FAQ's

WOW! It has been way too long! Sorry about the absence-we have been crazy, busy around here!
So many things going on!

I thought I would answer some questions that we get asked a lot.

Why Ethiopia?
As you read our story about what brought us to adopt here in the long version,  you can tell that we have a heart for East Africa. I (Jess) feel in love with it over 10 years ago! When people say East Africa they are typically speaking of Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, and Ethiopia.  Ethiopia is actually the only one of those countries that I have not been to, yet. The reason we are adopting from there and not one of the other 3 countries is simply because of the international adoption process. The other countries are not really open to US adoptions. Technically they say that they are, but really you must go and live there for the entire process-which is usually 2 years! We really prayed about it and actually tried while we were living in Kenya, but obviously the timing wasn't right and things did not work out. Uganda has recently started opening the doors some to US adoption, but it is a very new program that is still being worked out, and they are predominantly adopting out older children at this point.

Will it be a boy or girl?
Great question. Not sure the answer though. You can specify gender, but we chose not to. The odds are in favor of a boy, simply because more people request girls. But that is not definite, so we aren't buying blue yet!

How old will they be?
In the applications and paperwork you fill out, you specify age ranges that you feel comfortable with. Our agency strongly encourages not to disrupt the birth order-so they recommend your adopted child not be any older then your youngest child.  We trusted them and followed their counsel. We requested younger than 1 year. Because the process is so lengthy they may be a little older when they get home with us. Our US immigration paperwork states that the child should be 18 months or younger.

How long is the process and where are you at in it?
You can see most of the steps here. And we have actually hit a little snag with our immigration application right now. There has been a slight delay for some reason. Our paperwork is currently in the "file room," while we should have received a fingerprint request. Truth be told, we don't know what that reason is right now. We know and understand the difficulties of working with foreign gov't, but this is the first time we have been witness to difficulties working with US gov't. It is hard to find the right person who can give us the answers we need, but we are still trying.

How much does this cost? Is it expensive?
Yes, it is expensive. It is sad how much it costs, and I think more people would be open to adoption if it didn't cost as much. There are a lot of people involved, a mountain of paperwork, gov't expenses, and travel. But the truth is, you cannot put a price on the life of a child. They are worth it. I recently saw a quote from the founder of one of my fav places to eat-Chikfila:) Dan Cathy said " If it's God-inspired dreams the He's given you, they will never fit in your checkbook or calendar."
I serve the Lord that owns it all! God is providing the money we need for our child, and if you are interested in adoption, I fully believe He will provide for you too.

How can we help?
There are a few different ways we could use your help. In the next week or so, I will let you know how you can help support our adoption effort not only financially but through something that will hopefully get the word out about this orphan crisis.
Truly, the most important thing you can do to support us is PRAY.
I don't say that casually either. Prayer is what has brought us to this point, and honestly, prayer is the only thing that is going to get us through this.
This process is challenging-emotionally, financially, and spiritually.

-Pray for our baby(which may or may not have even been born yet) I am overwhelmed when I even think of our precious innocent baby so far away from us and not knowing what situation, circumstances, or surroundings they are in
-Please pray for the process in general-that everything will be handled ethically, smoothly, and quickly as possible-Specifically right now please pray that our application will go through immigrations and not be held up any longer
-Please pray that the Lord will give us wisdom, guidance, and peace

You've Got Mail

Remember how exciting it was when you were a little kid to run to the mailbox and see if there was anything in there for you. There very rarely was, except of course around your birthday. And, maybe your parents were like mine and let you open the stuff labeled "resident." At only 15 months Emory is already tickled when I ask her if she wants to go with momma to check the mailbox. She doesn't care who the letters are for, she is just pumped she gets to take them out of the box.

When I was in college, the thrill was back again. We would run down to the Hub where our mailboxes were and hope there was something in there. On a really good day, there would be a little slip of paper that said you had a package!

After college, mail was not so fun anymore. Except for the occasional magazine or catalog, most everything was junkmail or BILLS! It's actually a good day when there isn't anything waiting.

