Kunkle's Colombian Adoption
Donation protected
The Kunkle's adoption journey has been long and winding. Here's a glimpse into what that has looked like in their words.
Where it started:
Over 7 years ago, our family set out to adopt a sibling set from Ethiopia. After years of paperwork, navigating a new to us international adoption world independently, we were finally matched with sisters in 2016. After another year passed, we bought plane tickets and were just waiting on a court date to make everything ‘official,' when one spring morning in 2017, we woke up to find out Ethiopia had closed their borders to adoptions and we lost those girls. (We also lost the $45,000 we had invested over the 3 years for this adoption.)
This failed adoption marked us deeply and we took some much needed time to heal and grieve.
We re-started our adoption process once again, knowing our journey wasn't over, in the summer of 2018, but this time in Colombia and with an agency. We were hopeful- yet not as lighthearted as before- but this part of the journey proved to be a challenge when we had to update our home study + immigration status (adoption approval from the U.S.) twice in 9 months because of our move 4 blocks away. But we still felt called to international adoption as the way to grow our family and acknowledge these years as a time that continues to teach us what grit, endurance and perseverance means in our lives.
Fast forward to February, 2021, mountains were moved and miracles were seen and we are thrilled to announce that we have been matched with a beautiful sibling set: a four year old girl and a 2 year old boy. We are equal parts overjoyed and overcome with emotion as our lives are forever changed in an instant.
This next step in our adoption journey also comes with a financial burden of needing funds for medical reviews, agency fees, travel expenses, etc. We have not raised funds since re-starting our adoption and have been encouraged and strengthened by friends + our support system to reach out and offer the opportunity to partner alongside us in the work God continues to do in our family. We truly are better together.
Thank you so much for being part of this journey with us - some of you for seven years. We can’t describe how much it means to us to have the support and love of our community as we’ve navigated some of the most difficult times and now hopefully some of the most beautiful.
-This page is being run by friends of the Kunkles; Lisa, Shannon, and Abby. If you have any questions, please email [email redacted].
Where it started:
Over 7 years ago, our family set out to adopt a sibling set from Ethiopia. After years of paperwork, navigating a new to us international adoption world independently, we were finally matched with sisters in 2016. After another year passed, we bought plane tickets and were just waiting on a court date to make everything ‘official,' when one spring morning in 2017, we woke up to find out Ethiopia had closed their borders to adoptions and we lost those girls. (We also lost the $45,000 we had invested over the 3 years for this adoption.)
This failed adoption marked us deeply and we took some much needed time to heal and grieve.
We re-started our adoption process once again, knowing our journey wasn't over, in the summer of 2018, but this time in Colombia and with an agency. We were hopeful- yet not as lighthearted as before- but this part of the journey proved to be a challenge when we had to update our home study + immigration status (adoption approval from the U.S.) twice in 9 months because of our move 4 blocks away. But we still felt called to international adoption as the way to grow our family and acknowledge these years as a time that continues to teach us what grit, endurance and perseverance means in our lives.
Fast forward to February, 2021, mountains were moved and miracles were seen and we are thrilled to announce that we have been matched with a beautiful sibling set: a four year old girl and a 2 year old boy. We are equal parts overjoyed and overcome with emotion as our lives are forever changed in an instant.
This next step in our adoption journey also comes with a financial burden of needing funds for medical reviews, agency fees, travel expenses, etc. We have not raised funds since re-starting our adoption and have been encouraged and strengthened by friends + our support system to reach out and offer the opportunity to partner alongside us in the work God continues to do in our family. We truly are better together.
Thank you so much for being part of this journey with us - some of you for seven years. We can’t describe how much it means to us to have the support and love of our community as we’ve navigated some of the most difficult times and now hopefully some of the most beautiful.
-This page is being run by friends of the Kunkles; Lisa, Shannon, and Abby. If you have any questions, please email [email redacted].
Fundraising team (4)
Kelsie Kunkle
Organizer
Cedar Falls, IA
Lisa Stoltzfus
Team member
Abby Alley
Team member
Shannon Riesenfeld
Team member