Many friends in the adoption community have been posting about what is going on in our country regarding adoptions.
Last week we received an email that went out to all agencies who do adoptions in our particular African country. Just like in other countries, there have been fraudulent and unethical adoptions. It's not only extremely sad to me that people would take advantage of folks who are wanting to adopt a child in a country where adoption is so necessary, but it's also so sad that the small numbers of those who break the rules, make the process so much harder on the many others who are following the rules. The US Embassy in our country is having to do additional investigations toward the end of the adoption process to confirm that undoubtedly the children are true orphans and therefore can be rightfully adopted. This additional investigation will be delaying adoptions by 3 months or more. It goes into effect now for those families who have not received their final Embassy appointment.
As you can guess, we are waiting on our final Embassy appointment and so this email sent me in a panic. Were we included in this delay with additional investigations or not?
After talking to my agency, I feel more at peace that we are most likely NOT included in this group of additional investigation. I also have a great peace about our process. Our agency was the first agency to conduct adoptions in this country. They have laid the groundwork for all of those who have come after them. They have hired personnel who were highly recommended by the US Embassy in the capital city. They have brought home over 130 children from this country in the last 8 years and not once have they had a visa denied. They have a good reputation there.
I rest in that. As hard as it is to find a good adoption agency, it is crucial. In the last year, I have heard some AWFUL stories about families who have not chosen reputable agencies and lived to regret it....some never seeing their children after paying full costs. It's really, really sad and I can't imagine the pain and heartache of these families.
I am thankful for our agency and if you are considering adopting, I would love to recommend our agency to you. The story behind how we found this small, yet reputable agency is totally a God thing. God led us there and there is no other explanation for it. They know what they are doing and they do it well and efficiently. They may cost more than other agencies, but to me, it's worth the additional cost to know that everything is done with integrity and efficiency. These children's lives are at stake. Their future is reliant on agencies like mine. It's THAT important.
Saturday, February 9, 2013
Friday, February 8, 2013
God's Got This
Two Saturdays ago we had a beautiful baby shower for the boys. I can't wait to post about it because it was so special to me. As soon as my friend passes her photos to me, I will tell you all about it.
Right now we are waiting.
I remember way back when I kept reading that the waiting period between the referral and coming home was the hardest time. I guess because I expected it to be a long time, it didn't seem so unbearable to me. I kept myself busy filling out grant applications, doing fund raising and so the time didn't make me anxious.
On January 11 we received our approval from the USCIS. We informed our country that we were ready for our last embassy appointments. IF we were traveling to Africa, this would be the appointment that we would need to be attending. There's actually a series of 3 appointments we would attend with the boys before leaving the country. Because our plans had to shift and we are having an escort bring them home, we will have a power of attorney go to these appointments on our stead.
I expected the embassy dates to be assigned quickly. I guess I assumed that it was just a matter of looking at their calendar and assigning us the next available date.
But we have yet to get an appointment and almost 1 month has passed.
It's been OUR hard waiting time. It seems so close to the time that we will be heading to the airport to pick up our little guys. I knew they probably wouldn't be here for their birthday, but I thought we would be included on the monthly escort trip that will come home mid to late February bringing several children home to their forever families in the US. I'm starting to think that it is probably unlikely that February will be our month.
It's the final trimester of this pregnancy. The estimated due date is fast approaching (estimated is the key word there). I'm about to pop and dying for these babies to get here. The doctor keeps saying "Any day now." I'm ready for my scheduled induction.
In my earnestness to have the boys home, I texted my sweet friend who has paved the way before us...the one who's own little guy was foster buddies with ours. Her simple response was just what I needed to hear in this time of trying to be patient....
"It is hard, but do not give up hope. You are so close! God's got this!;)"
Yep. God does have this. He hand picked those 2 little precious, brown faces before we could even imagine and knew they would be lifted from Africa and placed in Tennessee. He knew they would live in the country with 6 crazy siblings - fishing in the pond, jumping on the trampoline and learning how to ski at an early age. He knew they would hold hands around a big table of 10 people each night to bow their heads to thank their Heavenly Father for a nutritious and bountiful meal. He knew the time they would walk through the doors of their new home. He knows when that last embassy appointment will be.
He's got this and I can rest in that, however anxious we are.
Right now we are waiting.
I remember way back when I kept reading that the waiting period between the referral and coming home was the hardest time. I guess because I expected it to be a long time, it didn't seem so unbearable to me. I kept myself busy filling out grant applications, doing fund raising and so the time didn't make me anxious.
