The Road to Adoption

Eric and I spoke of our desire to adopt before we were married. We didn't know when or how it would play out in our family at the time. Adopt first or have birth children first? We didn't know. We only knew that we wanted a culturally diverse family.

After a year of trying to conceive and two miscarriages (one blighted ovum), we decided that adoption "first" was our path to take. Eric did some Internet investigating into agencies and countries. We settled on the country of Ethiopia for a variety of reasons.
1. There is a need.
2. They are a beautiful people.
3. They have a rich history.
4. They were "open" to adoption.
5. God lead us there. (Most important!!)

We began the process by attending an information meeting at Bethany Christian Services in Lancaster (June 10, 2008). We felt very confident in their professionalism and expertise. So we took the dive. . .

• First we completed the on-line informal application. (June 12, 2008)
• Then we began the formal application. (June 12, 2008)
• We began our homestudy. (June 25, 2008)
• Second homestudy meeting with individual and joint interviews. (July 16, 2008)
• We read Raising Adopted Children, The Post-Adoption Blues, and Cross-Cultural Adoptions and completed lots of paperwork. We had appointments for fingerprinting and physicals. We had our wills written. We bought into life insurance.
• Third and final homestudy: home visit. (August 13, 2008)
• Homestudy completed and approved. (October 31, 2008)
• Attended Internation Parenting Seminar all-day classes (November 10, 2008)
• Dossier completed and sent to headquarters. (December 16, 2008)
• Dossier sent to D.C. for authentication. (January 9, 2009)
• Dossier sent to Ethiopia. (January 23, 2009)