Cha-Ching!

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.

Waiting...

Not much to post.  Just waiting.  I hear that song come on the radio "While I'm Waiting"  by John Waller.  You may have heard it featured on the movie with "Fireproof" with Kirk Cameron.  Well, that' us.  Waiting. 

Rob has his testing at the end of August.  It's a lot of pressure, and I'm proud of him for coming so far with this.  We have to wait for the "Child Abuse" search to be complete before anything happens anyway.  We are told that takes 90 days.  We are about 10 days or so into that wait.  Ugh. 

Anyway, it's a lot of waiting around here at the DeVol household.  We are making the best of it.  This weekend: Ropes Course, next week: business trip to Houston, following week:  Climbing lessons.  It's not a boring wait, but frustrating, indeed. 

Here are the lyrics to the song.  I sing it daily...at the top of my lungs:


I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am hopeful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it is painful
But patiently, I will wait

I will move ahead, bold and confident
Taking every step in obedience
While I'm waiting
I will serve You
While I'm waiting
I will worship
While I'm waiting
I will not faint
I'll be running the race
Even while I wait
I'm waiting
I'm waiting on You, Lord
And I am peaceful
I'm waiting on You, Lord
Though it's not easy
But faithfully, I will wait
Yes, I will wait
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve You while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting
I will serve you while I'm waiting
I will worship while I'm waiting on You, Lord

Signed, Sealed, Delivered....well, in the mail, anyway....

We had a STACK of papers to get notarized.  Our friend Kelli was gracious enough to offer up her notary service and we had a little signing party.  It was fun to get it all done and catch up with our friends at the same time.

The papers are all "in the mail" as they say...or rather in the UPS, to be honest.  Per the fancy UPS tracking device, they will arrive on time next week and then we are off to the next step: 

The Ohio Child Abuse Checks.  I don't know much about it, but I do know that it takes 90 days, and we can't meet with our social worker until this is complete. 

Sorry the updates are not so exciting these days.  Imagine how we feel!  Exciting announcement, then waiting forever.  It's like a broken roller coaster.  But, we are still pretty excited.  So, maybe it's like getting stuck at the top of the hill on the roller coaster.  Which, I would think would be pretty fun. 

I think the most exciting part is watching others get excited for us.  My mother-in-law and I were garage-sale-ing (yes- that IS a verb!) the other day, and she was wishing she knew age/gender/etc of the child we'll get because she's ready to get toys, clothes, etc.  She did talk me into buying one of those car window screens that block the sun.  It was $1.  I already use it.  Good thinkin, Connie! Thanks! :)

That's all for today.  Have a great weekend.

Blog Subscriptions

Hey everyone - Just a little note about blog upkeep:  Several people have asked why they don't get emailed updates when we post. 
The short answer: I don't know.
The longer answer: I looked everywhere on the site to figure out how to get emails sent to everyone when I update.  I can only select 10 email addresses - so this clearly is not the answer. 
So, I put a new gadget on the site that should allow you to "subscribe" to the udpates.  Someone please check this out, test it, and tell me if it's working.  :)
Who wants to be the guinea pig?  Step right up....

NEXT STEPS

Well, our last post said we were "approved". I have had a lot of questions about what that means, exactly. So, here it is: We are approved by the agency to proceed with the adoption process. It's that simple. We still have a looooong road ahead of us.

To clarify, here are the next steps:
1-We received our orientation packet, and have reviewed all of the documentation.
2-We completed an orientation call with Erin at All God's Children (more on this to follow).
3-We have to complete and notarize all documentation. (Is there a notary in the house?)
4-Then, we submit documents and initial fees.
5-We have to select a home study agency (this is with the help of All God's Children)

Steps 1 & 2 are complete. Now....to find a notary...and time on the calendar that we are both available to visit the notary. Easier said than done...not the notary, but the calendar part. *Sigh*

With that being said, let me tell you a story. The company I work for got a new client in Oregon. My colleague was supposed to go visit them last week, but she resigned - and I was selected to replace her. So, at the last minute, I went to Portland, Oregon to visit the new client, and - before leaving - I spent an extra few hours to visit the Adoption Agency! Erin from All God's Children picked me up at the hotel on Friday morning, took me to their office (which is an old house converted into their offices in a really cool part of town). I had a chance to meet all of the ladies & gentlemen that will have a huge part in changing our lives. It was pretty exciting.
One of the ladies I met, Emily, is the one who goes to committee to state our case to the state of Oregon. It was a unique experience, as most communication is done over the phone...and Emily usually only reads the Home Study that is written by our social worker here in Ohio. We may talk to her on the phone, of course, but it is rare that we'd actually have a chance to meet her in person! Emily was on cloud nine when I met her, because she had just placed a child into her "forever home". It was a pretty neat experience.

Well, that's it for now. Off to find a notary.