It's official!

Well, we had our phone appointment with AGCI and it went great! We were highly impressed with the time she took with us to answer our questions and how thourough she was with her information. The great news is that we can be only on a boy wait list and they are now Hague accredited!! These were the only two things that gave us pause so now that those are cleared up, we're in! We have decided to adopt using AGCI so the process begins. Neil has to get a doctor's documentation about his Melanoma so that Ethiopia doesn't reject us with the word "cancer". She said it shouldn't be a problem as long as we have dr. documentation on record. Then it's filling out a financial worksheet and doing our phone orientation before we officially sign the contract. WOW - this is really happening! I will tell you that we are so excited but so nervous! We are trusting that God's hand will be with us all the way and give us exactly what we need at exactly the right time. He has always been faithful so there is no reason to doubt Him now. This is going to be a huge leap of faith and I look forward to how He will be working through us and everyone else who will be on this journey with our family.

Neil told his parent's last night and I had talked to my parent's on Friday. We'd tried to tell everyone we could but I was bursting at the seams to announce to our church family and friends so last night I was up sending email after email! I asked for specific prayers for our baby boy who is probably already concieved and for his birth mother. To be with her and baby brother's health. To be with her as she is probably having to make the hardest decision of her life to give up her child. I couldn't even imagine. Our joy is someone's heartache...

God-incidence

I heard this word on another blog where the women was making reference to all the times she saw God's hand in her life. I certainly don't believe in a coincidence so I love this word! Over the past three months I've had a ton of God-incidences and I'd love to write them down so I can remember them!

The first and most specific and vivid happened back on January 11th. God put me at the right place at the right time! A few weeks before was when I first came across a blog called "Our Hearts are in Ethiopia". Neil and I started following it as they had just gotten back with their first baby boy. My best friend Kate was the mother's roomate in college for one year and I had met her at least once a loooooooong time ago. But I still felt connected knowing someone mutual =) Through her blog I learned that Ethiopia adoption was growing and becoming more common. I went to a ton of blogs from theirs to read a lot of people's stories. I was growing fascinated by the country and loving these dark brown eyes I was seeing over and over again. On January 10th I remember thinking "We could be these people! We could really adopt from Ethiopia." Wondering what kind of community they had in San Antonio, I searched but didn't find much of anything.

Ok.... now onto Jan 11th. Claire had her first swim lesson that day and as I was getting Claire ready for her lesson (in the wrong area mind you), I overheard a woman telling one of the coaches that they were going to be missing lessons. They were traveling to Ethiopia to pick up their daughter they just adopted. WHAT?! Did I hear her correctly?  So once I got Claire in the right place, I told the lady that I didn't mean to listen but heard she was adopting from Ethiopia. We talked about their story for a little bit. They started their process adopting from Taiwan but switched about a year ago. She was in a rush to get out so she gave me her email, blog site and phone number. I've been following their blog ever since and I've never seen her at lessons again. So cool.... God really encouraged me through this meeting with a total stranger that I felt oddly connected to. They are now back with Evie and adjusting with having three kiddos under the age of 5.

Well, because the earthquake in Haiti happened that week, there was a TON of adoption talk all around the media. Every time I turned the TV or radio on they were wondering what was happening to all the kids. I saw a special on Oprah, GMA and a 20 minute segment on Dr. Phil - that's a huge amount of time to discuss adoption in Haiti. All this kept coming at me for about three weeks and every time I learned something new. Something else to consider or pray about.

Jan. 26th I started corresponding with Sara Matheny when I found out they were wanting to start the adoption process too! I was so excited to know someone personally who was going through things now and to exchange some research. They were looking at two of the agencies I was really looking into and even considering Ethiopia. Sara and her hubby Philip went to church with us way back BC (Before Claire). They were just expecting their first so I guess that was almost 5 years ago.

I've been so overwhelmed with reading and asking for agency packets from everywhere trying to see which one is the best for us. It's so hard. I feel pulled to different ones for different reasons. AGCI is one that I feel emotionally tied to because it is the agency that "Our Hearts" used and it was my first agency to really learn about. They have a wonderful program from what I read and they have been so good about following up with me with a phone call and now with two emails seeing if we need help or have questions. I like that. So... Feb. 22nd I went to work. I walked into the choir room and Dianna said "First of all, we are all God's children...." Yes, she said that in a public school =) She was having on of her heart to hearts with the 7th graders. Basicly telling them we are all equal. And as I'm trying to get everything ready for lessons and wave my first student down to come to me, she said "I hope you adopt this idea...." It caught my ear and I thought how weird is that?  I don't know what it all means but I know God works through people. I'm not basing any decision off of it but I do find it interesting and a fun story!

There are other little things here and there. A song that comes on the radio. A new campaign on KLOVE about meeting the needs of the oppressed. Mostly it's something that I read on another blog... I could go on and on.