On January 11 we received our approval from the USCIS. We informed our country that we were ready for our last embassy appointments. IF we were traveling to Africa, this would be the appointment that we would need to be attending. There's actually a series of 3 appointments we would attend with the boys before leaving the country. Because our plans had to shift and we are having an escort bring them home, we will have a power of attorney go to these appointments on our stead.
I expected the embassy dates to be assigned quickly. I guess I assumed that it was just a matter of looking at their calendar and assigning us the next available date.
But we have yet to get an appointment and almost 1 month has passed.
It's been OUR hard waiting time. It seems so close to the time that we will be heading to the airport to pick up our little guys. I knew they probably wouldn't be here for their birthday, but I thought we would be included on the monthly escort trip that will come home mid to late February bringing several children home to their forever families in the US. I'm starting to think that it is probably unlikely that February will be our month.
It's the final trimester of this pregnancy. The estimated due date is fast approaching (estimated is the key word there). I'm about to pop and dying for these babies to get here. The doctor keeps saying "Any day now." I'm ready for my scheduled induction.
In my earnestness to have the boys home, I texted my sweet friend who has paved the way before us...the one who's own little guy was foster buddies with ours. Her simple response was just what I needed to hear in this time of trying to be patient....
"It is hard, but do not give up hope. You are so close! God's got this!;)"
Yep. God does have this. He hand picked those 2 little precious, brown faces before we could even imagine and knew they would be lifted from Africa and placed in Tennessee. He knew they would live in the country with 6 crazy siblings - fishing in the pond, jumping on the trampoline and learning how to ski at an early age. He knew they would hold hands around a big table of 10 people each night to bow their heads to thank their Heavenly Father for a nutritious and bountiful meal. He knew the time they would walk through the doors of their new home. He knows when that last embassy appointment will be.
He's got this and I can rest in that, however anxious we are.
Thursday, January 31, 2013
The Widow's Mite
This week when this cute little friend came over to play....
she handed me this to contribute to getting our boys home...her life savings.
And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.” Luke 21:1-4
she handed me this to contribute to getting our boys home...her life savings.
And He looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury, and He saw also a certain poor widow putting in two mites. So He said, “Truly I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all; for all these out of their abundance have put in offerings for God, but she out of her poverty put in all the livelihood that she had.” Luke 21:1-4
Thursday, January 24, 2013
Matching Grant
I think the main reason that prevents families from adopting, especially internationally, is the cost. It's not cheap to pay for an adoption and many families can't fathom how they could pay for the adoption process. I know of several families now who are in waiting to bring a child home because of lack of funding. It's sad, really, to think of waiting children in desperate need of families with families with desperate desires to adopt and money is the gap between them, especially when our country is the wealthiest country in the world by a long haul.
During our adoption process, I wanted to give fund raising my best shot. At times it seemed overwhelming and honestly sometimes it felt like a waste of my time. My efforts included:
* selling farm eggs, produce and raw honey
* participating in 2 children's consignment sales
* hosting 2 garage sales
* opening an etsy shop to make t-shirts, handbags and head bands
* selling clothing on ebay
* selling furniture & household items on Craigslist
* selling our Lionel train set on ebay
* Swap & Shop to Adopt
* On line auction
Up until this time, we have not asked people for donations, but generous friends and family members have surprised us with donations that have blessed us immensely. All of these things combined have totaled close to $10,000. We are so blessed by that!
As I've mentioned before, I have applied for 10 grants from various agencies who have funds to help adoptive families. We have heard back from over half of those and each one we were denied funding. We were so grateful when we got home from Turkey to hear from Lifesong. Lifesong is a non-profit Christian ministry dedicated to help meet the needs of orphan children around the world, and obey God's call to "visit the fatherless....in their affliction." (James 1:27). They have approved us for a $3,000 matching grant. That means that for every dollar we raise, they will match that dollar up to $3,000. YIPPEE! We have until March 6 to raise this money. Below is the letter that we have sent out to friends, by request of Lifesong. If the Lord is nudging you to donate to our adoption, you can follow the directions below and mail a check to Lifesong on our behalf or make a donation through Paypal or credit card by clicking here.
During our adoption process, I wanted to give fund raising my best shot. At times it seemed overwhelming and honestly sometimes it felt like a waste of my time. My efforts included:
* selling farm eggs, produce and raw honey
* participating in 2 children's consignment sales
* hosting 2 garage sales
* opening an etsy shop to make t-shirts, handbags and head bands
* selling clothing on ebay
* selling furniture & household items on Craigslist
* selling our Lionel train set on ebay
* Swap & Shop to Adopt
* On line auction
Up until this time, we have not asked people for donations, but generous friends and family members have surprised us with donations that have blessed us immensely. All of these things combined have totaled close to $10,000. We are so blessed by that!
