take the time right now to tell you all how blessed we are for your relationship to our family. Whether you are family by blood or by spirit, we are so thankful to know each of you! Hopefully, our case is going through court right now and we pray we will be out soon. We will only find out when we exit court, not when we enter it. So, we wait. On the homefront, we have finally gotten over being sick. I think it went: Joshua sick first, then Tina, then Lizzy, then Hannah, then Joshua, then Tina...yuck! That was not fun... Last week Lizzy had about 7-8 nosebleeds in a 30 hour period. We took her to the Dr. and he recommended a Doctor to do a cauterization. We didn't want to do that unless there were no other options, so Greg did some research and talked to Sadha at the Mount of Olives Health Food store. Put her on some vitamins, and she hasn't had a nosebleed ever since. Hopefully, she will be free of nosebleeds for a while, she certainly had her share! If all goes well, we will finish homeschool for this school year by April 29th. On the 28th, the girls get to go to work with daddy for "Take your sons/daughters to work day". They will have so much fun checking out all the cool stuff at the Navy Base! Maybe Greg will have a little fun too! Thank you all once again for your support! We are praying that we will have news soon.
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
So, now we wait to go through the courts in DRC...this could take up to 2 months, but we will pray for 2 weeks! Once in court, there could be a 1-2 month wait, but we will pray for less! Once a Judgment is received, we wait 30 days+ for the Certificate of Non Appeal. We then wait 1 week for our paperwork to be prepared for submission to DFA. It takes up to 4 weeks for DFA to give approval. We then wait another 30-45 days for the Embassy to set an appointment for Visa's to be issued. Our Embassy Visa appointment will be set for 2-4 weeks later. This is when we will travel to Congo. Our Visa is issued 3-5 days after our appointment. Our paperwork is submitted to DGM (Immigration), this takes one day. We then wait for DGM to issue a letter. This is the final step and takes up to 2 weeks. Whew! Is that a boatload of information or what??? And the time frames seem ridiculous!!! Ouch! Okay, so this is why we need your prayers! Please pray that we get the minimum or less time with each step...God can push us through, where man cannot! It does seem very overwhelming, but we must trust our Lord to bring Isaiah home in His perfect timing...and pray that is soon... :) Thank you all for your support!!! We are so blessed to have you in our lives!
Thursday, March 24, 2011
We have our first photo of our beautiful baby boy! He is 7.5 months old and about 15 lbs.
Now, the wait will be very hard, but God is so faithful! And He will give us the strength!
Besides, there's so much to do now!!!!
If you see me and I look lost, it's because a million things are going through my head right now!!!
You are all a blessing to us!!!
Now, the wait will be very hard, but God is so faithful! And He will give us the strength!
Besides, there's so much to do now!!!!
If you see me and I look lost, it's because a million things are going through my head right now!!!
You are all a blessing to us!!!
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Well, the day has finally come! We have a referral!!!!!! YAY!!!! He is about 7.5 months old right now. We will travel in about 3-4 months to get him. He will be around 10-11 months old at that time. He is beautiful!!!! We cannot post photos yet, but we will as soon as we are allowed to...We are so excited to be a part of what God is doing!!! Please pray for Isaiah Micah Simmons!!!! And for us, as we wait during these hard months! God is faithful and His love endures forever!!!! Praise God!!!! He is so good!!!!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Hello Everyone,
Well, the good news is that we are now at the top of the waiting list!!!! YAY!!! This is when we really need to be in prayer that God will bring us exactly the right child for our family and that we will be exactly the right family for our new son! The wait could be days to a few weeks. It all depends on the communication between villages and families. We know that God has already chosen the child, to be named Isaiah Micah. We are praying for safety and for good health.
Once the orphanage receives a child, they must go through a medical screening to make sure they are free of AIDS and TB and other diseases. They are unable to process cases of handicap either. So, please pray that when he arrives at the orphanage, he will be free of disease and healthy (as healthy as one can be in a poverty striken nation).
It takes a couple weeks for the medical to come back. Then, when it does, if they are up to standard, they become a referral for the next person on the list for that particular age and gender.
Please pray for Isaiah. He will be anywhere up to a year old. Once we receive the referral for him, we will then travel to the DRC in 3-4 months time frame to pick him up. This will be a hard wait, but I can't imagine that it would be harder than waiting for his referral.
This adoption has been different from Joshua's in so many ways. One of which it only took about 2 weeks to receive a referral, but the wait time for picking him up was a good bit longer. All in all, I'm hoping the time frame will be at least a month or two shorter for Isaiah. August 2nd is the 1 year mark. If he is home by then, we will be under a year. That would be awesome!
Thank you all so much for your support and your prayers!
Our kiddos have been sick over spring break, so it's not been pretty around here. However, they are so glad that I am not giving them school work during this time, so all is well! They are quite pitiful at times though..
