My heart has always broken for the un-familied. I always knew there would be a child for me who didn’t grow underneath my heart, but rather inside it. In 2011 we began the mountains of paperwork to find and bring Lovebug home to her forever family. We aren’t just following a trend in the Christian community, and we know that we aren’t “saviors” or superheroes. We are just broken people who feel a calling and want to obey. We know adoption is born from loss and yet we serve a God who brings beauty from the ashes. We understand that there are tough days ahead, and we are sure we cannot do this without the grace and kindness of our Almighty God, and the love and support of our family and friends.
Our Adoption
February 4, 2011: Decide to start praying and seeking counsel about an adoption of a girl to complete our family
February-August: Pray, seek counsel about adoption, research different agencies/country programs
August 6, 2011: Start inquiring about a waiting child, A, we saw on Reece’s Rainbow
December 9, 2011: Another family is adopting A, back to researching and praying
January 5, 2012: Meet with the agency we hope to work with; have fingerprints done and order vital records while we’re in the US for Christmas vacation
February 9, 2012: Move into new house, we are now ready to schedule the home study!
March 13, 2012: Mailed agency application
March 28, 2012: Accepted by Hopscotch Adoptions!
April 19, 2012: submitted Home Study Questionnaire and necessary documents
April 27, 2012: Home Study interview done!
May 10, 2012: Contracts and Agency Fees turned in/paid
May 2012: working on Education credits for Hague country adoption, gathering last few things for home study to be completed
August 17, 2012: Home study finally complete and being mailed to us! (Everything is taking longer since we live overseas!!!!)
September 2012: I-800A being completed for USCIS
Fall 2012: inquire about two waiting children, B and T, from rainbowkids.com (consult with doctors specializing in international adoption, check into medical services offered in Turkey, etc), prayerfully & tearfully decide not to pursue them (B was chosen by another family, and T has since also been found by her family)
December 21, 2012: Saw H on Reece’s Rainbow
December 26, 2012: Appointment with USCIS (fingerprints taken)
February 6, 2013: submitted initial paperwork for adopting H
February 21, 2013: Found out H was referred to another family
Spring 2013: finishing dossier
May 30, 2013: Saw S on Rainbow Kids website
July 2013: submitted initial paperwork for adopting S
July 24, 2013: heard S was matched with another family
August 15, 2013: Saw P on Rainbow Kids website, and inquired about her
August 2013: working on Home Study update
September 11, 2013: Lovebug is born in a small town in eastern Europe
September 13, 2013: I find the verse we decide to use as Lovebug’s verse (Psalm 71:5-6) and I have a very vivid dream about her
September 16, 2013: submitted initial paperwork for adopting P
October 3, 2013: although our application went further than our previous ones, we were not chosen as P’s family
November 2013: home study update complete, dossier complete, paid dossier fee
January-March 2014: watching the waiting child list. Inquired about a few girls, but they were either already matched, or they had needs beyond what we feel equipped to handle while living overseas.
March 2014: requested a match with a little girl and it didn’t work out for us to be her family
March 19, 2014: flew to capital to have fingerprints done at embassy for I-800A update & mailed to the States
Spring 2014: 1-800A approval (Good until July 15, 2015, so we are praying God would bring her home before then!).
Summer 2014: Consider waiting children, “Carly” and “Vanessa”, who was sent to us by our agency
October 2014: Lovebug leaves the orphanage and joins a foster family
December 2014: Consider waiting child, “Chloe”, and offer to apply for her. Don’t hear back from agency.
December 17, 2014: See “Matilda” on our agency’s website. Research her needs, decide to apply to adopt her.
December 18, 2014: Hear we were first to respond and can proceed with adopting “Matilda” if we wish!!!!!!!!!! WE FINALLY FOUND OUR LOVEBUG!
January 19, 2015: Receive verbal approval on our referral. Need to update homestudy and USCIS clearance to reflect “Matilda”
May 14, 2015: fly to Ankara for updated fingerprints for USCIS clearance
June 1, 2015: After so many frustrating delays, we get written and final approval on our referral! We can travel to met Lovebug!
June 22-27, 2015: In country visiting with Lovebug!
July 15, 2015: sign and send I800 to our agency along with updated doctor forms.
July 30, 2015: agency mailed I800
August 17, 2015: I800 approval
August 28, 2015: appointment in US Embassy in Bulgaria
September 3, 2015: Article 5 issued
October 12, 2015: WE GOT A COURT DATE!
October 27, 2015: PASSED COURT! LOVEBUG IS OUR DAUGHTER!
November 12, 2015: Get travel dates! Flights and hotels booked!
She is in God’s hands,,, and He will bring her to you and us in His time. God’s got her back and ours. 🙂 I never thought I could love an adopted child like my flesh and blood grandkids but I am changing my mind. Too many prayers for her to not love her the same.