In this post , I will include several post I have put on the FB group. If you want to read Updates 1,2,3, & 4, You will have to join the group. :)
July 7, 2015: Update #5: We are not going with either of the two home study Agencies that we had originally looked at. We found another one in close by and it looks like we will apply there. After talking to the adoption agency director in late May, We decided to go with a certain adoption agency who said they are willing to help us pursue little J's guardianship as well as get the guardianship of ( M.) changed over to us. So here we go!!!! Timing is everything!:
For this agency to work with us, we could only have 5 kids in the home per their policy. As it turns out, The twins- age 23- moved out last month,
smile emoticon and our other older son is headed off to college in August, leaving us with 5 kids!
Now comes the hard part in my mind. The money. But in God's mind, it is simply pocket change. There are days that my mind wanders off and says, how are we going to do this financially? But I have to be intentional and remind my mind of all the times that God has provided for each child in our family to become a family member. His promise is to "set the lonely in families".
He knows a price tag comes with it, so I guess if he has slung these doors wide open, he will finance it as well. One other thing is that we have changed V's name to M.
( God's favor and love towards a longed for child). So she will from now on be referred to as M. (but in these post, I will refer to her as M. and the boy as J.)
She loves her new name and we are getting used to calling her by it. We will at some point change J's and will let you know what it is. I love giving our kids new names for their new beginnings. God did it all the time in the Bible.
It's been 8 years since we have had to do a home study and so here it goes.
Paperwork piles upon paper work piles, finger prints and criminal checks. Questions about finances,our whole life laid out for the Social departments and Governments to see and to determine if we are appropriate parents etc..... Let the race begin! We could use your prayers for all to go smoothly. Since they implemented the Hague Convention Rules, there is a lot more to do to prove our "worthiness" to adopt internationally. LOL.
July 15, 2015: UPDATE #6 :
Well, there hasn't been much new news. I'm still trying to nail down a home study agency and I talked to one today. Its a little tricky with all the new Hague policies in place and then there are some other home study agencies that just don't fit our family or are not able to do it. The area we live in does not have a lot of options so we have to look more towards bigger cities to get one done. That means travel is going to be included to get visits and interviews done. I spent after lunch scanning documents we had on M. to the adoption agency so I feel like I got some stuff accomplished. Last night, I went through our tub of adoption documents (Yes, we have a rubbermaid tub full) and found all of our old home studies, in hopes it might make filling out paperwork easier! I also discovered that I need to get my passport renewed. One praise is that we got creative and made a few sales and the money when added to our savings was exactly enough to cover the home study! yay! So, there is our 1st step towards making these kids Carter kids!
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| Scanning documents to our adoption agency |
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| Filling out adoption agency applications |
Update #8 July 21,2015:
Today we got a phone call from the Adoption Agency who is for sure taking our case and talked to our friends at J's orphanage for them to connect with the agency, got an email from the attorney in U. that he will look forward to our dossier arriving as well made a phone call to the home study agency. It looks like things are falling into place. Please pray that doors will be opened for a quick home study for both kids. U, we will see you soon.
UPDATE #9 July 22, 2015
So starts this roller coaster ride. I didn't hear back from the home study agency for the last two days so decided to call them. Unfortunately, they informed me that they could not do our home study because they are not licensed to complete a home study for a child already in the home. What???? I will tell you that I am a little frustrated for sure. I do not understand some of these state policies that I keep running into.
So starts this roller coaster ride. I didn't hear back from the home study agency for the last two days so decided to call them. Unfortunately, they informed me that they could not do our home study because they are not licensed to complete a home study for a child already in the home. What???? I will tell you that I am a little frustrated for sure. I do not understand some of these state policies that I keep running into.
All we really need is an international home study for 2 kids. It seems simple but it is not.
So back to the drawing board I go. I contacted 2 other agencies today. Hoping and praying one of them might be good news.
UPDATE #10 July 25, 2015
After going online and contacting two home study agencies the other day, I had a call from one of them today. After talking in depth about the complications of our processes, the agency said that they could do our home study for us! Saying all goes well, ( and it will) they will allow for three children (incase of a sibling being found) #ithashappenedbefore .
After going online and contacting two home study agencies the other day, I had a call from one of them today. After talking in depth about the complications of our processes, the agency said that they could do our home study for us! Saying all goes well, ( and it will) they will allow for three children (incase of a sibling being found) #ithashappenedbefore .
Since they are not the adoption agency as well, they have to sign an agreement with the adoption agency we are using. They said that should be no problem as they were the ones who accredited Adoption agency for their Hague Approval .
And....even though they are in S. California, we can do our classes online and may get to skip some since we have been trained and have adopted already. The cost is only $300 more than we were going to pay the other agencies because of travel cost up here to visit our home. She thinks we can have this home study done in a month or so which works wonderful for a hoped for Fall court date in U. We also thought we were going to have to get a pool fence around our entire pool but she gave us alternatives that were acceptable in California as well which is going to save us unexpected thousands of dollars. Yay! A good end to a busy week!
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