I was chatting with a friend about the adoption this morning. I told her about a dream I had a few days ago. This reminded me of a few other dreams/day dreams I have had and I thought I should totally share them on here!
First day-dream was before we officially decided to adopt. We were praying about it. I was doing the girls hair in the bathroom and I imagined a little boy about Atticus’ height, with beautiful brown skin saying “Mommy” and asking me for something casually as we were ALL in the bathroom together getting ready. AAAAAND my heart melted and was ready for another baby to call mine!
Second was a dream. This one was interesting and all jumbled as if in the future, but mixed with the present. All the kids were older (middle school and high school age), our new son was in our family. It was like we had been together for a long time, but were still waiting (typical confusing dream). We were all hanging out on the couch together so happy to be hanging out. But it was like he was visiting and wasn’t officially living with us yet. He had to go, but then when he came back he would be able to stay forever. It was really bitter-sweet. The connection we all had as a family was really beautiful and I didn’t want him to leave. But there was still that hope of one day all the waiting being over.
Next day-dream was walking my to boys around 6 years old to drop them off at school and kissing them both on the head before they ran off for their day.
This last was a dream. It was really short, but really VIVID and I felt everything. We (our family) were together as we are currently. Waiting! Everyone was their current age and state of life. And we all found out we get to go pick-up our boy tomorrow!!! I was out of my mind excited, packing, getting the house and boys bedroom ready and Atticus was SO EXCITED to finally go get his brother! It was a good dream.
There are my little visions and dreams that have stirred my heart for our future:)
GOD as Father.
“Adoption is the highest blessing of the Gospel, higher even than the gift of justification because of the richer relationship with God that it involves…justification is a forensic idea, conceived in terms of law, and viewing God as judge…Adoption is a family idea, conceived in terms of love, and viewing God as father. In adoption, God takes us into His family and fellowship, and establishes us as His children and heirs. Closeness, affection and generosity are at the heart of the relationship. To be right with God the judge is a great thing, but to be loved and cared for by God the father is greater” (Knowing God, 186-188).
Home Study APPROVED!
If I could only express how amazing the timing of things has been lately! I have been concerned about the payments due in the next few steps. I had no idea where the $ for these steps was going to come from, but was clinging to how the $ has come in every time we needed it. Knowing that our God is bigger then any situation and everything is His to give and take.
We got an email Friday that our approved home study was in the mail and we should receive it any day. This was such good news! But I was thinking, we don’t have enough money for the next step. Which includes getting MATCHED WITH OUR BOY! So we go thru the weekend excited to FINALLY get our home study and trusting that the next step will be provided for. Sunday night we are walking to the car from Missio Dei’s Dance Party Easter Celebrations and a sweet friend of ours gives us an envelope and tells us to open it when we have a chance. We go home and see that it is the amount that we need to take the next STEP!!!!!! THEN the next day we check the mail and our HOME STUDY IS IN THE MAIL!!!! Talk about right on time.
I told a friend of mine this story and she told me “God gives us our luggage right as we are about to get on the train.”
His timing is perfect:)
can’t wait
We finished our Homestudy!!!!
Yes, we finally finished our homestudy! And we got our Foster home license from Illinois! So excited that we made it past that step. We should get matched with our boy soon!!!!! There were 17 steps and we only have 7 left, i can’t believe it:)
What’s next?
Wait for approval of Homestudy then: 1. Child Referral (get matched with our boy) Placement fee of $3,000.00 is payable upon acceptance of a referral
2. First trip to Ghana, approximately 1 week. Both parents travel to Ghana for court date. (approx $4,500)
3. Submit Form I-600 to USCIS National Visa Center in the US and wait for them to submit to Embassy in Ghana. This may take approximately one month.
-Dossier (approx. $1,974)
4. Once the US Embassy in Ghana receives and processes your application, they will begin the “orphan investigation” to establish our child is eligible for adoption according to US requirements. It will take approximately one month for the orphan investigation.
-Ghana legal, medical, aid, son’s passport, visa fees (approx. $5,330)
5. Second trip to Ghana, approximately 3-5 days. Once the Embassy has concluded the orphan investigation, they will contact us to travel for our visa interview and to receive our visa. (approx. $4,500)
6. Return to the US with our child.
7. Agree to required post-adoption supervision reports. $300.00 (plus mileage) Post-adoption services fee is payable at each time of service.
Our home is approved for an orphan:)
I pray because I can’t help myself. I pray because I’m helpless. I pray because the need flows out of me all the time—waking and sleeping. It doesn’t change God—it changes me.
there are links here on our tumblr. to Photo for Freedom (almost all of the photos I have posted on our Tumblr. are Photo for Freedom photos)
Update: Homestudy and Finances
Hey All,
Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a nice Holiday season. The Taylor family had a very busy holiday season to start, but finished with some much needed relaxing.
Since our last update a descent amount has happened with the adoption, but there is MUCH still to happen. I wanted to give a financial update because we have had some interest from friends on how much we need to raise. So to take care of a bunch of questions with one stone, I thought I would put it on our Tumblr.
First though I will brief you on our homestudy progress:
1. We had our first meeting
2. We finished 11 hours of classes on line. Just about 5 to go- EEEK
3.I have my next meeting this Monday. Josh has his meeting this coming Friday.
Still to do to finish homestudy:
1. Schedule last meeting with case worker as a famiy.
2. Finish our online classes.
3. Make our homestudy payments
4. Send in our finished homestudy paperwork for approval
Now for our FUNDS
FYI: things are guesstimates and may be higher or lower once we hit time to pay….
Let me just tell you that so far we have received everything we have needed for each step we have had to take! God has been so faithful to provide every time. This last payment of $2,850 needed to start our homestudy was a bit of a stress. We didn’t have the total amount needed at the first meeting and our case worker said that was ok as long as we paid it by the time the Homestudy finished. ALSO, we needed about $470 for the online courses we needed to take. We had almost enough to pay for the Homestudy, but were going to use some of our saving for the rest and for the online courses (which was scary). And THEN that week we recieved 2 checks in the mail which covered every cost we had to pay to finish our Homestudy and classes! AMAZING! So please do not take my posting this as a plea for $. We are trusting that just as everything has been provided for so far, it will happen if it is suppose to happen. And we hope to share the amazing way God works in this whole process. We want to share the mountain that we are climbing so that the fullness of His work is shown!
On that note this is the financial mountain:
Homestudy (general fee, classes, approval fee)=$5,820-taken care of BOOM!
USCIS child referral (so we can be matched with a child who is adoptable) = $3000
We have raised about $3,500 of the $25,000+bigger car that we need
We HAVE OUR CASEWORKER!!!!!!!
We are starting our Home Study THIS FRIDAY!!!!!!!!!
Home Study process=
1. Meeting 1-case worker meeting with Josh and I together
2. Meeting 2-case worker meets with Josh
3. Meeting 3-case worker meets with me
4. Meeting 4-case worker comes to our home to meet and interview each child and see our home.
5. 10 Hours of online courses to complete (costing roughly $440)
6. After all of this is complete she will submit our completed home study for approval and we will be done with all we have to do here in the States, then we are matched with our child and on to getting approval from GHANA!
ALL OF THIS APPROX. 6 MONTHS
Shipping Our 1st T-Shirt Order!
So cool to see others partner with us to bring our boy home!
“Maybe one day the list of orphans waiting for families to adopt them will be replaced by a list of families waiting for an orphan that needs a home. May the church become one who says, “If there is an orphan, we will adopt them!”“
