Holly and Andy's Adoption Adventure
Donation protected
You hardly ever hear of a happy emergency. This is one of the ‘hardly’s’. When we started the journey of our second adoption, going international didn’t even cross our minds. It was our social worker who told us that Andy’s Korean heritage would put us on the fast track for Korean adoption.
At first we were unsure because we didn’t know if we could carry the financial weight of adopting internationally. We had such a smooth, easy and relatively inexpensive experience adopting Finn locally that we were hoping to do it that way again. But despite being a little unsure at first we decided to go forward with Korea. It just felt right. Like any adventure, sometimes you have to hold your partner’s hand, put your trust in the Lord and take a leap of faith.
Since we knew this process could take a couple of years, we thought we’d have some time to scrimp, save and fundraise. We were told that typically a couple would complete a home study, and then wait a few months to get a referral from Korea and be matched with a child. Imagine our surprise when we got our referral before our home study was even completed! In her years of doing this, our social worker said she had never seen it happen this way. A blessing to be sure, but that puts us in the awkward situation of having to raise money fast.
For the sake of transparency, below is a list of each individual expense:
- Korean Agency Fee (foster care, medical care, legal services in country) - $14,000
- U.S. Agency Program Fee - $7,000
- Program Support Fee - $5,000
- Required Donation (to Korean Social Welfare Agency) - $3,500
- Home Study Fee - $2,200
- Program Expense - $2,000
- Post-placement Fees - $2,000
- Application Fee - $350
- Department of Child Family Services Fee - $75
- Travel Expenses
- Plane Tickets (6 round trip*) - $6,000
- Hotels - $2,500
- Passport Fees (4) - $800
Total - $45,425
* We’ll have to make two trips to Korea; one for the first meeting and court date, in which Finn and Andy’s mom will be accompanying us, and the second one to pick him up, just Andy and Holly. If we fly him home before he is 2, his ticket is free.
Add it all up and that’s our goal. As we get outside grants and other financial help, we will list it here and reduce our goal amount accordingly. Once everything is paid for, then we wait. We’re told it could take up to 18 months before we can pick him up, but God willing we’ll be able to get him sooner.
We’re usually uncomfortable asking for money, which is why we were a little hesitant to do this. Then we realized this isn’t for us. It’s for the little guy across the sea waiting to be held in our arms for the first time. We wish we could show you a picture of the little chunkster, or give any info at all, but we are discouraged from posting on social media until the adoption is finalized. But rest assured, he is a cutie and we can’t wait to bring him home.
Thank you for considering helping us and remember that every little bit helps.
Sincerely,
The Traynor Family,
Holly, Andy and Finn
At first we were unsure because we didn’t know if we could carry the financial weight of adopting internationally. We had such a smooth, easy and relatively inexpensive experience adopting Finn locally that we were hoping to do it that way again. But despite being a little unsure at first we decided to go forward with Korea. It just felt right. Like any adventure, sometimes you have to hold your partner’s hand, put your trust in the Lord and take a leap of faith.
Since we knew this process could take a couple of years, we thought we’d have some time to scrimp, save and fundraise. We were told that typically a couple would complete a home study, and then wait a few months to get a referral from Korea and be matched with a child. Imagine our surprise when we got our referral before our home study was even completed! In her years of doing this, our social worker said she had never seen it happen this way. A blessing to be sure, but that puts us in the awkward situation of having to raise money fast.
For the sake of transparency, below is a list of each individual expense:
- Korean Agency Fee (foster care, medical care, legal services in country) - $14,000
- U.S. Agency Program Fee - $7,000
- Program Support Fee - $5,000
- Required Donation (to Korean Social Welfare Agency) - $3,500
- Home Study Fee - $2,200
- Program Expense - $2,000
- Post-placement Fees - $2,000
- Application Fee - $350
- Department of Child Family Services Fee - $75
- Travel Expenses
- Plane Tickets (6 round trip*) - $6,000
- Hotels - $2,500
- Passport Fees (4) - $800
Total - $45,425
* We’ll have to make two trips to Korea; one for the first meeting and court date, in which Finn and Andy’s mom will be accompanying us, and the second one to pick him up, just Andy and Holly. If we fly him home before he is 2, his ticket is free.
Add it all up and that’s our goal. As we get outside grants and other financial help, we will list it here and reduce our goal amount accordingly. Once everything is paid for, then we wait. We’re told it could take up to 18 months before we can pick him up, but God willing we’ll be able to get him sooner.
We’re usually uncomfortable asking for money, which is why we were a little hesitant to do this. Then we realized this isn’t for us. It’s for the little guy across the sea waiting to be held in our arms for the first time. We wish we could show you a picture of the little chunkster, or give any info at all, but we are discouraged from posting on social media until the adoption is finalized. But rest assured, he is a cutie and we can’t wait to bring him home.
Thank you for considering helping us and remember that every little bit helps.
Sincerely,
The Traynor Family,
Holly, Andy and Finn
Organizer
Holly Traynor
Organizer
Pleasant Prairie, WI