Hey everyone. Just wanted to write a post offering some more information on how we came to choose our adoption organization and country.
The process really started for us by choosing which country we wanted to adopt from. Jen was sure that she wanted to do Africa first. For me, the decision was more difficult. In fact, being specific with what I wanted has been very difficult for me in general. If we were having biological children we wouldn't be able to choose if it was a boy or girl, or if we would be having twins or not. Sure, some things would be decided by default, like the baby would definitely be white. Anyway, the fact that we are expected to be very specific about what kind of child we want has felt very unnatural for me. So getting back to the point, we both agreed on Africa since we have always had a heart for the continent. This passion started with a ministry named Watoto, but that's another post! Since most agencies will work within some country in Africa we started narrowing down our options. At first we looked at Bethany, America World Adoptions, and Holt International. I particularly wasn't in favor of Holt too much. We had heard great things about the company (they basically have started and shaped international adoptions in this country), but they weren't specifically faith based. We feel that adoption is a ministry and a way to be a witness of God's love for us, so I felt as if that could only be accomplished by choosing an organization that matches our views. Bethany provided us with Kenya and Ethiopia as options, and America World gave us Rwanda and Ethiopia. I felt a more personal connection with Kenya, because we know a pastor who has a well established ministry in that country. Jen felt a more personal connection with Rwanda because the child she sponsors through Compassion lives there. So, we spent some time praying about where we felt God was calling us to choose (that usually works out better than deciding your self, usually). Both agencies looked great, but we didn't feel a strong desire toward either one agency.
Now Jen has a rather dire obsession with Steven Curtis Chapman. One of his cds is playing in her car about 80% of the time, and we NEVER miss one of his concerts that come to our area. Don't get me wrong he is cool, and has done amazing work for orphans around the world. Anyway, during one of her Facebook stalkings on his wife Mary Beth's page she saw a post with a link to a friend of hers, named Wendi Green, who was adopting from Ethiopia. The link was to her blog that was filled with posts that are much more long-winded than I am being. Anyway, she completely managed to connect with Jen through her personal experience with adoption, and Jen felt compelled enough to send her an email telling her so. Thankfully, Wendi was not at all creeped-out by some stranger emailing her saying that she spent hours on her blog. In fact, she loved it, and began having a conversation with Jen that she described as refreshing because of sharing her feelings on adoption, and at the same time burdened because we have not yet completed our own yet. Anyway, Wendi and her husband had used CCI for their adoption and referred us to them as well.
CCI is a very small organization with fewer staff, so you'll get a chance to meet all the staff. This was really important to us, since we didn't like the big corporate feeling that Bethany and America World provided. They are both wonderful agencies, and we would recommend them to anyone, but they are just too big for us. We originally decided on Ethiopia since CCI didn't offer any other country in Africa, but unfortunately adoptions are facing a major slow-down. Sue's response to this slow-down, and possible shut-down, was to travel to the Congo to see if she could set up possibilities there. To make a long story (oh yes, much longer) shorter. Sue is able to set up adoptions in the Congo that are moving really quickly since the country does not process many adoptions right now.
Anyway, the point of this post is that adoptions are a wild roller coaster that you can't see where it's going. Once you decide on something, be ready for it to completely change. It requires from us a lot of flexibility and trust in God, but we are starting to get used to it. Because I've said this tomorrow will probably bring lots more unexpected change for us, but oh well.
Thanks for making it to the end of this. Blessings to you all.
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