Monday, November 14, 2005

Adoption Workshop Part 2

Ok, so some of you have asked if the workshop was good and what we thought about it and stuff. It was really good. We are both very glad that we went. We learned a lot of good information about the adoption process. We both left feeling like we just wanted to get several kids from various Countries. But we are trying to act on what God wants us to do rather than raw emotion.

We learned about funding an adoption. Adopting from Korea and China is a cost of about $15,000. But there are financial assistance options available. They told us to think of the money as a ransom rather than a cost or a price. I thought that was a great way to think about it. They also talked about how adoption is evalgalism at its core, which I had never thought about before. If these children are not brought into loving, Christian homes they may never hear the truth about Jesus Christ. Phillip wrote in his blog what he thought about the whole thing too if you want to read that.

We went hoping to gain information that we or someone else could use. We left with an overwhelming burden that there is a child or will be a child that needs us. It will be neat to see what happens over the next year or two in our lives. By the way, thanks for praying.

4 comments:

praynlady said...

I am so proud of you guys. Even thinking about adoption brings spasms of joy and despair at the same time. The joy of bringing home a new baby that is in need of a loving family and the despair that you might never have a child yourself physically again. We have thought and prayed about it but the money issue always comes back. We know that we could raise another child with no financial (major) burdens but the cost of actually bringing one home is astounding and bothers me that a child that needs a home and the countries that have an abundance of orphans in need of homes, it seems like baby brokering to me. No matter how they call it, my brain says that
1. a baby needs a family
2. a family wants a baby
3. check them out
4. send a baby home with them, for the costs of traveling and expenses, documentation and legal filings only.
Just my opinion.
I would bring 1-2 more home today if it was a possiblity.
God will provide the answers we all have and He will open doors when it is time.
God Bless you both for going and listening.

Chuchey Dradey said...

Could you get me some info on adoption? Links etc.. Thanks

Jim Looby said...

praynlady -- a friend of ours went through a weird ordeal. They adopted a baby from an African orphanage, thinking everything was "paid for." Then they find out, once they get custody, suddenly they have to go get him and bring him back. Slick, eh? But they did, the child is beautiful and all are happy. It does sound like extortion, though.

Jenny Hintze said...

Here's a list of the various agencies we are looking into as well as their information. Sorry it took me so long to post this.

Children's Hope International
www.childrenshopeint.org
yvi@childrenshopeint.org
314-890-0086

Children's Home Society of Minnesota
1605 Eustis Street
St. Paul, MN 55108
pstudaker@chsm.com
651-255-2269

Dillon International
www.dillonadopt.com
info@dillonadopt.com
917-749-4600

Bethany Christian Services
www.bethany.org

America World
www.america-china.org
thebattles@awaa.org
888-663-2445

Orphans Overseas International
www.orphansoverseas.org
info@orphansoverseas.ort
706-571-3346

There is also an organization called Life International that helps people set up funding/donation accounts. They do dollar for dollar matching of all gifts up to $3,00. They also manage your account and pay the adoption expenses out of your account so you don't have to keep track of it all. It is non-profit and they do not use any of the donated money to pay administrative expenses. There was a representative at the Family Life Conference.