Why adoption?  

Adoption has been on our hearts for several years.  Our eyes were opened to how the rest of the world lives, and though we may not always feel like it, we are truly blessed.  There are over 160 million orphans worldwide (children who have lost at least one parent), with up to 8 million of those living in orphanages.  Early in our marriage we decided that we would adopt if we were unable to have biological children, but God changed our hearts and our plans that adoption didn’t have to be Plan B for our lives, it could be Plan A Part 2.  

The bible is also very clear that we should have a role in orphan care: as a command “Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow’s cause” (Isaiah 1:17): to symbolize our adoption into God’s family “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” (John 14:18): and to reflect God’s light in this dark world “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father is this: to visit orphans and windows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (James 1:27)

Why China?

China has a great need for orphan care.  There are approximately 1 million children in orphanages in China.  Most people think the waiting children are infant girls in China, but the truth is, the majority of these children are special needs, one year or older, and boys.  We are also thankful that the Chinese government has a very straightforward, predictable adoption process.  If all goes according to plan, we should be able to bring our child home next year.  We will spend approximately 2 weeks in China.

For more information on China adoption, special needs and more check out: http://www.nohandsbutours.com

What does the adoption process look like?

I won’t lie, the adoption process is pretty overwhelming.  But since China is straightforward, we at least know what to expect.  Our agency (CCAI) has been amazing and easy to work with.  In short, here is our adoption process.

• Home study
  • Background checks
  • Physical exams
  • Home safety inspection
  • Interviews to discuss why we are adopting, and to make sure we’re doing it for the right reasons.
  • Copies of every document you own (birth certificate, marriage license, drivers license, insurance, etc)
• USCIS approval
  • This tells the Chinese government the United States government approves us to adopt a child
• Dossier compilation
  • All the documents to prove we meet the requirements of the Chinese government, including our final home study

We are currently working on both our home study and dossier compilation.  We hope to have our dossier ready and on it’s way to China in about two months!

Do you know the child you will adopt?

Not yet!  But we could get matched at any time.  Our agency will call us with children that meet the criteria we gave them, then we will review the file and decide if the child is a good fit for our family.  We trust that God will lead us to the right child at the right time!