Help us adopt "A" from Eastern Europe!
Donation protected
Short story (if you're short on time!): Help us adopt!! There are no guarantees in this particular country until you are in-country and accept the referral but we're pursuing the adoption of this sweet 4 year old girl!! (We're not allowed to give her real name but we'll call her "A!") Without sharing too much detail (again, they're private!), she has special needs (CP) and is in an orphanage. We are attempting to foot the bill mostly ourselves and I started a full time job in September but special needs adoption (and most adoption!) is EXPENSIVE and she has medical needs so we're trying to move FAST! We have completed the homestudy process and we're almost finished with the dossier (another huge packet of paperwork/background checks etc that gets submitted to this country) and have had a couple setbacks but we're hoping to be traveling to Eastern Europe to meet her in February! Total will be about $27,000 once we take into account plane tickets, translator, hotels, ordering birth/marriage certificates, paying for background checks, etc.
Longer Version: Chris and I have been discussing adoption for the past couple years. Someday. After we were finished having kids. When it was more "convenient." For now, we'd sign up for foster care from the county and possibly adopt domestically if a foster child became available.
A friend had told me about how so many children with special needs are institutionalized in Romania and other central and eastern European countries. She told me about the rampant abuse and how these children were/are treated as second class citizens. She volunteered with Romanian Christian Enterprises (check it out!) and being a pediatric occupational therapist with a heart for kids with special needs, her data disturbed me.
So, for the past two years, I've logged on to the Reeces Rainbow website (check it out!) and scrolled through the photos and short descriptions of beautiful babies and children with special needs in China, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Latvia, Armenia, Haiti etc. We always thought, "one day, we'll adopt an infant with down syndrome from one of these countries."
Then I joined the Reeces Rainbow facebook community and began conversing with amazing families who are on the front lines. Most of these families are Christians doing God's work despite how uncomfortable it makes them. I felt that most of these families were truly "putting their money where their mouth is" and "walking the walk" and not just "talking the talk." INSPIRING!
I began researching special needs adoption and learned that, in many eastern European countries, parents feel economic and societal pressure to give up the rights to their children with special needs, especially parents who are poverty-stricken and can't meet their child's needs. There are orphanages full of babies and children with special needs who still have living parents who either didn't want to care for them or felt they couldn't. I started donating money to "Maya's Hope," which is a wonderful small organization who supports parents in Ukraine and the Philippines who wish to keep their children with special needs and who fight to pay for therapy and operations.
Chris and I also started donating to families who were taking a risk by starting the tedious and complicated process of adopting these children. We must have scrolled through hundreds if not thousands of children in the past two years, not to mention, I've been to orphanages in Haiti and Kenya. It didn't take me long to realize that these children are just as worthy of a loving family as any "typically developing" children are. I followed adoption stories and contacted tons of parents who were on the other side of adoption and who had their children home already. I fell in love with this sort of subculture of adoption - these brave and loving people.
Then, in April, a volunteer nurse from Maya's Hope posted the video of a 4 year old girl with CP and epilepsy. This little girl was then listed on Reeces Rainbow as an orphan (or social orphan) who was available in Eastern Europe. I think I cried myself to sleep that night thinking about her and continued to cry myself to sleep for the following 2.5 months (Chris can attest to this!) I prayed about her constantly and Chris and I had many late-night conversations discussing whether or not God was nudging us in her direction. I advocated for her and tried to raise money for a family who was interested in adopting her and then realized that God had put it on my heart the whole time to bring her into OUR family! That explained why I couldn't stop thinking about her and couldn't sleep at night!
We are not doing this out of pity or charity, although, I do feel sorry for the sad situation this little girl was born into. We want to adopt her because she is worthy and would be a blessing to our family. We would feel fortunate to call her our daughter. Our girls would be blessed to have her as a sister and to be a part of growing our family by adopting a "stranger."
Yes, it will be a ton of work. Yes, she will be dependent on someone her whole life. Yes, it will take away some attention from our biological children. Yes, we have thoroughly thought this through. Yes, we will have to be even more intentional with our marriage because of the added stress. Yes, we have looked into the children for adoption in the U.S. Yes, I am a pediatric OT and fully aware of her needs. Yes, SHE IS 100% WORTH IT. There is no doubt in our mind. Also GOD CALLS US TO DO HARD THINGS!! "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." - 2 Timothy 1:7
I can't speak for everyone but I can certainly speak for Christians. We are not put on earth to live completely comfortable lives. Our goal in life is not to live this Christian version of the American Dream (to quote David Platt!) We are to love ourselves and care for our bodies AND live with sacrificial and unconditional love for others. "Love others as you love yourself." Everyone has their cross to pick up and carry. International Special needs adoption is not for everyone but it's for us and this is just the beginning. We plan to continue supporting Maya's Hope, to continue advocating for children with special needs both domestically and internationally, to continue supporting families willing to take the leap of faith and grow their families through adoption. My dream is to start a respite home for adults with special needs involving nature trails and animal assisted therapy. I've already met several OT's who are on board with this vision (yay!!)
