Adoption: Part Three

*2006 post*

To read Adoption: Part One, go here
To read Adoption: Part Two, go here

Okay, where were we? Oh, yes. Our hot water heater that broke. That was the first of many things breaking down in our home throughout this process. There was the hot water heater, then the dishwasher, then the fridge, then some major plumbing issues. Each one very costly. And each one a huge stress in a season of our lives where we were trying to SAVE money, not spend it. These trials were either sent by God to teach us utter dependence on Him and His provision, rather than ourselves, or they were straight from the enemy (I personally liked to blame everything on him.)

In mid-August we had a garage sale and were able to raise enough money to send in the $195 application fee. On the application we also designated a country. Our decision was narrowed since AGCI only works with a small number of countries (I think 4 or 5 at the time), and some of those countries we couldn’t adopt from. (For instance, China- you have to be 30 years old; I was 29.) We came to the decision to adopt from Guatemala. Mark and I spent time praying about this, asking God for direction. One day I came across a photo of three smiling Guatemalan boys, and that was that. Mark came home that evening from work and I immediately said, “It has to be Guatemala.” He smiled and explained that as he had been praying about it throughout his own day, he also felt tugged in that direction. So, Guatemala it was.

The next decision we had to make was gender. Do you know you have to choose if you want a boy or a girl? Goodness! That was a tough one for us. I kept having these conversations with our agency saying, “Can you please just choose? We’re happy with either. We have one of each and we love them both. I can’t choose this!” We finally expressed simply that we wanted to adopt based on wherever the need was greater. Our agency said that if we left it at that, we would be getting a boy, because for some reason in Guatemala more boys are adopted out. Our decision was made. We were getting a boy.

And then we began the paperwork phase. I have an enormous 5-inch binder I filled with all of our paperwork, and one by one we filled out (or collected) forms. Contracts, birth certificates, marriage certificate, medical evaluations, criminal checks, employment records, financial records, income tax returns for the past three years, witness statements, and reference letters. I now wish I had clocked how many hours I spent on this phase. Many, that’s for sure. It took us 3 months to complete all of the paperwork.

During this time, Mark was working overtime so that we could set money aside for our adoption. We were able to save around $500/month with his diligent work and with our new frugal lifestyle (basically, spending next-to-nothing!) We also sent out a letter to our family and friends telling them of our decision to adopt, and asking for their support (both prayer and financial). We saw this as a mission God was calling us to, and figured that we get will-you-support-me-on-this-missions-trip letters all the time, so… why not ask? So we did, and our family and friends were lavish in their support of us. Throughout the following months, we saw God provide tremendously through the generosity of these supporters.

At the end of January, our paperwork was completed and we had enough money for our first payment. We sent that into AGCI and waited. There were other waiting couples, too… and we were able to “meet” some of the other waiting couples (online), via a listserve that AGCI has set up. This was a tremendous support during this time of waiting. The listserve was also where I met some very dear friends: Michelle (who comments often on this blog), Sarah, and Kimmie. We spent this waiting time praying, applying for grants, and praying some more.

On June 17th I packed the kids in the car and went to pick up Mark from work. I came home and listened to this message on my phone: “This is Kim from AGCI. I have good news for you. Please call me back today.” She left her direct line and said if she didn’t answer, to call the 800# and have them interrupt her.

I was trembling. Totally shaking. My hands could barely dial the numbers. I just knew this was our referral; that they had a child for us and we were on the brink of meeting that little one. I kept asking Mark, “What do you think? Is this it? Are you so nervous?” And he wasn’t. He thought that maybe she was just calling instead of emailing an update for the month. But I knew it was big because we were supposed to interrupt her. So- I called her back, and she said, “Do you want a little guy?” And I said, “Of course we want a little guy! Do you have a little guy for us?” And she said yes, and proceeded to tell me about this “little guy”.

This is what we learned: his name was Isaias. He was three months old. He weighed 10 lbs, 1 oz at birth. At three months, he weighed 12 lbs, was a good eater, and liked to be held. We learned very few details about his birthmother.

And then our agency contact told us she was emailing us pictures as we spoke.

We all rushed downstairs to our computer, and waited (at the time we had only dial-up) for nearly an hour, me holding the video camera- interviewing Mark over and over and then the kids, who just ran around enthusiastically, shouting. They had been waiting and praying for their baby brother for many months. Then the pictures finally appeared. Here are some of the first pictures we saw of our new son:



Isn't he precious? In my next post I’ll tell you all about our first trip to Guatemala; our first time meeting our new son.

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To read the next installment of our adoption story, go here.