As I've mentioned before, I have applied for 10 grants from various agencies who have funds to help adoptive families. We have heard back from over half of those and each one we were denied funding. We were so grateful when we got home from Turkey to hear from Lifesong. Lifesong is a non-profit Christian ministry dedicated to help meet the needs of orphan children around the world, and obey God's call to "visit the fatherless....in their affliction." (James 1:27). They have approved us for a $3,000 matching grant. That means that for every dollar we raise, they will match that dollar up to $3,000. YIPPEE! We have until March 6 to raise this money. Below is the letter that we have sent out to friends, by request of Lifesong. If the Lord is nudging you to donate to our adoption, you can follow the directions below and mail a check to Lifesong on our behalf or make a donation through Paypal or credit card by clicking here.
Dear Friends & Church Family,
“A father to the
fatherless…God sets the lonely in families…”
Psalm 68:5,6
Many of you already know that we are in the process of
adopting twin boys from central Africa. The Lord gave us a heart for adoption early
on in our marriage. The Lord’s timing is
perfect, and He put the strong desire in us last year to actively pursue adding
children to our family through adoption.
Through circumstances orchestrated by the Lord, we were led to a
wonderful agency in Indianapolis to adopt from (country undisclosed). (Country undisclosed) is a country of great need. The infant mortality rate is 50%, most of who
die of treatable sicknesses such as malaria or hepatitis.
There are an estimated 147 million orphans in the world, but
the cost of international adoption oftentimes hinders people from considering
adoption. The average cost of an
international adoption for one child is $30,000. These numbers can be overwhelming. We know that God loves these children dearly
and calls Christians to care for them, training them to know and serve
Him. Not everyone is called to give
orphans a forever family, but James 1:27 says
“Religion
that God our Father accepts as pure and fautless is this: to
look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from
being polluted by the world.” It is God’s heart for us, as
believers, to look after the orphans.
One very important way that believers can do this is to financially give
to the adoption of other Christian families.
Our adoption costs so far have been over $41,000. We are in the final stages of bringing our
boys home and will have an estimated $15,000
due to complete the process. Making our
financial needs known to others has been a difficult part of this process for us,
but we know that it is Biblical to do so.
We appreciate your friendship and support and would like to ask you to
prayerfully consider helping our adoption.
Pray: Please pray for our boys as they wait to come
home. Pray that their little bodies will
remain healthy and that God would prepare them and us as we become their
forever family.
Give: Would you please consider making a
tax-deductible donation to help us pay for the remaining costs of our adoption
expenses?
Lifesong (www.lifesongfororphans.org)
has graciously given us a Matching Grant
of $3,000 to help pay for the balance of our adoption expenses. If you would like to be a part of helping our
little fellas coming home to our family, you can send your tax-deductible gift between now and March 6, 2013 to the address
below. Lifesong is a trusted
organization administering the funds on the behalf of our twins, and will pay
adoption expenses out of funds received.
** Please make checks payable to: Lifesong. Please preference FISH FAMILY # 3227 in the memo section of your check. (Note:
In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to Lifesong which retains
full discretion and control over its use, but intends to honor the donor’s
suggested use.)
** Mail checks to: Lifesong for Orphans
Attn: Fish Family #3227
P.O.
Box 40 / 202 N. Ford St.
Gridley,
IL 61744
Thank you in advance for investing in the Kingdom through your prayers
and finances – it will be an investment with eternal returns! (Matt.6:20).
You may follow our adoption blog at www.findingallourfishsticks.blogspot.com
to receive updates on our adoption. May
God be glorified in and through us!
In Christ,
The Fish Family
Thursday, January 17, 2013
Hands & Feet
This band was amazing. Their heart for orphan care was predominant as they shared about their ministry in Haiti and the practical ways that they personally have committed to being the "hands of feet" of Jesus through caring for the fatherless. They shared several stories with us of children that were rescued, cared for and given love and families through their orphanage. Real tangible ways! Russ Taff made a surprise appearance and joined the band on stage to lead us in a song of Amazing Grace. Wow!!! It was such a privilege to be there and be encouraged in our own process of adoption. A pure time of praise and worship to the King!
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
A Family Who Needs Our Prayers
What I am about to post really has nothing to do with our adoption, but I am assuming that if you read this blog it is because you care about my family and our boys in Africa and/or you have a heart for orphans yourself.
I wanted to send you to a link today to lift up a family who needs our prayers. My parents are friends with a sweet family who has 3 biological kids and 3 children adopted from Ethiopia. The mom was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago and went to be with the Lord last night. When my mom told me about it this morning and I searched to find their blog, I realized that I had gone to her fundraising sight many times over the past 5 years because I love the dresses that she sells. I even modeled my girls' Easter dresses one year from her pattern on her site.
