WHY ADOPT?

There are so many of you that have had questions about the why’s of our choice to adopt. I thought it might be helpful to take this opportunity to share some reasons as well as some basic facts that we have uncovered along the way.

Why Adoption?

• There are millions of children that have no family and will never know what it would be like to have one.
• There are children dying every day due t malnutrition and lack of medical care.
• These children have often suffered severe abuse, physical, sexual or emotional.
• All of these children have been neglected in some area.
• We have the ability and heart to love and bring such children into our home.
• We can provide a loving, safe, full home to children that would otherwise, never know what a home can be.
• We believe that God has planned our family just like he has any other. Our children simply develop and grow in someone else’s womb.
• We believe that our children are as destined to be ours as they would be if they came from our own flesh.

Why Ethiopia?

THE FACTS:

• One out of every 20 children born alive die in their first month of life
• One out of ten die before reaching their first birthday
• One out of four die before reaching their fifth birthday
• One in Fourteen women will die during childbirth.
• Ethiopia has the largest HIV/AIDS infected population in the world.
• Ethiopia has more orphans than the entire populations of many African countries.
• Children working and living on the street are vulnerable to disease and acute and chronic health problems. Girls are even at a greater risk, they are exposed to rape, sexual assault, pregnancy and prostitution
• Children are victims of harmful practices such as circumcision, abduction and early marriage, physical punishment and labor exploitation.
• Access to basic education is generally low. Female enrollment/attendance compared to male is low. This hinders the development and life style of the child and the youth in particular, the family and the society at large forming a vicious circle of ignorance and stagnation. Only 31 per cent of female adult aged 15 and over can read and write.
• Children in Ethiopia die from childhood diseases that could easily be prevented through immunization and basic health services.
• Only 24 per cent of households have access to safe drinking water.
• Malnutrition affects a large portion of the population. Forty per cent of children are severely and moderately underweight, 52 per cent are stunted and 11 per cent are wasted.
• Children in Ethiopia are orphaned for many reasons, one HIV and or AIDS. This has increased the number of child to household numbers. The burden falls on the elderly, particularly the elders in the community.

FACTS ABOUT DISEASE
The major diseases affecting children under-five, such as acute respiratory infection, diarrhoeal diseases, measles, malaria and malnutrition are responsible for 70 per cent of childhood morbidity and mortality.
Diarrhoeal disease that could be treated with simple solution accounts to about 46 per cent and acute respiratory infections to 24 per cent of under-five mortality.
Measles is one of the major childhood illnesses. Measles-related cases fatality rates range from 3-5 per cent in normal circumstances and 15-20 per cent during outbreaks
Malaria prevalent in 75 per cent of the country represents another important threat to children’s rights to survival and health. It accounts for seven per cent of diagnoses for under-ones visiting outpatient departments. It is also estimated that only 20 per cent of under-fives who experience malaria episodes come into contact with the existing clinics. Malnutrition is associated with poverty, household food insecurity and inadequate care of children.
Malnutrition weakens children's ability to resist attacks of the infectious diseases. It also has a negative impact on children's cognitive development. Fifty two per cent of children in Ethiopia are stunted, 11 per cent suffers from wasting, and 47 per cent suffer from severe and moderate underweight. 15 per cent of infants are with low birth weight. Low birth weight closely associated with maternal nutrition.
The early life of children in Ethiopia is mostly rural-based. Only16 per cent of the population live in urban area.

Why now?

Many of you know that there is a tremendous amount of change going on in our lives. It is a time of anxiety and uncertainty. It is a time in our lives when the pursuit of any more change would have to be by the direction of God alone. Well there have been few times in my life when I have been as certain of a direction, as certain of a very deliberate action, as certain of Gods voice. God knows far better than I how and what miracles will take place as we travel this path. It is He that has put the calling on our hearts, at this time, for His own purpose. Our children are out there and it is our time to go and get them. It is a drive that I can only imagine to be the love and desire any parent would feel to have their children in their arms.

BLESSINGS IN THE WAITING

What a gift it is to have family support. I have been so blessed on both Garrett's side and my my own, to have family that shares in our excitement and anticipation of the upcoming changes. With all of the unknowns and uncertainties we have over the next couple of months, their thoughts and prayers have meant more than any of them (or for those of you reading this) know.

