Immeasurably More
"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us." - Ephesians 3:20
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the process look like?
Paperwork, paperwork and more paperwork! We have two agencies, a placing agency and a home study agency. The placing agency will actually 'place' our child with us. They work directly with Vietnam and have staff in country. However, this agency is in Oklahoma, so we need a local agency to complete paperwork for us.They will help us complete a home study, which is a big document that basically summarizes our life and proves we are fit to be parents. We have to get background checked, fingerprinted, tell our life history, etc. Then we have to send paperwork to the US government for approval. If we pay $200 and pass go (ha), THEN we send a big packet of fancy, important papers called a 'dossier' (pronounced da-see-ay) to Vietnam for approval. From there, we will officially be matched with our child. Eventually, we will travel to Vietnam to bring them HOME! We don't know how long it will take at this point, as the program is so new.
Why does adoption cost so much?
This is a good question. As a former adoption social worker, I can assure you that the agencies and their staff aren't getting rich from adoptive parent fees :) There is a lot that goes into the process, and it involves communication between governments, agencies, lawyers, etc....and in a different language. Some of the fees pay for the individuals doing their jobs to process the adoption: social workers, attorneys, in-country liasons, immigration, etc. I like how this author explains it:
http://www.pureandlasting.com/why-does-adoption-cost-so-much/
We believe there is no value that can be placed on a child's life. If we would spend $25,000 on a car, isn't a child's life worth infinitely more??
Don't you want your "own" child?
Our child will be 'our own' just as much as a biological child will be :) We will love them as much as any child born to us. Yes, we would love to have biological children one day, but we are extremely excited about adding to our family through adoption.
Are you adopting a boy or girl?
It's a...GIRL! She's two years old.