Would you please take a moment to view this family's blog and pray for these precious children and husband who now has a large job of raising them alone?
http://itspoppydipblog.blogspot.com/
http://www.itspoppydip.blogspot.com/
I wanted to send you to a link today to lift up a family who needs our prayers. My parents are friends with a sweet family who has 3 biological kids and 3 children adopted from Ethiopia. The mom was diagnosed with cancer a few years ago and went to be with the Lord last night. When my mom told me about it this morning and I searched to find their blog, I realized that I had gone to her fundraising sight many times over the past 5 years because I love the dresses that she sells. I even modeled my girls' Easter dresses one year from her pattern on her site.
Would you please take a moment to view this family's blog and pray for these precious children and husband who now has a large job of raising them alone?
http://itspoppydipblog.blogspot.com/
http://www.itspoppydip.blogspot.com/
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Moving Forward to the End
Two posts ago, I mentioned that we had received our USCIS (Homeland
Security from US) approval after just 10 days. Well, I seemed to have
jumped the gun a bit. The phone call from country was just a
confirmation of information received. The I600 paper was sent to USCIS
on Dec. 1 with a 4-6 weeks processing time, adding 1 extra week for the
holidays. That put our wait from this past week to the 3rd week in
January.
Upon returning home from our holiday trip, we found out that there might be a hold up with USCIS due to our income amounts as seen on the last 2 years income tax returns. With My Man being self-employed as a builder, these last 5 years have been rough on us. Thankfully he's a man committed to living debt-free and not living above our means. During all the good, booming years of the building economy, he saved up. When the economy plummeted, we had savings to live off of. This has become tricky with our adoption process and grant applications because they always ask for the last 2 years income tax returns. The last 2 years were our worst and one even shows below the poverty level.
The Lord has blessed us financially this year but without pay stubs (being self-employed) it's hard for us to show that to others. We mentioned this to our agency, who in turn contacted the USCIS to see if we might run into problems. They said yes we probably would. The last week has been spent collecting additional financial documents to send to them so that we won't experience hold ups and to prove to them that we can afford a household of 10 people.
I was shocked to find in the mail the I600 approval from the USCIS yesterday, since the additional documentation was going to be mailed out in the next day or so. YIPPEE!!! We are so thankful for that fast processing with no hold ups and so grateful that our agency has been on top of this issue. We will continue to send the USCIS our additional documentation to prevent any further delay when other papers are processed through them.
Today we received more adorable photos of the boys. They look so happy and healthy. I have concluded that the care package we sent them had clothes too small for them because they have not worn them in any of the photos. That means they are growing and thriving in foster care and that makes this Mama really happy. They were posing with muscles showing and big grins on their faces. Adorable.
Their
birthday will be in about a month and my prayer is that the Lord will
bring them home to us so we can all celebrate together. It may be far
fetched, but just the prayer of a mother in waiting. I bought this
Christmas ornament to support an adoption fundraiser. It kind of
describes where we are now. It's so exciting to think that next
Christmas we will look at this ornament and remember the waiting that
has long since been over and get to hold the 2 precious brown faces of
our boys....Fish Sticks forever!
Upon returning home from our holiday trip, we found out that there might be a hold up with USCIS due to our income amounts as seen on the last 2 years income tax returns. With My Man being self-employed as a builder, these last 5 years have been rough on us. Thankfully he's a man committed to living debt-free and not living above our means. During all the good, booming years of the building economy, he saved up. When the economy plummeted, we had savings to live off of. This has become tricky with our adoption process and grant applications because they always ask for the last 2 years income tax returns. The last 2 years were our worst and one even shows below the poverty level.
The Lord has blessed us financially this year but without pay stubs (being self-employed) it's hard for us to show that to others. We mentioned this to our agency, who in turn contacted the USCIS to see if we might run into problems. They said yes we probably would. The last week has been spent collecting additional financial documents to send to them so that we won't experience hold ups and to prove to them that we can afford a household of 10 people.
I was shocked to find in the mail the I600 approval from the USCIS yesterday, since the additional documentation was going to be mailed out in the next day or so. YIPPEE!!! We are so thankful for that fast processing with no hold ups and so grateful that our agency has been on top of this issue. We will continue to send the USCIS our additional documentation to prevent any further delay when other papers are processed through them.
Today we received more adorable photos of the boys. They look so happy and healthy. I have concluded that the care package we sent them had clothes too small for them because they have not worn them in any of the photos. That means they are growing and thriving in foster care and that makes this Mama really happy. They were posing with muscles showing and big grins on their faces. Adorable.
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