Beginning the Process
By Greg
Awhile ago we announced we started our adoption journey. We haven’t said much since then. Honestly, Im not much of a writer. I love to talk to people and share my story and listen to theirs. But writing words down on paper is hard for me. I’ve met people recently and they’ve asked me, “how is adopting going”? I was honest and said its going slow, because at the beginning its a lot of tedious work, and it doesn’t seem to me like there’s anything interesting to write about. She informed me that even that part is interesting and educational for those who have never adopted before. So I decided I try to share our story and journey.
Along time ago, when I (Jacquie) was 20 yrs old, I had the opportunity to go on a mission trip to India. I spent a lot of time in an orphanage there started by Mother Theresa. That left a lasting impression on me that I will never forget. I also came home knowing I would do what ever I could to help orphans for the rest of my life. Greg, had dreams of adopting or fostering children and even once hoped he could open up a boys home. On our first date when we met, we discussed adoption. Those were dreams from a long time ago, and even though there are things we have both done to help children and orphans, it now time we really want to go forward with this calling. We are confident that its time to grow our family through adoption.
We have chosen domestic adoption for our family at this time. There are millions of orphans all over the world, some in orphanages and some in foster care, and some not yet born. They all need a family. We would like to adopt an infant or small child younger than our two boys. Someday if God leads, we also hope to adopt an older child or do international adoption.
How does someone go about finding an agency to work with? Well there’s lots of ways, google them and use the first one that comes up alphabetically, (some people do that). Or just start researching them and find the one that fits your family and desires best. I have a good friend who has adopted two children and she has a friend who works for a consulting agency in Georgia. We have chosen to use that consulting agency. Consulting agencies cost a little more up front but provide more support and help you work with multiple agencies all at the same time. (Which typically speeds up the time in which babies and families get matched) We’ve paid the initial charge for their services. The next step for us is getting our home study completed. A home study has to be done by a charity or agency close to your home. We are currently working with Catholic Charities to get that done. There’s a lot of paperwork. Some families get this done in a month or less, for others it can take a few months. There are doctors appointments, fingerprinting, visits to our home, etc. Next we will be writing a profile about ourselves, fundraising, applying for grants, and then the getting matched.
There is a lot of work to the journey. At times overwhelming. But we don’t want that to stop us. Its a checklist, not a race. God’s timing is the best. It’s so very exciting, and will be so worth it.