Ethiopia Here We Come!

So, we met with Deon from Bethany this morning. Ethiopia it is!!! Yea, we now know for sure which country we are going with. Korea and Russia both had some red flags, things we might be able to get around but could be quite a head ache and even possibly backfire on us. Ethiopia was completely clear. So . . .Deon is double checking on the requirements for the youngest child's age (being 6 months) at application time. She wasn't sure and didn't know if this other lady at the national office was *recommending* it or if it was a real *rule*. If we can't submit the application until Gabriel is 6 months old she figured we could at least start the paperwork for it and have it read for the day he's 6 months old. She is contacting Bonnie to find out for sure and will call us back. Most likely we will be able to meet with Deon again to get the paperwork and start collecting all the other things we need. I will update when I know more.

Edited to Add: I just got an email from Bonnie asking us to call her. I called and we talked about Gabriel's age. The biggest concern is that is if the process goes as quickly as it 1 year or less are we ready and mentally prepared to have another baby in the house. I said, "Yes!" We know this is God's timing for us. So, she is going to talk to the people who work with Ethiopia and tell them she's spoken with us, the local social worker has spoken with us and we feel that we're ready. If they say "ok" then she will send us the formal application paper work right away. YEA!

Bethany Appointment

Thursday July 31st at 10AM MT. We are meeting with someone from Bethany to have our "information meeting" which is one of the steps we must take. It will be good to ask all our questions. We should really know where we stand by then. The lady left a message on my cell today saying we qualified for Ethiopia and then for two other countries but those two bring up concerns. So, I still think Ethiopia might end up being the country we choose. I am so excited to finally talk to someone. So, I should have a newsy update the end of next week.

I am so nervous!

We just got an email saying the National Bethany Office reviewed our preliminary application and they have sent it on to the local Grand Junction office. The email said that our local Bethany office would call us within the next TWO days to talk to us about our application. I am SOOO nervous that they will say, "Sorry you don't qualify for any country." Chances are low that would happen but I can't help but think that will happen. So, we're still on vacation in WA and leaving the morning after tomorrow to head to CA to visit friends. I wonder if they will call us while we're on the drive down there.

We haven't told our friends Joah and Michelle (the friends we're going to visit) about our adoption plans yet. But if we find out we qualify through a call on the drive there we will probably share the news. There are a lot of people who know we *want* to some day adopt, a handful of people who know we are actualy *going to* pursue this and even fewer who know we have officially *started* to pursue it. We didn't want to share it with too many people incase it ends up not working out. It would be too hard to have to answer a million questions if the Lord decides to shut this door. Once we know we qualify for a country and can submit the formal application we will most likely be shouting it from the roof tops. :-)

Email about preapplicaion

We just got an email in response to our pre-application.

Hi David and Kami

I checked on your Bethany international preapplication this morning. Jane Bradford was on vacation last week and was not able to review your application to comment on your approval or denial in the Philippines, Korea, and Ethiopia programs. I think she is back today, so hopefully we will have the answers on these 3 programs.

Guatemala is "on hold" until the country is allowed to reopen their adoption program. Guatemala is a Hague Treaty country and they did not have their laws in order on April 1 when the Hague Treaty went into effect. When they do have their laws in place (expected in 2009) Bethany is very eager to be part of that program again.

Lithuania - we do not feel this country is a good fit for you. If you have not Lithuanian heritage, the wait will be long (3 plus years). You would need to be open to children up to the age of 7.

Russia - you do meet the basic requirements, but the program coordinator has concerns that a Russia judge would rule against approving your adoption based on your young ages, your children's young ages, and income. Judges have recently required families to have higher incomes. Some are following China's rule of $10,000 per family member, including the adoptive child - so $50,000 minimum income may be required.

Uzbekistan - per the program coordinator at the national office, your family does not meet requirements.

I will let you know about the other programs as soon as I receive the information.

Bonnie Deur
Intercountry Adoption Program Coordinator

So, Ethiopia sill looks like a good possibility. We'll see.

slight delay

A possible concern about our time frame was brought to our attention so we looked into it. A distent friend on a message board asked me (Kami) if we had to wait to apply until Gabriel was a year old. Wow, I hadn't thought of that. So, I emailed someone at Bethany and this is the email we got today:

"If you have already completed the preapplication on our website, that is fine. If not, please wait to apply until your child is 6-months old, per the program coordinator. "

Gabriel will be 4 1/2 months old by the time we can meet with someone from Bethany. It's a little air out of our balloon but I am trying to see the good in having to wait another month and a half. First is that I am thankful that we didn't start this months ago and have to wait even longer. Second is that we now have 6 weeks to raise/earn $550 to pay for the application and possibly not have to put it on a credit card or get a loan. I don't even know if Bethany would take a card. I know eventually we'll have to get a loan or something to pay for some of the fees (I think there is another $3000.00 + fee that is due soon after applying). We will have to fund raise and save to pay the loan off. We are optimistic hearing that one family raised every penny to pay for their adoption from Ethiopia.

There is a possibility that Dave and I might get the custodian position at our church and could save some of that to pay the adoption fees. Also, Dave will Lord willing be done with his Masters this year and there is a chance he can teach at the Grand Junction branch of CO. Christian College which would really help. So, we're just praying about that right now.

First steps out of the way

July 11th, 2008
We got our passport applications subsitted. Woohoo! first step completed.


July 15th, 2008
We submitted our preliminary application submitted online to Bethany Christian Services.

Next step: We are in Seattle right now but as soon as we get back to Grand Junction we can meet with someone from Bethany to talk through the options and get help on officially choosing a country. We are fairly confident we'll choose Ethiopia but we want to get some questions answered and get their advice on this. August will really start this whole thing. It's exciting!

Adoption as a Ministry of the Church

I wanted to share this:

https://www.kingdomkidsadoption.org/292282.ihtml

Adoption as a Ministry of the Church

James 1:27 says “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.”

The Greek word for “look after”, “episkeptomai”, does not merely mean to go to see, but to relieve the problem. Not a shallow term, it implies a commitment to fully meet the needs of the person to whom we are ministering. James indicates that this type of commitment is an outpouring of a heart determined to follow the Lord rather than the world’s standards.

It is every believer’s responsibility to care for orphans, not just a select few. If we truly believe this, in every church there should be families ministering to “orphaned” children in a variety of ways. While some families can welcome a child into their homes, others can help make this possible financially. Still others can provide respite care or make physical modifications of the church facility.

The method a family chooses to minister to children needing families isn’t as important as the fact that we all should be ministering to these children in some way. The love that we lavish on these children will be both a testimony to the world and an opportunity to show our love for the Lord.

Ultimately in the day of judgment “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” – Matthew 25:40 (NIV)

The beginning

June 24th, 2008

We've (Dave and I) been very convicted about this verse
James 1:27
"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."

Our church is a Christian and Missionary Alliance church so they talk about mission work over seas ALL the time. There is a family who started an org. called Children with Hope. They have an American family who lives in Eldoret Kenya and they have 5 or so orphan kids with them. They aren't officially an orphanage yet because they need 20 kids. SO. . . our high school youth group is on a mission to raise $24,000 before the end of July to build a second home on the land next to this family to house the rest of the kids. (If you hadn't heard there was a big feud there because of the elections and MANY more kids were orphaned since Dec. 07) This is one thing we can do to take care of orphans but it still seems small to us. . .

. . . so, we are going to adopt unless God says "no".