Team Smith - Adoption Number 2!
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Hello! So, here's the mushy part: We met in our church's high school ministry and became instant friends. We served together constantly and our friendship grew until we were inseparable, like sun-up to sun-down kinda craziness. There wasn't a day that we weren't together and over a short time, we fell in love. I told you it was mushy.
It was so short that after dating for a mere 6 months we were married at the young age of 19 and 20. People told us we were crazy to get married so young, but we knew that God had led us to each other. And maybe we were a little crazy.
We were together for 8 years before we felt the calling to build a family. We always knew that we wanted to both adopt and have biological children, but after a long year of infertility, 3 miscarriages, and a lot of heartbreak, it became apparent that God wanted us to move ahead with our adoption plans.
What we didn't realize was the whirlwind that would bring us a son. In September of 2012, we adopted Zain after waiting only 3 months, and he has been the joy of our hearts! You guys, it was the most amazing thing we have ever witnessed! We didn't just gain a son, but an entire family through a beautiful open adoption.
Now we have celebrated 13 years of marriage, our son is 5 years old, and he's only asked for a sibling a million times. While we thought our family was complete , God tugged on our hearts again after really pouring ourselves into prolife ministry and seeing the heartache that lives there. So this May, we began the adoption process again. We didn't want to just be talkers, we wanted to be doers.
So far we have completed our application with our local agency (Childplace), finished our (mountains of) paperwork, and have a completed and approved homestudy (so many interviews ya'll). So now, we wait for THE call.
We were initially told that it could be about 7 months to a year and a half and we are 6 months into the process. As of our last update, we now know that we are second in the "baby que" with our agency. So really, it could be anytime.
Ya'll know that babies are expensive, but I gotta say that adoption drains your accounts before Baby even gets here! To the tune of over $20,000. Ugh. We have used our savings to pay for the application ($125), the homestudy ($1300), and the marketing fee ($3000), but have gone as far as we can. We are learning to embrace the PB & J's with ramen noodles. Good things usually require sacrifice.
Seriously though, we're selling everything that isn't nailed to the walls (Zain is nervous), on a constant spending freeze ( do I want this more than a child?), and have written more grants than I think may be legal.
While we wait and pray for this child, their birth family, and God's hand to move in the mighty way that it always does, would you consider partnering with us to keep a child out of foster care? To provide care to a hurting woman? To show God's grace in a tangible way?
It was so short that after dating for a mere 6 months we were married at the young age of 19 and 20. People told us we were crazy to get married so young, but we knew that God had led us to each other. And maybe we were a little crazy.
We were together for 8 years before we felt the calling to build a family. We always knew that we wanted to both adopt and have biological children, but after a long year of infertility, 3 miscarriages, and a lot of heartbreak, it became apparent that God wanted us to move ahead with our adoption plans.
What we didn't realize was the whirlwind that would bring us a son. In September of 2012, we adopted Zain after waiting only 3 months, and he has been the joy of our hearts! You guys, it was the most amazing thing we have ever witnessed! We didn't just gain a son, but an entire family through a beautiful open adoption.
Now we have celebrated 13 years of marriage, our son is 5 years old, and he's only asked for a sibling a million times. While we thought our family was complete , God tugged on our hearts again after really pouring ourselves into prolife ministry and seeing the heartache that lives there. So this May, we began the adoption process again. We didn't want to just be talkers, we wanted to be doers.
So far we have completed our application with our local agency (Childplace), finished our (mountains of) paperwork, and have a completed and approved homestudy (so many interviews ya'll). So now, we wait for THE call.
We were initially told that it could be about 7 months to a year and a half and we are 6 months into the process. As of our last update, we now know that we are second in the "baby que" with our agency. So really, it could be anytime.
Ya'll know that babies are expensive, but I gotta say that adoption drains your accounts before Baby even gets here! To the tune of over $20,000. Ugh. We have used our savings to pay for the application ($125), the homestudy ($1300), and the marketing fee ($3000), but have gone as far as we can. We are learning to embrace the PB & J's with ramen noodles. Good things usually require sacrifice.
Seriously though, we're selling everything that isn't nailed to the walls (Zain is nervous), on a constant spending freeze ( do I want this more than a child?), and have written more grants than I think may be legal.
While we wait and pray for this child, their birth family, and God's hand to move in the mighty way that it always does, would you consider partnering with us to keep a child out of foster care? To provide care to a hurting woman? To show God's grace in a tangible way?
Organizer
Crissy Smith
Organizer
New Albany, IN
