Help us bring our daughter home!

Help us bring our daughter home!

“If there’s a cause worth fighting for, it’s this: children belong in families.” – Nicole Skellenger

Hello! Our names are Matt and Angie. Before we began our family, we both had adoption on our hearts. However, we both also wanted (perhaps somewhat selfishly) to experience pregnancy and the journey of bringing a biological child into the world. After our sweet baby girl, Alexandra, was stillborn in January of 2016, we once again brought up the topic of adoption. However, shortly after Alexandra’s loss we were blessed with a healthy pregnancy; Elizabeth Grace (Lizzie) joined our family in late 2016. In 2018, we were surprised to find out we were expecting again. Henry Alexander was born in January, 2019.

Fast forward three years and the idea of adoption once again became a topic of discussion. Our family did not quite feel complete, yet neither of us felt a strong pull to have another biological child. We began to research adoption - both domestic and international - and although scared…we decided to take the leap! Our initial application with Holt International was filed in February of 2022.

We are so excited to announce we are ADOPTING from TAIWAN!

We are thrilled to share our journey with all of you. We know you have questions! Here are answers to some of them.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Are you working with an agency?

Yes, we have contracted with Holt International. They are a Christian organization that has proven to be very ethical. Holt’s vision is to provide care and support to the world’s most vulnerable children.

Why International Adoption, Why Taiwan?

When we first sat down to discuss adoption, we began researching adoption in the United States. In the US, there are basically two ways to adopt: private infant adoption or adoption through the foster care system. We knew that there were already a plethora of amazing couples waiting and hoping to adopt infants in the U.S. Those babies would surely end up in awesome homes, and neither of us felt it was important that our adopted child be a newborn.

We also did some initial research on adopting through foster care; however, due to a number of factors, including the current ages of our biological children, we felt that it would not be the best fit for our family at this time.

We then began looking into international adoption. You might be interested to know that international adoption is generally less expensive than private infant adoption in the United States.

As a family, we were very open to whichever country had the greatest need and best matched the profile of our family. Each country has its own set of regulations and requirements.

What do you know about the child you will be adopting?

Although we were initially matched with the Bulgaria program, the Holt team encouraged us to continually monitor their ‘Waiting Child’ page. These are children that need a little more advocacy in finding a home. This might be due to age, being part of a sibling group or having medical needs or other special conditions. Holt requires that families adopt in birth order, so we specifically looked for a child of that age group (either gender).

In the summer 2022, we inquired about a little girl from Taiwan on the Waiting Child page. After reviewing her file, we learned that she was born in October of 2020 and had some specific medical needs. Due to these needs, she was not able to be placed domestically for adoption (which Taiwan pursues for the first six months.) We carefully reviewed her medical records and videos with an international adoption physician. After the consultation, we felt that we would be able to meet her needs and advocate for her throughout her life.

We informed Holt that we wished to move forward and pursue adoption of this sweet little one! International rules do not allow us to share her picture or real name, but for the moment, we will call her “Annie.” After completing our home study, Holt felt that we were the perfect family for Annie, and submitted our home study and application materials to Annie’s orphanage. Unfortunately, due to the volume of cases, it took the institution seven months to come to a decision. In late March, 2023, we finally received the amazing news: they had APPROVED us as an adoptive family for Annie and we were officially matched!!

When will she come home?

Ahhh, the million dollar question! It really depends on SO many things. Currently, our dossier has been sent to Taiwan and is being prepared to be submitted to court. Once in court, it can take anywhere from one to six months for the first judge’s ruling. So much is out of our control, and the waiting can be really tough. Our hope is that we will travel in late winter or spring 2024. However, that is just a guess. We have posted a general timeline from Holt below.

How much will this cost?

International adoption is expensive. Like stupid expensive. Unfortunately, this reality keeps so many amazing people from taking the steps to adopt.

Holt estimates the entire adoption costs from Taiwan to be between $38,710 and $60,080. For a full breakdown of fees, please visit https://www.holtinternational.org/adoption/taiwan/

How can we support you?

Prayers and Encouragement - We have found this journey to be very intense and it has required laser focus. We appreciate all the encouragement we have received from family and friends; it has given us the fuel we have needed to keep going. Please pray for our child, our family, our journey, the US and Taiwan governments, our agency and all the people we will meet throughout this journey. Please also pray for our child's birth mother.

Financially - We truly feel that Annie is already a part of our family; we just need help financially to bring her home. Unfortunately, international adoption costs prohibit many families from standing in the gap for these precious children. Money should never be the reason why a child doesn't have a family, so we humbly ask for your help to cover the costs. Anything raised above and beyond the goal will go directly to her care. We do have a separate bank account for all adoption related monies.

Be a part of Annie’s story - When we first made the decision to adopt, one of the things that we wrestled over was whether or not we would do any fundraising. In a perfect world, we wouldn’t have to. There aren’t many things more humbling than asking other people for money! It sucks honestly! It’s uncomfortable. It’s vulnerable. The more we have talked about it though, the more we understand that it isn’t about asking people for money, but asking them to be a part of our story. Our daughter’s story, in how she got to come home. So, we are so excited about this PUZZLE FUNDRAISER!

It works like this:

1. We had a 500 piece puzzle created on Etsy. (We figured between the 2 of us that we have 500 friends right?!)

2. We are “selling” each piece for $20. You can choose to buy 1, 2, 3, or 10! There is no limit! You can even go in with a significant other or friend.

3. To purchase via GoFundMe, click the “Donate” button that is in the right column of this page.

4. Once you purchase a piece, we will write your name on the back of one of the puzzle pieces.

5. Once every single piece has been “sold”, we will put the puzzle together and hang it in a double-sided glass frame in Annie’s room so that she can always look back and be reminded of who had a “piece” in bringing her home!

I can picture us sitting down with Annie, reading the names to her and explaining that these are all of the wonderful people who loved her before they even knew her. These are the people who brought her home.

The other amazing thing that you could do to help would be to spread this! Share it with your families and friends.

We can't wait for the day that we can officially introduce our newest family member! <3

Thank you from the bottom of our hearts ~

Angie, Matt, Lizzie & Henry