Until NOW! Right now, we are in the process of applying with US Immigration to grant us permission to bring a child into the US. From what we understand the average approval time is about 8 weeks. About halfway through that time our social worker told us to expect to get a letter in the mail requesting us to get fingerprinted. We can't move forward until this happens. A few days ago, I was almost giddy as I opened our mailbox to find a letter from US immigration! Then, just a few microseconds later a little disappointed when it wasn't our fingerprinting appointment-instead it was a receipt letting us know that they received our application and money.

Two days later, I was in a hurry to get somewhere but checked the mail on my way out. A letter from Holt-our adoption agency-was waiting! I wasn't expecting anything from them-they almost always email us-was this something good, bad?! Instead another receipt!

All of sudden I am brought back to being a child again. Looking outside for the mailman-hoping he leaves me something! Each day has to bring us closer! Maybe there will be something inside for me today!

Waiting

Wait...I have heard this word so often lately. Of course in our journey as a family this is where we are...waiting. But it seems many people are here as well. We may all be in different seasons of life, but it seems waiting is inevitable. For some it is only a short time, for others it is longer.

In our culture today, we cannot stand to wait. We want everything fast, and usually fast isn't fast enough. We want it faster. We want it now! I think one of the reasons I have such a hard time waiting is because I want control. When I have to wait, I don't have any control in the situation. And patience is a virtue that I do not yet posses. Don't know about you, but I am definitely still a work in progress!

Just this past weekend someone brought to my attention a bible story that I have heard a thousand times before but had casually read over key parts. We have all heard the story of Noah. I think we hear this story so often while we are young we often skip all the waiting. Not only did Noah build this ginormous boat when everyone around him thought he was crazy, but after he did as the Lord told him to loading up his entire family along with 2 of every kind of animal, he had to wait. He is in tight quarters with smelly animals and the Lord makes him wait 7 LONG days before one drop of rain. I bet that was the longest week ever! He probably had a lot of doubt during that time whether this whole flood thing was going to happen or not. And I am sure the towns people really thought he was nuts! Then again after the flood waters stopped-more waiting! Noah-his family-and the animals had to be ready to get off that boat! But the time wasn't right and the Lord made them wait even longer. It was 150 days after the flood waters stopped before God "remembered" Noah.

This is just one of many stories in scripture that the Lord required a time of waiting. Not sure if you are in a time of waiting or not. If you aren't right now, it is almost a guarantee that you have been before and you will be again. I am confident that the Lord uses these times to teach us valuable lessons, but that doesn't change the fact that waiting STINKS!
The following songs have been on my mind all day. If you like any songs that have to do with waiting leave them in the comments section to share!
Everlasting God (Strength will Rise) and We Will Wait

Celebrity or Infertility?

We have had lots of different responses in telling people of our adoption plans. Overall people have been fabulous! We have had an overwhelmingly supportive and loving reaction from so many of you online. We really cannot THANK YOU enough for that. We do not have any doubts that this is the path our family is supposed to go down, but it is even more helpful and encouraging when you have wonderful people walking with you and more importantly praying for you along the way!

When we have told some people though we have had...different reactions. The most common being-WHY? Not sure why we didn't expect this, but it was a surprise each time someone said it. I guess in our mind the question is really WHY NOT? As we have thought about this we understand a little more the reason some people react this way. Unfortunately, I think overall in our culture, adoption is accepted more or maybe the better word is expected more from those that are celebrities or those that have struggled with infertility.

In case you didn't know we are not celebrities. Not once have we been mistaken for Brad and Angelina:) So obviously, we must not be able to get pregnant. Thats not our situation either. I have several friends that have struggled with the quiet heartbreaking battle with infertility. I can't imagine how painful that process is. And for many adoption becomes their miracle-not just for them but for their beautiful, innocent child as well.

But should those 2 types of people be the only ones that provide love and shelter for so many helpless children that are orphaned? Please do not be mistaken-I DO NOT think adoption is for everyone nor do I think it is the answer for this global crisis, but with an estimated 143 million orphans in this world-I sure hope it's for more than just celebrities or those struggling to get pregnant.

Timing is Everything and the Hardest thing!

As I have mentioned before, our adoption process is a long one. Many have asked what the timeframe and process is. It is definitely not set in stone and has lots of variables that can affect it drastically, but here is a general overview of our steps and timetable.

