As many of you may or may not know, David and I have started our first steps toward adopting from Ethiopia. David and I both have backgrounds in missions and have visited overseas orphanages in several different countries. Because of this, international adoption has always been something we have talked about even before we married in 2000.
I recently had a wake up call while taking my boys to see the movie Up. (Spoiler Alert!) In the movie, the couple who are unable to have children, have a dream to move to South America. The beginning shows a montage of them over the years saving then spending then saving the money needed for the move. As time passes by they grow older and the wife becomes very ill and passes away never living her dream to live in South America. My first initial reaction was, "Lord, what are you doing to me? I had just lost two babies and I am watching a movie about a woman who could not have children die and never see any of her dreams fulfilled?'' It was then that I was reminded of our dream to internationally adopt and then the thought came to mind, "Would this be something we always talk about but never see to fruition?"
I discussed it with David and he also felt like it was time to move forward. In the past it always seemed something that would be so daunting; Where do you start? What country do you choose? How do you pay for all the fees? We spent the next month researching and praying about what directions to take. Ethiopia was the country that we felt an immediate peace over. We both have always had a heart for Africa. David spent time in Africa, David's father spent three years in Africa in the peace core, my grandparents have been on missions there, my father has been involved in missions to South Africa, and I have always dreamed of going on a missions trip there. This could be something the whole family could get behind and I could see my dream of traveling to Africa when we go to Ethiopia to pick up our new little one.
After several recommendations from neighbors and friends we decided to go with FTIA (Families Through International Adoption) out of Evansville, Indiana. We submitted our applications during the last week of July and was approved to move forward with the home study process. We are going with Catholic Charities out of Owensboro, Kentucky for our home study. We had our first meeting at our house on August 17th and it went very well.
We have also scheduled our first fundraiser, an indoor garage sale/ bake sale/ mum sale in the basement of the Christian Assembly on September 19th.
I will be posting all of our progress on this blogspot so you can stay up to date with the process.
No comments:
Post a Comment