Korban's going to be a big brother!

No, I'm not pregnant again. We're starting the adoption process!

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We have chosen to go through the organization America World Adoption, and we sent in our application yesterday. We can expect to hear back from them in about ten days to hear if we've been accepted. (I've been talking with the organization, and we've already been approved via a pre-application, so it's a pretty good bet we'll be accepted!)

How we came to this decision


Dennis and I have always wanted to adopt, but it was more of an abstract idea than a plan. It was a "this sounds good" type of discussion.

I really started to see adoption as a calling for our family one day about a year ago as I was playing with Isabella. We were playing around and laughing. I looked at her and said "Girl, you don't know what it's like to not be loved." I don't know where that sentence came from, it's like God was opening my eyes to what a child should have and what so many children around the world are lacking. I began to cry.  So many children are just one of too many to be cared for. They are castoffs of society. No human deserves that and no child can thrive that way. A child needs to be adored, cuddled, encouraged and trained up. Every child needs parents.

Some time before that, not too long after Isabella was born, I was reading the news and I learned for the first time about the famine in the horn of Africa. I can't remember what news agency covered the story, but they were interviewing mothers at a relief camp. I read a heartbreaking story about a mother who was on her way to the relief camp when her older son collapsed from hunger. She was already carrying her younger child and knew that they would all die if she tried to carry both children. She had to leave her son to die to save her younger child. I read this and imagined what I'd feel if it was me and I'd had to leave Izzy to die alone on such a long, hard journey. No mother should have to make such a difficult decision. I wept and I cried out to God to let me do anything I could to alleviate the suffering. This feeling of urgency never left me, I just didn't know how to react to it. I felt so helpless.

Fast forward to about two months ago. Korban had just been born, and Dennis and I felt a pull to pursue adoption again. We were trying to decide whether we should pursue domestic adoption (within the U.S.) or overseas. When it comes down to it, there are children both near and far who need parents to invite them to be a part of a forever family. For us, we feel that a child overseas will have much less opportunity if not adopted. Basic needs like safety and food are less likely to be met, and children in less developed countries are more likely to become victims of slavery and prostitution.
I think what it really came down to was trying to figure out where our family is supposed to adopt from, and each family has to find its own calling.

For our family, we are pursuing adoption from Ethiopia because we feel that is where God is leading us, and we are so excited! You can read a little more about the orphan crisis in Ethiopia here.

So, we've sent in a pre-application and been pre-approved. Now, we're waiting to hear back on our "official" application.

I know that there are a lot of questions and concerns people have about adoption and the adoption process, so I want to share our journey here to help with that. Maybe a few of you will even decide to adopt after following our story!

I'll be writing more about the adoption process and why we chose America World Adoption agency later.

Any questions? I'd love to help anyone else who is considering adoption and just doesn't know where to start!