I love it when I see His hand and prints all over our lives and I especially love sharing what He is doing in our hearts. Just the past week I feel like we've probably made the decision to go with Ethiopian adoption we just haven't officially made it so! We just speak as if that's what's going to happen! I'm getting so excited!

Learning the terms

While researching some grant ideas with Shohannah's Hope, it says that the agency we are working with must be a 501(c)(3). Had now idea what that meant so here is a link:

What does it mean to be a 501(c)(3)?
501 meaning they are more charitable, educational or religious
c - list of the exempt organizations
3 - organization operating for a bunch of different things but I specificly saw religious and prevention of cruelty to animals

Now was does it mean to be Hague accredited? (Buckner is actually both)

Hague Accreditation establishes safeguards to ensure intercountry adoption occurs in the best interest of children and families with the highest of integrity and ethics in practice. It is expected that The Hague will be in full force by April 2008.

-America’s commitment on a global level for providing protection and best practice in adoption of the world’s children.

Shohannah's link for adoption grant info including a list of 501(c)(3) agencies. This page also gives idea for other ways to fund an adoption including other organizations that award grants and have small loans.

American World Adoption Agency

We got our AWAA packet today - finally! It was delayed with all the snow on the east coast. It's like Christmas when I hear the UPS truck come and drop something off. I didn't know what it was until I opened the door (thanking the UPS person for not rinigng the doorbell) and there it was. A beautiful presentation. Still need to look all the way through it but it came with country info sheets along with the prices, etc. It also came with a DVD that we'll watch soon. The Chapman family used this agency along with a few other families that I'm following right now. It seems to be a great organization. It's so overwhleming to go through everything and wonder which one is right for us. Still praying for direction....

AGCI - First agency packet

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."
John 14:18

"Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed."
Psalm 82:3

We got AGCI packet last Thursday and I was like a kid on Christmas opening up the package! I had the kids by myself all day (Neil was out of town) and didn't get to it till about 10 at night but I read cover to cover. It was very exciting to have the info right at my fingertips when there is so much that you can't access online. It came with a book that I just started and a DVD that Neil and I will watch together.

Wow - this is just another step in this exciting journey of research. I continue to ask God for His guidance so I don't pass on what exactly He wants for us. The one thing that the packet kept saying is "the child God has chosen for you". LOVE that!

"We're committed to uniting your family with the child God has chosen for you."
"AGCI believes that, if God has called you to adoption, He has chosen a child for your family."
"We strive to assist families in detereming which program is right for them and ultimately, where God has chosen your child"

It was so amazing to think that even now, God knows all the details of this journey and ultimately the child who will be ours one day. He knows them by name!!

Someone else is embracing our family's desire to adopt - big sister Claire!!
She pointed through and said "I want to bring that girl/boy home." When she saw the Ethiopian page she asked "Is that Haiti?" So sweet. (She asks to pray for Haiti every night) Last night before bed she said "We're going to have a brother someday." I laughed and said I prayed we would. So she said "If he wants to play with my blue purse, I'll give it to him. And if he wants my star purse, I'll let him play with it." This is her new purse from Grandma that is sparkly and attached to her all day. I said "Your star purse?!" and she looked at me and said "mmmmmmm.... maybe not my star purse!" We talk freely about it around her and she will say things here and there that encourages me that her heart is as open to bringing someone into our family as we are.

First info packets

SO excited to get our first info packets from the two agency we will be looking into - AGCI and AWAA (American World Adoption Agency). We requested the AGCI packet three weeks ago but never got it so I'm about to request again and we are getting the AWAA in 3-5 business days. I also looked up seminars but could only find one near Dallas. Heard from someone at AWAA and he told me they will have their schedule up soon and should have one in SA this Spring.

So cool... in corresponding with Sara Matheny about their adoption process, I asked her about the two agencies above and she said those were the two they were looking at using as well. They are going to be using AGCI and I wanted to remember this list of reasons because they are awesome and will give me something to base my research and questions for other agencies. They really seem to have a heart for orphans and taking care of them as well as possible while they are waiting for their forever families.

There are several reasons AGCI is our favorite agency:


1) They're mission is bigger than just adoption.....they are about orphan care. They take care of the ones that don't get adopted, too.

2) In several countries they have their own orphanages. That way you know your child has been cared for and loved in those months that you're waiting to get them. In watching some "gotcha day" videos from AGCI, you can just see how much those caretaker women love those children. Other agencies might get your child from a government run orphanage where, in some cases, there are too many children in the orphanage to be properly cared for and loved.

3) They offer other options for mothers, like sponsorship. That gives me comfort in knowing that they didn't manipulate the birth mother into giving up her child, but if possible, offered her other options. Then I know their babies are there because they truly need to be adopted.

4) When Guatemala put a hold on adoption, many adoption agencies left because they could no longer work there. AGCI stayed because there are still children who need to be taken care of, even if they can't get adopted. I love that they are not about the business of adoption but about taking care of orphans. Sadly, there is a difference.