I first want to apologize for no details recently. I really have no updates – so no details to tell. However, I thought I’d drop a little note here to let you know answers to some of the FAQ’s we’ve been hearing.
We are approaching our first deadline for the first big payment. I know it’s typically rude to talk about finances, but, everyone asks, and I don’t mind sharing. Besides, in the adoption world, the big big deal is the cost. So, here goes. By Sept 24, we owe $4,025. That is $2,500 for the agency fee plus $1,575 for the home study fee. We get a discount for living in Ohio. (Don’t ask me why, I have no idea, I just figure it’s great!) The home study fee for other states is $1,750.
Four thousand dollars. It’s a huge step. We paid the $300 application fee, which is also non-refundable, of course. But, this fee is more than 10X that much….and once we pay our fees to the agency; this is the one we are going with. What’s the big deal, you ask? Well, we have been approached by many people about other opportunities to adopt. However, none of them are solid or they have fallen through in one way or another. We have prayed for unborn babies’ lives to be saved, we have been asked if we’d be interested in fostering, and we’ve been approached by a friend of a friend who knows someone who is in a situation….you get the idea. Once you tell the world you want to adopt a child, the world wants to help a child find a home. It’s a wonderful feeling and amazing to watch. However, it can build up a lot of anxiety. You find yourself looking at pregnant women a different way. You hear about horrible stories every day. Teenage mothers are rarely the ones who give up their children for adoption these days….it’s typically women who are pregnant via some type of unwanted situation or a mistake they’ve made (sexual assault or affairs, etc). I’ve prayed for more strangers in the past months – women I’ve seen on the street, in the store, heard a story about in passing, etc. But, I’m sorry, I digress from the big deal.
Here’s the big deal: Most home studies are interchangeable. Once you get a home study completed, you are eligible for any child that is ready to be placed. However, there are always restrictions and red tape involved in such a simple statement. That red tape applies when you are dealing with cross-border situations. The state of Oregon only allows All God’s Children International (AGCI) to perform the home study. When a private agency does the home study, not all public agencies (or other private agencies) will accept it. In other words: If we were going through the state of Ohio, we’d have a social worker assigned by the state of Ohio. He/She would do a home study, and then we could adopt from anywhere in Ohio – whether it’s from the Ohio foster system, a friend of a friend who knows someone, a teenage mother, an agency who is seeking us, etc. However, Oregon says it must be done through AGCI for this program. And, since we feel that God wants us to walk through this program, we are using AGCI. This means that friend of a friend or the pregnant teen….those doors are closed to us, unless we want to get an Ohio home study completed also. Our funds do not allow for several home studies, so we are choosing one and sticking with it.
Speaking of funds, let’s go back to the elephant in the room. We are commonly asked, “What is the cost to adopt?” I’ve asked some fellow adoptive parents. I’ve heard everything from FREE to $46,000. No kidding! That is a crazy range. “Free” was from the foster to adopt program – the child was fostered for a while, and then eventually adopted. $46,000 was a child from China. The typical US (domestic) adoption costs about $20,000. Wow. That’s still nothing to sneeze at. I can’t believe there are babies born every day who need a home, and adoptive parents just crying out for a child…but in order to do this, they have to come up with 20 grand. We are facing a challenge of coming up with the money. We want to pay for the process in cash. So, we are grateful that AGCI has broken down the payment situation so that fees are due little by little. We don’t want to get a child and deal with the financial stress of that on top of dealing with the payments of a loan. It’s stressful just to consider that idea. So, cash we pay – right out of our savings account. We may explore some grant opportunities, but not loan situations. Debt is something we avoid anyway, and besides, how would you word that when you are discussing that loan with your spouse, “We are almost done paying off the kid!” Hmm….doesn’t sound right. However, these are things couples talk about every day.
So, we approach our deadline. The agency was kind enough to give us an extension. We wanted to wait until Rob finished his tests, which he has done. (He passed!!) Anyway, the agency granted us an extension to complete the first payment as well as some paperwork…so everything is due on Sept 24. I can’t believe the end of September is right around the corner. But, around the corner it is, and we are prepared. Financially and emotionally.
Thank you to all of you for your endless love & support.