Again, thanks for your prayers.
Hopefully, we will have some good news to share very soon!!!!
Blessings to All!
Well, the good news is that we are now at the top of the waiting list!!!! YAY!!! This is when we really need to be in prayer that God will bring us exactly the right child for our family and that we will be exactly the right family for our new son! The wait could be days to a few weeks. It all depends on the communication between villages and families. We know that God has already chosen the child, to be named Isaiah Micah. We are praying for safety and for good health.
Once the orphanage receives a child, they must go through a medical screening to make sure they are free of AIDS and TB and other diseases. They are unable to process cases of handicap either. So, please pray that when he arrives at the orphanage, he will be free of disease and healthy (as healthy as one can be in a poverty striken nation).
It takes a couple weeks for the medical to come back. Then, when it does, if they are up to standard, they become a referral for the next person on the list for that particular age and gender.
Please pray for Isaiah. He will be anywhere up to a year old. Once we receive the referral for him, we will then travel to the DRC in 3-4 months time frame to pick him up. This will be a hard wait, but I can't imagine that it would be harder than waiting for his referral.
This adoption has been different from Joshua's in so many ways. One of which it only took about 2 weeks to receive a referral, but the wait time for picking him up was a good bit longer. All in all, I'm hoping the time frame will be at least a month or two shorter for Isaiah. August 2nd is the 1 year mark. If he is home by then, we will be under a year. That would be awesome!
Thank you all so much for your support and your prayers!
Our kiddos have been sick over spring break, so it's not been pretty around here. However, they are so glad that I am not giving them school work during this time, so all is well! They are quite pitiful at times though..
Again, thanks for your prayers.
Hopefully, we will have some good news to share very soon!!!!
Blessings to All!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Still no news.
Referrals came in this week, but no baby boys.
There was a 6 month old girl, a 3 yr. old girl, a 5 yr. old girl, and an 11 yr. old boy.
The 11 yr. old was found on the streets crying. Both of his parents had died and he had no one and no where to go...very sad. Please pray that they will be able to find a family for him.
Things are going well for us. We are keeping busy this week with Lizzy's birthday on Sunday (turning 7) and Phillip's birthday on Tuesday (turning 23). This is our first spurt of birthdays. In May, Joshua will turn 4 on the 8th and Hannah will turn 12 on the 10th....crazy busy.
For Lizzy, no big party, we will do family bowling tonight and take her to Golden Corral on Sunday for lunch...she can have all the options she wants...:) Who needs to be spoiled with lots of gifts anyways????
I will update again soon...
Blessings to All!
Referrals came in this week, but no baby boys.
There was a 6 month old girl, a 3 yr. old girl, a 5 yr. old girl, and an 11 yr. old boy.
The 11 yr. old was found on the streets crying. Both of his parents had died and he had no one and no where to go...very sad. Please pray that they will be able to find a family for him.
Things are going well for us. We are keeping busy this week with Lizzy's birthday on Sunday (turning 7) and Phillip's birthday on Tuesday (turning 23). This is our first spurt of birthdays. In May, Joshua will turn 4 on the 8th and Hannah will turn 12 on the 10th....crazy busy.
For Lizzy, no big party, we will do family bowling tonight and take her to Golden Corral on Sunday for lunch...she can have all the options she wants...:) Who needs to be spoiled with lots of gifts anyways????
I will update again soon...
Blessings to All!
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Okay, so i just found out that once we receive our referral, we will have about 3-4 months til travel time... but we will only have about one months notice of our travel dates....yikes! Our case worker did say that some people have used flyer miles...and we have had one person offer to use miles to cover one of our flights! Praise God!!!! It takes around 163,000 or so (depending on timing) flyer miles to fly to Africa. There are fees that accompany it, but nothing like the flights without the flyer miles (around $4000 each). We will pray that the timing will allow for flyer miles to be used...Thank you so much for your prayers and for helping us to follow God's plan!
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Okay, so here's the update. Referrals are coming in, but no baby boys this past week... They do get a lot of sibling groups, however. Also, they started a new orphanage that can house up to 50 children as opposed to 25-30. They passed inspection and were given raving reviews. BTW, a bit of useful information is that our orphanage is the first US orphanage to be allowed in the DRC... that's progress. Please be in prayer that the unrest, rioting and chaos in Egypt will not go southwest to the DRC... especially not when we will be traveling...
They had a staff member that went to DRC to do the groundwork on the new orphanage and to get lots of photos and updates and give a report on things. He just returned yesterday. He will be giving his report by the end of the week, so we may get that information by next week sometime.
We are diligently praying for Isaiah and for his birth family. Please be in prayer with us for them.
As for us, it is extremely hard to wait. It's way worse than being pregnant...truly. I am trying to stay busy with the kids and keep my mind off of it, but it is a constant battle.
