The Next Mountain

People are asking us, what's next?  When can you go pickup your kids?

International Adoption is a very long involved process.  Each step involves $ finances.

Our process is going something like this:

$  Home Study - Tons of paperwork                         

$  Choose an Adoption Agency - More paperwork      

    Education Requirements - Reading and paperwork        
    Choose Children to be Adopted - We chose 3!    

$  Gather Documents for Dossier - Mountain of paperwork

$  Passports for Everyone                                 

$  Submit I-600A - Apply for Homeland Security Approval
$  Get Fingerprints Taken   
    First Home Study put on on Hold
$  Second Home Study - new agency - Redo Paperwork                     
    Get an Approved Home Study - Praise the Lord!           
$  Apply for Adoption Grants  - This is next
$  Get Immunizations
    Receive an I-171H Approval from Homeland Security
$  Pay In-Country Fees - This is a HUGE Mountain!
$  Take Dossier to Helena, Montana to get State Seal
$  Submit Dossier to be Authenticated in Washington DC
$  Send Dossier to Ethiopia
    Receive a Court Date
    Pass Court -  Kids legally ours thru Power of Attorney!
$  Submit I-600 to Adopt 3 kids
$  Submit DS-230 App. for Immigrant Visa and Alien Registration
$  Submit I-864 Immigration Affidavit of Support
    Receive an Embassy Date
$  Make Travel Arrangements - another financial mountain
    Travel to Ethiopia
$  Food & Lodging
    PICK UP OUR KIDS!
    Show up for Embassy Appointment
$  Pick up Visas for kids
    Travel Home at last!

So far we have made it through the really tough stuff, at least it feels that way.  The first Home Study had been the biggest spiritual battle and hurdle to get over.  We have already had 2 large fundraisers, one in our town of Whitehall, MT and one in our church parking lot in Butte, MT.  Everyone has been very generous and helped us make it this far.  We were able to pay for 2 Home Studies, our Agency Fees, our I-600A, Fingerprints and Passports for our biological kids.

The next mountain is financing our In-Country Fees.  This next mountain is the most expensive one.  Now that our Home Study is completed, we can begin applying for Adoption Grants.  We are praying that God will continue to provide everything we need.  So far, He has.  And He always finishes things that He starts!

Even though it looks like we are not even half way through the list, if we had all of our finances today, the next part would go by fairly quickly.  So please pray with us as we begin to send out our grant applications this week.

Thanks!

Approved!

I can't believe where the time has gone since my last entry!  
Well, after a long and uphill climb, we have reached the top of this seemingly never-ending mountain!  Our Home Study is finally complete and we have been APPROVED for all three of our 3 kids!  Praise God! 

Cyndi from Global Adoptions sent us a copy of our Home Study to review.  As we read through it page by page I was just overwhelmed.  I remember when I was pregnant with Bethanie, our oldest daughter.  I had lost our first baby in misscarraige, and my pregnancy with Bethanie came with it's fears and a little trouble here and there.  Sometimes I would show signs of another misscarraige coming on, so I would have to stay off my feet.  When at last she finally arrived, all I could do was cry with relief!  I was so happy and relieved that she was finally born, alive and well!  I felt as though I had been holding my breath for 9 months and I could finally breathe!

That's how I felt that day reading the Home Study.  I feel like I have been carrying these children in my heart for so long, and many times it looked as though it would never come to pass, but now, I can see them coming.  They will be ours.  They will arrive, alive and well.  Praise God!