Garrett is getting more and more anxious about his interview in Bethesda. While the world doesn't rest on the outcome, I know he feels a certain amount of pressure, but I am hoping that he can root himself in what he knows to be true. Things happen for a reason. There is a bigger picture than the small world we are encompassed in. If this path comes to an end we have to remember that where God closes a door, he opens a window.

The home study process is moving forward. We are working with an agency in Sacramento, so weekly trips down there have become fairly routine. We have one more meeting in Sac on Friday, then we leave for Garrett's interview and have a break for a few weeks. The agency has been great thus far. They have even combined our 2nd and 3rd classes into a single day which saves us a trip down. If we don't hit any glitches, our home study should be completed by Thanksgiving.

We mail our application out to our placement agency on Monday. For those of you that aren't familiar, because our adoption is international it is pretty complex so I'll try to line it out in steps as I understand them thus far.

*Research which agencies have what qualifications (ages, income, lifestyle, etc.)
*Find a placement agency and a home study agency that will work together and with you.
*Apply with a home study agency and begin attending required classes/meetings.
The home study agency lets the placing agency know that you are meeting the standards required by both agencies as well as the country chosen by the adoptive parents.
*Apply with the placing agency The placing agency specializes in matching prospective children and families. The placing agency also works directly with the country of your choice and navigates all the politics and paperwork involved.
*Complete your home study. Your social worker turns this document into your placement agency.
*Begin gathering the paperwork needed for your dossier completion. Dossier's are needed for each placing agency. This is a complete profile of your family and includes legal paperwork as well as your home study documents and biographies of your immediate and extended family.
*Turn in completed dossier and file Immigration paperwork for the children coming into the US. The placing agency assists in this process as well.
*Wait......
Once all the paperwork is completed and financial requirements met, the family waits for the placing agency to find a good match. Depending on the specifics each family is looking for this can take between 3 days and 8 months.
*Referral! Once the referral is received and accepted, travel plans are made and within a few months the the family gets to pick of their child!!!! Yeah!!!

In all, the process can take from 6 months to two years. Variables can throw a curve into the time line at any point in the process, so we'll be taking it as it comes and working out the knots as we find them. So keep praying for us and our families as we continue to conquer this process one step at a time.

Here we go!!!

Well, tonight was our first adoption home study class. It covered the all the basics of adoption and the different elements to different children and the circumstances that they come from. I also had the opportunity to sit in on our teleconference through CHSFS. What a tremendous program! It will be such a privileged to be a part of this process and welcome new members into our family.
I am a bit tired, so you'll have to forgive the short update- but we are excited and anxious to take the next step!

The Before

There is a lot of change coming in this little life of mine. There are so many things going on, and so much to hope for. I find it hard to keep my mind on work and every day "to do's". I will be focused on a simple task and without warning, become distracted by emailing an adoptive family or working on adoption paperwork. I know it is just the beginning, but I look forward to the challenge. It has been a long time in coming.
From what I am reading and hearing, I guess I should get comfortable with the waiting process of this adoption thing. We have found an agency that we are hoping will work with, but the process is expensive and seems ridiculously long. God has his reasons, and I trust his timing and resources far better than my own.
There have been few times in my life when I have struggled at explaining my reasoning for things. Adopting from Ethiopia is one of those topics. While I could list for you, many factual reasons why Ethiopia and Africa, in general, it is the ache that sits on my heart that is my strongest reason. It is because of this pull that I hesitate to try to explain any of the real facts behind the grave circumstances for the children in Ethiopia. It is what many may call a woman's intuition or "gut feeling", but it feels so much stronger than that. Beyond explanation,all I can do is pray that God uses is to point me in the right direction and make a very clear path.
As for Garrett and I, we are doing well. I am reminded every day what an amazing man I am married to. I genuinely believe that there are only a handful of men as accepting, patient and truly good. Garrett has an medical school interview in Bethesda, MD the first week of October. I am so excited for him. I know it has been something he is looking forward to. I even got to go with him! Yeah! We have never been to the area before and it will be a great opportunity to see the Washington D.C. area. It should also give us a chance to look around at where we may want to live if we are accepted at the school.
Beyond that, it is the every day of work and maintaining my sanity as I watch our little unit continue to evolve into a family.

DUDLEY

HE LOOKS SO INNOCENT WHEN HE IS SLEEPING:p

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