Thank you all for your prayers!
They had a staff member that went to DRC to do the groundwork on the new orphanage and to get lots of photos and updates and give a report on things. He just returned yesterday. He will be giving his report by the end of the week, so we may get that information by next week sometime.
We are diligently praying for Isaiah and for his birth family. Please be in prayer with us for them.
As for us, it is extremely hard to wait. It's way worse than being pregnant...truly. I am trying to stay busy with the kids and keep my mind off of it, but it is a constant battle.
Thank you all for your prayers!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Our Adoption Journey
On August 1, 2010, our 12th year Anniversary, the Lord compelled us to pray about His Will. He burdened our hearts to follow Him in another adoption. We prayed much for a few days, as we had heard God's call before and recognized what He was telling us to do. We began the process of paperwork to begin the adoption.
We started with applying to a homestudy agent (Homestudy Fees: $1500). We were blessed with the services of Adoption Support Services of Florida. Lori Fraas, LCSW, was very thorough and very quick in getting the homestudy completed. In order to obtain the homestudy report, numerous papers had to be filed, applied for, filled out and notarized, and chased after. State and local Background checks, Doctor's physicals, Reference letters, Personal history reports, birth certificates, marriage certificates, and several other documents.
In the meantime, we applied for the I600A Immigration Pre-Approval (Permission to pursue adopting abroad) ~$875. We actually jumped the gun on this and had to re-do it as we answered a few of the questions wrongly...eagar, I guess... :) Since we weren't sure where we would be adopting from, we had not known specifications that are according to the country.
We prayed more and the Lord lead us to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Why? ......Why not? He loves all children, no matter their race or demographic location. Besides, the compelling statistics cannot be ignored...children are dying in this country. God has lead us, as Christians, to love beyond boundaries.
The next steps we took were to apply to our Agency (Application Fee: $250). We chose to use the same agency that we used with Joshua's Adoption. Why? Because they were wonderful! They put a personal touch on the Journey that makes you feel as if they are a part of your family.
We began filling out yet another boat load of paperwork called the Dossier, including: Re-applying for the I600A and wait for the approval I171H in the mail approx. 2 months, gather passports, homestudy report, State Criminal clearances, Marriage and Birth Certificates (originals), Full copy of State Adoption Laws (34 pages), passport size photos, Medical letter stating we are in good health, free from HIV and TB and all communicable diseases on Doctor's letterhead and all documents to be notarized...
We had our fingerprints done in Jacksonville (4-5 hour trip one way, 20 min. appt., then 4-5 hour trip back home). We completed each of these steps and were "paper ready" by the end of October 2010. We had to mail all originals to our agency with one complete photocopy and our Agency & Translation Fees ($2300).
We then began the waiting game. We began the child referral process. This is the time when you just wait for a brief bio of a child and you accept or deny them (of course, to deny a child would be impossible). Since we requested a boy age 0-12 months, the wait could be up to 9 months for a referral. It is very hard to determine when a baby will be in need...and many people request infants.
It is now February 23rd, and we are still waiting. However, as of yesturday, we were #2 on the wait list. Progress!!!
I know you must be thinking, well they should have so many children since they are dying...you'd think, right? No. It is very hard to get the word out to villages, where it is so dangerous... Lives would be at risk if staff were to go into the villages. Word of the adoption services travels only through word of mouth from family to family. And, many never hear of this option, especially since many are dying and live in seclusion away from society.
The children must also go through a medical screening and have no diseases. The majority of the children have lost one or both parents to AIDS, TB, or Malaria.
Please pray for us as we wait for the child that the Lord has specifically chosen for our family.
What's next? We will accept a referral. At that time the Country Program Fees (Country, court, and lawyer fees) are due along with post-placement fees for follow-up paperwork($9500). We will also pay monthly orphan care of $150/mo. for Isaiah. We will need to assemble paperwork for our travel visas, a tribunal letter, and file an I600 (Permission to Adopt Abroad). We will need to begin immunizations for Yellow Fever, Hep B, Hep A, Anti-malaria drug, Typhoid, Tetanus-Diptheria booster, and a few others... We must study up on the travel updates and risk levels.
DRC is one of the most dangerous countries in the world. There are Militant Drug groups that go around to villages killing, raping, and beating people. There are robberies and kidnappings that occur in cities. We will travel to Kinshasa in DRC (flight cost: ~$4,000 each, unless you have a very large # of flyer miles-162,000 each- that you'd like to donate :). Once we accept the referral, our travel will be within 3-4 months. We will be taking many gifts for the orphanage, staff members and children. We will have many fees while in Country (~$2-3,000, for accomodations, VISA appt., driver, medical screening before departure, food, etc...). Our travel time will be from 7-14 days. The flights are approx. 36 hours one way.
We will then return home with Isaiah Micah Simmons! What a celebration that will be! To be found faithful to our Lord is worth every sacrifice that will be made.
