Our Adoption

We are currently waiting on paperwork (surprise surprise), our dossier is complete and will be in Ethiopia soon (great news).  I thought I'd share the answers to some questions that seem have been asked of us by quite a few people :) Maybe you're curious, maybe you don't care but here they are:

1. Why a boy? Well we think we're pretty good with boys ;) no seriously...we weren't particularly looking for another child it just happened and it so happened to be a boy that caught our eye.  I regularly look at the WACAP waiting children page and each time I looked he was still there. I showed Kurt his photo and asked if I could inquire about him and he said "sure". That was the beginning, through much prayer and talks we proceeded with the adoption of Berihu. We feel like his age (8 years, he'll be 9 in Jan) and where he fits in with our kiddos is a good fit for our family. It's hard to explain but we know our children and it just is.

2. Are you moving? No - adoption is expensive, first things first - we want him home! We'll be doubling up for a while, Braden/Berihu and Truitt/Blake will share rooms. We do hope to build on our property one day.

3. Why Ethiopia? We looked into domestic foster adoption (during that time I continued to see Berihu on the waiting website) and we decided this was best for our family. One of the things that caught our attention was that older children in orphanages "age out" often with no where to go (this happens in many countries). They are let go to fend for themselves, no family, little money, basic education, no job, no vocational training, no idea how to cook, manage money etc. Many end up living in khat houses or worse. Khat houses are places in Addis where young men can smoke marijuana, drink, and chew khat. These establishments often offer a place to sleep and some food for a low price because they make money on the addictive substances they sell. In order to get a job in Ethiopia, you need an ID card and for that you have to have a permanent residence and someone to vouch for you, to provide a “guarantee.” The person who provides the guarantee must also have an ID card and be willing to have some sort of legal connection to you. Because these young men don’t have either, they cannot get an ID card. Without an ID card, they cannot enroll in educational/vocational programs or apply for the majority of jobs. Girls are susceptible to that same issues and particularly vulnerable to trafficking and prostitution. The age at which children age out can vary from country to country and even vary from orphanage to orphanage within the same country but we have read as early as 14 years old. Can you imagine? No one to care for you, to love you, protect you...it's heart breaking.

 Here are a few facts about Ethiopia:

-The population is close to 70 million
-One third of the population survive on less than 1 USD a day
-Amharic is the national language (our son speaks Tigrinya)
-Children are orphaned as a result of extreme poverty, HIV/AIDS, and child abandonment
-There are approximately 5 million orphans in Ethiopia
-Malnutrition affects a large portion of the population
-Access to clean water and sanitation facilities are inadequate

4. Who are you adopting? Our son's name is Berihu and he lives in the Tigray region of Ethiopia (northernmost region). He was born on January 13, 2005, we think this is probably pretty accurate as he was raised much of his life by his family. He is a total orphan, meaning that both of his parents are deceased and has been living in the orphanage since June of 2012. We don't  have much information on his family, we hope to be able to meet and talk with his uncle when we travel. We are told this is where we will get his family information, if at all. I want to learn as much as we can for his sake, as one day these will all be distant memories for our sweet boy.

5. How much does it cost? Adoption is expensive. Costs vary but this adoption is estimated to cost between $35,000 and $40,000. Fortunately is isn't due all at once. We have been given a matching grant through our church using an organization called LifeSong for Orphans. If you would like to contribute to bringing our son home this is a tax deductible donation, information is below:
1.  Checks should be payable to “Lifesong for Orphans. In the memo, note “family account number” and “familyname” (Box #3940) to assure it goes to the correct account. Please mail to Lifesong for Orphans, PO Box 40,Gridley, IL 61744. 100% of this donation goes to our adoption.
2. To pay online go to www.lifesongfororphans.org/give/donate. Select “Give to an Adoptive Family” . Complete the online form and fill in “Family Account Number” and “Family Name” fields  (Box #3940)

LifeSong takes the all money donated in our name and uses it to pay the invoices we have sitting on our kitchen counter ;) 

6. Can I see his photo? If I run into you in person - you bet!! I can't share it online. He's precious...he really is and I'll show him off after we have our court date and he is officially ours!

We would love your prayers, specifically:
- Pray for the paperwork to get pushed through quickly so we can be assigned a court date.
- Pray for the Lord to prepare Berihu's heart as he will have big changes ahead - his home, his family, his friends, his country, his language, his food etc.
- Pray for our home - that we too would be prepared to bring him into our home. For a smooth transition for our family, especially our kiddos.
- Pray for Berihu and the Lord's protection over him in his orphanage. Pray for transition as well, as when we visit we will take him to the WACAP orphanage in Addis. He will stay here until we return to get him (5-7 weeks after court).

We are HUGE supporters of Compassion International and what they do to help families stay together. We believe keeping families together is the best option but unfortunately it isn't always possible for everyone. We live in a fallen world and as such there will always be orphans and needy people among us. Adoption isn't for every family but God has called us to care for the least of these - what does that look like for your family?

Proverbs 19:17 - "He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will reward him for what he has done"