Selection of Agency
Agency Application
Acceptance into Ethiopia Program-3-4 days
Home Study (Lots of paperwork, interviews, educational classes, and a home evaluation)-6-8wks.
Immigration Application/Fingerprinting-about 8 wks (WE ARE HERE-our immigration app was turned in last week)
Dossier (A LOT more paperwork!!!!)-6-9months
Referral of Child-6-8wks
1st Ethiopian trip (Meet our child and go to court for adoption proceedings)
Unfortunately we have to return to the US without our baby (Part I am most nervous about)
8-12wks later
2nd Ethiopian trip-Embassy clearance and Bring baby home!!!!
This entire process takes 1-2 years-that is quite a time range, huh?! So right now we have about 7 wks before we get our immigration approval. Our  Dossier is almost complete just a couple more things to add. It will be ready and waiting when we get out approval, then the LONG wait until we have our child referral.
We would really appreciate your prayers for the Ethiopian gov't right now. There are some major changes in the area that handles adoption.We want everything done in a concise, but ethical manner that is in the best interest of all orphaned children there. They have 4.6 MILLION orphans in Ethiopia.
Thank you all so very much for your support, love, and prayers!

Adding to our Family

In January 2011, we began the process of expanding our family through adoption from Ethiopia. We are so very excited about our addition on the way. We want to keep you updated on our journey, as it is a very long process!

For us, adoption is a God-inspired dream. If you want a little background on our story please look here. There is a ton more information on orphan-care, the adoption process, and our story that we want to share with you.  We also want to answer all the questions that are probably running through your mind right now. We hope this is a good avenue to do that over the next few months.

During this time of waiting that we are in, we truly cherish your prayers.

The LONG Version

The summer after my freshman year in college I went on a missions trip to Uganda. That is where this all begins-I fell in love with Africa! Not only was it the most beautiful place that I had ever seen, but the people there are like nothing I had ever experienced. Although they lived in extreme poverty, joy filled their soul and body so much it made their faces glow! We were building playgrounds in a couple of hte villages, and the children were absolutely incredible. My heart was never the same.That trip was only a couple of weeks, but I knew I would return.

Jump ahead a couple of years to the summer after my junior year. I had the oppurtunity to be a part of a summer long missions trip to Kenya and Tanzania. On this adventure I traveled around these countries along with 3 other American students and 6 Kenyans. I was able to see more of this gorgous land and become engulfed in the culture. Once again, when I left, I knew I would be back again one day.
Its a lot easier to go on these trips when you are a carefree college student-once I graduated, got married, and entered "the real world" I wasn't quite sure when and how I would be able to return to this place and people I loved.
  
If you know Jonathon, you know he is nothing short of AMAZING (ok I may be a little biased)! Although he is fabulous, he didn't exactly have the same passion I did for East Africa. Thats not really his fault, because he had not actually been there like I had. When we got married, I prayed that if the Lord wanted to use this passion I had for Africa, that HE would have to put that desire in Jonathon's heart as well. We didn't talk about it a lot, it was just always something in the back of my mind. 


During this time, I was a Resident Director of one of the ladies dorms as Trevecca. Basically, we lived in the dorm that I was in charge of. We knew that whenever we felt our days in the dorm were over, we would be looking for a place to live and I would be looking for a new job. We both started praying that God would make HIS plans clear to us.We began to discuss some possible missions related options. We knew that if we were ever going to do anything like this, NOW was the time. Another long story shortened...we had the chance to live in Kenya for 5 months through a volunteer missions program. 

We lived on the Nazarene campus and God was able to use our feeble talents to help out at the University.Very close to campus there was an orphanage that we were able to walk to about once a week to spend time and play with the children. Needless to say Jonathon was hooked. God had opened his heart in a way that only HE can to this place and these people so that we could share this passion. 
We knew it was time for us to return to the states but we also knew our journey with East Africa was not over yet. 

If you know us, you know when we returned we settled back in Nashville, God provided a job for Jonathon, and shortly after our return I got pregnant with Emory. Although we currently reside in the US and feel incredibly blessed to live in this free country, there remains a part of our heart that is on the other side of the world. From my first trip to Uganda 10 years ago I knew God had a bigger plan than I could imagine. Which brings us to where we are right now...after a decade of prayer, we are in the process of adoption from Ethiopia.