How can we afford this? We really can't. But God can. And He is faithful to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory. He will lay on the right hearts at the right time, our need. They will be faithful to His call to invest in kingdom treasures. And we will all be blessed by His provision.
I will update you as time draws closer. Thank you for praying for us through this Journey of Faith! May God Bless You!!!
We started with applying to a homestudy agent (Homestudy Fees: $1500). We were blessed with the services of Adoption Support Services of Florida. Lori Fraas, LCSW, was very thorough and very quick in getting the homestudy completed. In order to obtain the homestudy report, numerous papers had to be filed, applied for, filled out and notarized, and chased after. State and local Background checks, Doctor's physicals, Reference letters, Personal history reports, birth certificates, marriage certificates, and several other documents.
In the meantime, we applied for the I600A Immigration Pre-Approval (Permission to pursue adopting abroad) ~$875. We actually jumped the gun on this and had to re-do it as we answered a few of the questions wrongly...eagar, I guess... :) Since we weren't sure where we would be adopting from, we had not known specifications that are according to the country.
We prayed more and the Lord lead us to the Democratic Republic of Congo. Why? ......Why not? He loves all children, no matter their race or demographic location. Besides, the compelling statistics cannot be ignored...children are dying in this country. God has lead us, as Christians, to love beyond boundaries.
The next steps we took were to apply to our Agency (Application Fee: $250). We chose to use the same agency that we used with Joshua's Adoption. Why? Because they were wonderful! They put a personal touch on the Journey that makes you feel as if they are a part of your family.
We began filling out yet another boat load of paperwork called the Dossier, including: Re-applying for the I600A and wait for the approval I171H in the mail approx. 2 months, gather passports, homestudy report, State Criminal clearances, Marriage and Birth Certificates (originals), Full copy of State Adoption Laws (34 pages), passport size photos, Medical letter stating we are in good health, free from HIV and TB and all communicable diseases on Doctor's letterhead and all documents to be notarized...
We had our fingerprints done in Jacksonville (4-5 hour trip one way, 20 min. appt., then 4-5 hour trip back home). We completed each of these steps and were "paper ready" by the end of October 2010. We had to mail all originals to our agency with one complete photocopy and our Agency & Translation Fees ($2300).
We then began the waiting game. We began the child referral process. This is the time when you just wait for a brief bio of a child and you accept or deny them (of course, to deny a child would be impossible). Since we requested a boy age 0-12 months, the wait could be up to 9 months for a referral. It is very hard to determine when a baby will be in need...and many people request infants.
It is now February 23rd, and we are still waiting. However, as of yesturday, we were #2 on the wait list. Progress!!!
I know you must be thinking, well they should have so many children since they are dying...you'd think, right? No. It is very hard to get the word out to villages, where it is so dangerous... Lives would be at risk if staff were to go into the villages. Word of the adoption services travels only through word of mouth from family to family. And, many never hear of this option, especially since many are dying and live in seclusion away from society.
The children must also go through a medical screening and have no diseases. The majority of the children have lost one or both parents to AIDS, TB, or Malaria.
Please pray for us as we wait for the child that the Lord has specifically chosen for our family.
What's next? We will accept a referral. At that time the Country Program Fees (Country, court, and lawyer fees) are due along with post-placement fees for follow-up paperwork($9500). We will also pay monthly orphan care of $150/mo. for Isaiah. We will need to assemble paperwork for our travel visas, a tribunal letter, and file an I600 (Permission to Adopt Abroad). We will need to begin immunizations for Yellow Fever, Hep B, Hep A, Anti-malaria drug, Typhoid, Tetanus-Diptheria booster, and a few others... We must study up on the travel updates and risk levels.
DRC is one of the most dangerous countries in the world. There are Militant Drug groups that go around to villages killing, raping, and beating people. There are robberies and kidnappings that occur in cities. We will travel to Kinshasa in DRC (flight cost: ~$4,000 each, unless you have a very large # of flyer miles-162,000 each- that you'd like to donate :). Once we accept the referral, our travel will be within 3-4 months. We will be taking many gifts for the orphanage, staff members and children. We will have many fees while in Country (~$2-3,000, for accomodations, VISA appt., driver, medical screening before departure, food, etc...). Our travel time will be from 7-14 days. The flights are approx. 36 hours one way.
We will then return home with Isaiah Micah Simmons! What a celebration that will be! To be found faithful to our Lord is worth every sacrifice that will be made.
How can we afford this? We really can't. But God can. And He is faithful to supply all our needs according to His riches in glory. He will lay on the right hearts at the right time, our need. They will be faithful to His call to invest in kingdom treasures. And we will all be blessed by His provision.
I will update you as time draws closer. Thank you for praying for us through this Journey of Faith! May God Bless You!!!
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