Please pray for us to have wisdom and perseverance. Please educate yourselves on the orphan crisis in Eastern Europe and other countries. Please consider adopting domestically or internationally. Please consider fostering. Please support us adopting this precious girl. Kids don't belong in institutions. They belong in families. This little girl belongs in our family.
**Again, in this country, there isn't an 100% guarantee that you can adopt the child you are pursuing until you actually get to the country and officially accept the referral. A little nerve wracking but it normally works out well!
VIDEO --------->>> https:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkRk4QNHzbg
Longer Version: Chris and I have been discussing adoption for the past couple years. Someday. After we were finished having kids. When it was more "convenient." For now, we'd sign up for foster care from the county and possibly adopt domestically if a foster child became available.
A friend had told me about how so many children with special needs are institutionalized in Romania and other central and eastern European countries. She told me about the rampant abuse and how these children were/are treated as second class citizens. She volunteered with Romanian Christian Enterprises (check it out!) and being a pediatric occupational therapist with a heart for kids with special needs, her data disturbed me.
So, for the past two years, I've logged on to the Reeces Rainbow website (check it out!) and scrolled through the photos and short descriptions of beautiful babies and children with special needs in China, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Latvia, Armenia, Haiti etc. We always thought, "one day, we'll adopt an infant with down syndrome from one of these countries."
Then I joined the Reeces Rainbow facebook community and began conversing with amazing families who are on the front lines. Most of these families are Christians doing God's work despite how uncomfortable it makes them. I felt that most of these families were truly "putting their money where their mouth is" and "walking the walk" and not just "talking the talk." INSPIRING!
I began researching special needs adoption and learned that, in many eastern European countries, parents feel economic and societal pressure to give up the rights to their children with special needs, especially parents who are poverty-stricken and can't meet their child's needs. There are orphanages full of babies and children with special needs who still have living parents who either didn't want to care for them or felt they couldn't. I started donating money to "Maya's Hope," which is a wonderful small organization who supports parents in Ukraine and the Philippines who wish to keep their children with special needs and who fight to pay for therapy and operations.
Chris and I also started donating to families who were taking a risk by starting the tedious and complicated process of adopting these children. We must have scrolled through hundreds if not thousands of children in the past two years, not to mention, I've been to orphanages in Haiti and Kenya. It didn't take me long to realize that these children are just as worthy of a loving family as any "typically developing" children are. I followed adoption stories and contacted tons of parents who were on the other side of adoption and who had their children home already. I fell in love with this sort of subculture of adoption - these brave and loving people.
Then, in April, a volunteer nurse from Maya's Hope posted the video of a 4 year old girl with CP and epilepsy. This little girl was then listed on Reeces Rainbow as an orphan (or social orphan) who was available in Eastern Europe. I think I cried myself to sleep that night thinking about her and continued to cry myself to sleep for the following 2.5 months (Chris can attest to this!) I prayed about her constantly and Chris and I had many late-night conversations discussing whether or not God was nudging us in her direction. I advocated for her and tried to raise money for a family who was interested in adopting her and then realized that God had put it on my heart the whole time to bring her into OUR family! That explained why I couldn't stop thinking about her and couldn't sleep at night!
We are not doing this out of pity or charity, although, I do feel sorry for the sad situation this little girl was born into. We want to adopt her because she is worthy and would be a blessing to our family. We would feel fortunate to call her our daughter. Our girls would be blessed to have her as a sister and to be a part of growing our family by adopting a "stranger."
Yes, it will be a ton of work. Yes, she will be dependent on someone her whole life. Yes, it will take away some attention from our biological children. Yes, we have thoroughly thought this through. Yes, we will have to be even more intentional with our marriage because of the added stress. Yes, we have looked into the children for adoption in the U.S. Yes, I am a pediatric OT and fully aware of her needs. Yes, SHE IS 100% WORTH IT. There is no doubt in our mind. Also GOD CALLS US TO DO HARD THINGS!! "For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." - 2 Timothy 1:7
I can't speak for everyone but I can certainly speak for Christians. We are not put on earth to live completely comfortable lives. Our goal in life is not to live this Christian version of the American Dream (to quote David Platt!) We are to love ourselves and care for our bodies AND live with sacrificial and unconditional love for others. "Love others as you love yourself." Everyone has their cross to pick up and carry. International Special needs adoption is not for everyone but it's for us and this is just the beginning. We plan to continue supporting Maya's Hope, to continue advocating for children with special needs both domestically and internationally, to continue supporting families willing to take the leap of faith and grow their families through adoption. My dream is to start a respite home for adults with special needs involving nature trails and animal assisted therapy. I've already met several OT's who are on board with this vision (yay!!)
Please pray for us to have wisdom and perseverance. Please educate yourselves on the orphan crisis in Eastern Europe and other countries. Please consider adopting domestically or internationally. Please consider fostering. Please support us adopting this precious girl. Kids don't belong in institutions. They belong in families. This little girl belongs in our family.
**Again, in this country, there isn't an 100% guarantee that you can adopt the child you are pursuing until you actually get to the country and officially accept the referral. A little nerve wracking but it normally works out well!
VIDEO --------->>> https:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkRk4QNHzbg
Organizer
Carli McGoff
Organizer
Barnesville, MD