Bring Ana & José Home
Donation protected
José is 10 and Ana just turned 13. They are from Colombia. They both like music and sports. They both love animals and like being outside. Jose wants to be a firefighter and Ana wants to be an actress.
Our goal here is to raise support for their adoption.
Ana and Jose came and stayed with us for 3 weeks in July. During that time we did a lot of singing together to music on the radio, we went running together, cooked together, played games, read stories, and went swimming. They were able to experience many things for the first time, including going to the zoo, riding on a boat and going camping. Their most favorite new thing was fishing. Ana and Jose both spent hours patiently casting and reeling waiting for fish to bite. They never gave up trying, despite not having any luck. Yet.
They are enthusiastic lovers of life. They are brave--imagine being 10 and 12 and coming to a foreign country where you don’t speak the language to stay with total strangers for three weeks! They embraced every new experience, new food, and new friend with an adventurous attitude. They made an impression on everyone they met because of this vivacious zest and spirit. They taught us all how to dance the bachata and the appropriate thing to say before you eat and after someone sneezes. They brought out parts of our parents we had never seen before. They made the world bigger and smaller at the same time. They filled a gap we didn’t know was there.
Ana and Jose have been in the foster care system in Colombia for 8 years. In Colombia, older children very rarely get adopted. They age out of the system between the age of 16 and 18 depending on their circumstances. Outcomes for children who age out of the system are not good.
Why we are adopting:
Hosting Ana and Jose was something we felt called to do. After spending some time together, we know we are all a good match and that we can make a positive difference in Ana and Jose’s lives and they can do the same in ours. We have love to give, and they are in need of love. If there is one thing we believe the world can never have too much of, it is love.
As teachers and coaches of adolescents ourselves, we felt we could offer a level of patience and understanding that would help them grow and thrive as part of our family. Understanding that we wanted to have a positive impact in our decision to start a family, we knew that the most powerful impact we could have would be to adopt older siblings, because of decreased likelihood of being adopted that being both older and having a sibling might bring. Basically, we saw a need and the connection we made with Ana and Jose was undeniable. It was not without much thought and discussion that the four of us made made this decision to come together for the rest of our lives. Some people might say that they are awfully old to be adopted, but we say that you are never too old to need parents.
When Ana left, she said that she hoped our goodbye would be short, and that she was leaving “with a smile full of you in my heart.” We are excited to bring them home.
So far, the process has involved a lot of paperwork, time, and money. We are grateful for any and all forms of support, and we are thankful for all of the amazing people in our lives who have been involved with this journey thus far. As you can imagine this process has been and will be costly. Should you feel led to help us bring Ana and José home with financial support, please consider making a donation.
Approximate costs of adopting internationally:
Home Study: $3,000
Agency Fees: $17,530
Paperwork (Dossier) Fees: $10,600
Sibling Fees: $1,650
Travel Expenses to Colombia (Bogota, Medellin, and La Mesa): ???
Room and Board in Colombia for 5 weeks to finalize adoption: ???
Psychological Evaluation: $1,000
Hague approved training: $750
Apostille Fees: $400
Third party fees: $2,000-$3,000
Hosting in July of 2018: $4,500
Our goal here is to raise support for their adoption.
Ana and Jose came and stayed with us for 3 weeks in July. During that time we did a lot of singing together to music on the radio, we went running together, cooked together, played games, read stories, and went swimming. They were able to experience many things for the first time, including going to the zoo, riding on a boat and going camping. Their most favorite new thing was fishing. Ana and Jose both spent hours patiently casting and reeling waiting for fish to bite. They never gave up trying, despite not having any luck. Yet.
They are enthusiastic lovers of life. They are brave--imagine being 10 and 12 and coming to a foreign country where you don’t speak the language to stay with total strangers for three weeks! They embraced every new experience, new food, and new friend with an adventurous attitude. They made an impression on everyone they met because of this vivacious zest and spirit. They taught us all how to dance the bachata and the appropriate thing to say before you eat and after someone sneezes. They brought out parts of our parents we had never seen before. They made the world bigger and smaller at the same time. They filled a gap we didn’t know was there.
Ana and Jose have been in the foster care system in Colombia for 8 years. In Colombia, older children very rarely get adopted. They age out of the system between the age of 16 and 18 depending on their circumstances. Outcomes for children who age out of the system are not good.
Why we are adopting:
Hosting Ana and Jose was something we felt called to do. After spending some time together, we know we are all a good match and that we can make a positive difference in Ana and Jose’s lives and they can do the same in ours. We have love to give, and they are in need of love. If there is one thing we believe the world can never have too much of, it is love.
As teachers and coaches of adolescents ourselves, we felt we could offer a level of patience and understanding that would help them grow and thrive as part of our family. Understanding that we wanted to have a positive impact in our decision to start a family, we knew that the most powerful impact we could have would be to adopt older siblings, because of decreased likelihood of being adopted that being both older and having a sibling might bring. Basically, we saw a need and the connection we made with Ana and Jose was undeniable. It was not without much thought and discussion that the four of us made made this decision to come together for the rest of our lives. Some people might say that they are awfully old to be adopted, but we say that you are never too old to need parents.
When Ana left, she said that she hoped our goodbye would be short, and that she was leaving “with a smile full of you in my heart.” We are excited to bring them home.
So far, the process has involved a lot of paperwork, time, and money. We are grateful for any and all forms of support, and we are thankful for all of the amazing people in our lives who have been involved with this journey thus far. As you can imagine this process has been and will be costly. Should you feel led to help us bring Ana and José home with financial support, please consider making a donation.
Approximate costs of adopting internationally:
Home Study: $3,000
Agency Fees: $17,530
Paperwork (Dossier) Fees: $10,600
Sibling Fees: $1,650
Travel Expenses to Colombia (Bogota, Medellin, and La Mesa): ???
Room and Board in Colombia for 5 weeks to finalize adoption: ???
Psychological Evaluation: $1,000
Hague approved training: $750
Apostille Fees: $400
Third party fees: $2,000-$3,000
Hosting in July of 2018: $4,500
Organizer
Erik Nelson
Organizer
Colorado Springs, CO
