One more thing is checked off our list! The all-day training day is done! Praise the Lord, it went really well! I mean, I knew it'd be fine but I was still a little nervous. Mostly, I was praying that we wouldn't find anything out that would be too discouraging. We had to be there at 8:30 so we left our house at 7:00 in the morning (during Spring Break!) But we got to go by Starbucks so that was nice so that made it all okay. They made the morning part of the evening all about the details of the adoption process like the home study, profile books, waiting list/times, and basic details that we would have to know in the coming months. After lunch, we had a birth mother come in and share her story and we even were able to ask questions. They also had two adoptive families come in and share their stories. All of the stories made me tear up! The adoptive parents shared about failed placement after failed placement before they got matched and how long it took. Lawyers came in and explained certain laws and struggles that can come up. Lawyer cost? Between $3000 and $4000. Well, they definitely weren't trying to sugar coat anything!!!
Remember how I said that I was praying that we wouldn't find anything out that would be too discouraging? The financial talk had to come in eventually and no, it wasn't just with the lawyers! Along the way during this process I've tried to keep everyone aware of the costs and what we've paid so far. The majority of our agency fee will come after the homestudy is approved. That's when we get put on the waiting list.
Okay....the waiting list. Let me explain this a bit. Once on the list, the average time to wait for a match with a child is between 9 months and 3 years. Long time, right? But one thing that the director pointed out wad that what if you get "the call" soon after you are approved onto the list? She says it can happen! That got us excited! Then came the whammy.... she says that if you don't have money when you get put on the waiting list that it is best to put yourself on hold so that when you get "the call" you are able to actually be placed with a baby. Now, we knew that you had to have the rest of the agency fee by placement but we never realized that we'd have to have it by the time we had our home study done or we'd be put on hold!
So, what now? We prepare for the home study, we complete our profile books and get them approved and sent to Bethany, and we continue to raise money. I have believed from the beginning that God WILL use His people to support us in this journey. $14000 is a lot but...
He is able.....He is able...I know He is able...I know my Lord is able to carry me through!
Remember how I said that I was praying that we wouldn't find anything out that would be too discouraging? The financial talk had to come in eventually and no, it wasn't just with the lawyers! Along the way during this process I've tried to keep everyone aware of the costs and what we've paid so far. The majority of our agency fee will come after the homestudy is approved. That's when we get put on the waiting list.
Okay....the waiting list. Let me explain this a bit. Once on the list, the average time to wait for a match with a child is between 9 months and 3 years. Long time, right? But one thing that the director pointed out wad that what if you get "the call" soon after you are approved onto the list? She says it can happen! That got us excited! Then came the whammy.... she says that if you don't have money when you get put on the waiting list that it is best to put yourself on hold so that when you get "the call" you are able to actually be placed with a baby. Now, we knew that you had to have the rest of the agency fee by placement but we never realized that we'd have to have it by the time we had our home study done or we'd be put on hold!
So, what now? We prepare for the home study, we complete our profile books and get them approved and sent to Bethany, and we continue to raise money. I have believed from the beginning that God WILL use His people to support us in this journey. $14000 is a lot but...
He is able.....He is able...I know He is able...I know my Lord is able to carry me through!