Adoption Story

The Call
Our call to adopt was truly a God thing and happened in ways that only He could get the credit.  You can read my Gilbert . . . Party of Five post to discover how we ended up walking this crazy road of adoption!

Where?
God quickly revealed that we were to adopt from Ethiopia!  You can read more details about why we chose Ethiopia

His Name
Read about how we chose Easton as the name for our soon-to-be son!

HIV Positive
In March 2012, God clearly spoke to us a call to adopt a little boy who is HIV positive.  You can read about this call in the post where we announced this exciting news . . . A Surprise for Us, but Not for God!

Waitlist Explanation
You can read this post to understand a little more of how the waiting process works.

Partner With Us
I posted at the beginning of this journey several ways that people could help.  Prayer is our biggest request, but you can also read this post about our fundraising efforts.  We have our awesome adoption t-shirts for sale too!

Adoption Costs

Application & Paperwork
Application Fee $300

Home Study Review Fee $350 (non-AGCI HS)
Adoptive Parent Education $200 (approximate)
Agency Service Fee $6,000
Program Fee $1,000
USCIS Fees $720
USCIS Related Fees $85 (per adult)

County Certification $70 (if applicable)
State Certification $140 (if applicable)
FBI Fingerprints for Dossier $18 (per adult)

Dossier Submission
International Service Fee $5,000
Authentication $300
Dossier Translation $200

Acceptance of Referral
Care of the Child In-Country $3,000 (per child)
HIV/PCR Testing $350 (per child)
Medical Checkup $100 (per child)

Travel
Airfare to/from Ethiopia $1,500-$2,000 (per person, per trip)
Travel Visa $20 (per person, per trip)
Transportation $200
Food $20-$35 (per person, per trip)
Immigrant Visa $404 (per child)
Lodging $100 (per night)
Translation of Final Documents $100

Post-Adoption
Post-Adoption Translation
and Administration Fee $1,500
Post-Adoption Reports $350 per report (3 required)
Medical Insurance Varies
Re-Adoption Fee $200-$300 (varies)

TOTAL AVERAGE EXPENSES $30,000 and up