We have completed our 8 online training hours required by America World! We learned tons about the whole process from beginning to middle to end of the adoption and then some! We also saw many great video clips from adoptive parents and adoptees which gave us great insight into the process.
NEXT STEPS: We have 10 hours of training required by Lutheran Child and Family Services that we will attend the first Wednesday and Saturday of September.
PRAISE AND PRAYER: Praise for all the information and insight from the online training - it helped us answer questions at our home study meeting! Prayer for safe travel to the training in September and that Mike makes it to work on time that Wednesday.
8/21/08 - Meeting with Our Social Worker Faith
We met with Faith this morning to update our home study for an international adoption. She went through our previous home study, updating ages, years of employment, etc. Then we had to answer some new questions mainly why Ethiopia and how will we raise a child of another culture and race. We have a few papers to complete, sign, and return, but nothing requiring too much work. We also were able to have the question about when to send in the I600A form into USCIS - end of September!
NEXT STEPS: We plan on completing the paperwork, signing it, getting it notarized, and sending it back to Faith by the end of August. We also are able to begin gathering documents for our dossier.
PRAISE AND PRAYER: Praise for the SUPER visit with Faith and her excitement for us! Prayer that we would be able to finish the paperwork and get it in the mail by Labor Day. Prayer also for our home study - it has to be approved by 4 different people/agencies before we get a copy for our dossier.
NEXT STEPS: We plan on completing the paperwork, signing it, getting it notarized, and sending it back to Faith by the end of August. We also are able to begin gathering documents for our dossier.
PRAISE AND PRAYER: Praise for the SUPER visit with Faith and her excitement for us! Prayer that we would be able to finish the paperwork and get it in the mail by Labor Day. Prayer also for our home study - it has to be approved by 4 different people/agencies before we get a copy for our dossier.
8/14/08 - Amy Learns Something About Email Attachments
Amy went back to the email we received from America World which included Ethiopia and Dossier Guidelines attachments and discovered something interesting - when there are lots of attachments to an email, you can scroll up and down to see them all!! So she discovered about 16 pages of forms and instructions and printed them all out! Oops!!
NEXT STEPS: We will be meeting with our social worker Faith next Thursday, August 21st to begin the process of updating our homestudy. At that time we will also talk with her about the I600A form we are waiting to send in. We are hoping to finish our online adoption training for America World by the end of this month.
PRAISE AND PRAYER: Praise that we handled the email attachment mix up with a sense of humor! Prayer for our meeting with Faith next week - that everything would be quick (as quick as possible) and relatively painless! Pray also that we would not have any computer problems as we are trying to finish our online training.
NEXT STEPS: We will be meeting with our social worker Faith next Thursday, August 21st to begin the process of updating our homestudy. At that time we will also talk with her about the I600A form we are waiting to send in. We are hoping to finish our online adoption training for America World by the end of this month.
PRAISE AND PRAYER: Praise that we handled the email attachment mix up with a sense of humor! Prayer for our meeting with Faith next week - that everything would be quick (as quick as possible) and relatively painless! Pray also that we would not have any computer problems as we are trying to finish our online training.
7/29/08 - Ethiopia Information
"It would be sad if all people ever thought about when considering Ethiopia was famine." (Ethiopia by Carol Ann Gillespie)
Before we even received our acceptance call from America World, we had checked some Ethiopia books out from the library just in case. Since then, we have been reading and learning a lot about this fascinating country! Below is some of the information we discovered and the misconceptions we had when we began researching.
WHERE IS ETHIOPIA AND WHAT IS THE LAND THERE LIKE?
We knew it was in Africa but we weren't exactly quite sure where until we looked at a globe!
The middle of Ethiopia is made up of the East African Rift Valley (a crack in the Earth). The lowlands, the northern and eastern borders, are hot and dry. The northwest and southeast highlands are cool and wetter. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital city and where we'll fly in to, is located in the highlands as is Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile River. As you can see from the pictures below, Ethiopia is not all desert, as we originally thought! While there is dry desert land over parts of the country, there is also grass and forests where their is amble rainfall.
WHAT ANIMALS LIVE IN ETHIOPIA?
We have a Milwaukee Zoo Pass and have visited the zoo several times this year. As we look at the animals and maps of where they live, we always look to see which ones are in Ethiopia. Here is a partial list: lions, elephants, zebras, giraffes, monkeys, hippos, and crocodiles.
WHAT IS THE WEATHER LIKE IN ETHIOPIA?
In the highlands, the average temperature range is 61-72 degrees with 50-70 inches of rain a year. In the lowlands, the average temperature is 80 degrees with only 20 inches of rain a year. In comparison, Chicago's average yearly temperature is 49 degrees, rainfall is 35.82 inches, and snowfall 38.7 inches. Just a bit of a difference!!
WHAT DO THE COLORS SYMBOLIZE ON THE ETHIOPIAN FLAG?
The yellow represents religious freedom. The green represents fertile land. The red represents the lives given up to protect the country. The blue circle represents peace and prosperity. The star's points are all equal to represent the quality of all Ethiopians. The shiny rays
represent a bright future!
OTHER INTERESTING FACTS!
* Ethiopian is not quite twice the size of Texas.
* It is one of the first Christian countries in Africa and today about 50% of the country are Christians.
* Many believe coffee beans may have first grown here (and been eaten by some sheep who then wouldn't fall asleep!).
* Ethiopia has never been colonized.
* There are over 3 million orphans in the country. Total popoluation 67 million.
* Only 10% of the land is suitable for farming.
* The official language of Ethiopia is Amharic (am-HAYR-ik) which is related to Arabic and Hebrew.
Before we even received our acceptance call from America World, we had checked some Ethiopia books out from the library just in case. Since then, we have been reading and learning a lot about this fascinating country! Below is some of the information we discovered and the misconceptions we had when we began researching.
WHERE IS ETHIOPIA AND WHAT IS THE LAND THERE LIKE?
We knew it was in Africa but we weren't exactly quite sure where until we looked at a globe!
The middle of Ethiopia is made up of the East African Rift Valley (a crack in the Earth). The lowlands, the northern and eastern borders, are hot and dry. The northwest and southeast highlands are cool and wetter. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital city and where we'll fly in to, is located in the highlands as is Lake Tana, the source of the Blue Nile River. As you can see from the pictures below, Ethiopia is not all desert, as we originally thought! While there is dry desert land over parts of the country, there is also grass and forests where their is amble rainfall.
WHAT ANIMALS LIVE IN ETHIOPIA?
We have a Milwaukee Zoo Pass and have visited the zoo several times this year. As we look at the animals and maps of where they live, we always look to see which ones are in Ethiopia. Here is a partial list: lions, elephants, zebras, giraffes, monkeys, hippos, and crocodiles.
WHAT IS THE WEATHER LIKE IN ETHIOPIA?
In the highlands, the average temperature range is 61-72 degrees with 50-70 inches of rain a year. In the lowlands, the average temperature is 80 degrees with only 20 inches of rain a year. In comparison, Chicago's average yearly temperature is 49 degrees, rainfall is 35.82 inches, and snowfall 38.7 inches. Just a bit of a difference!!
WHAT DO THE COLORS SYMBOLIZE ON THE ETHIOPIAN FLAG?
The yellow represents religious freedom. The green represents fertile land. The red represents the lives given up to protect the country. The blue circle represents peace and prosperity. The star's points are all equal to represent the quality of all Ethiopians. The shiny rays
represent a bright future!OTHER INTERESTING FACTS!
* Ethiopian is not quite twice the size of Texas.
* It is one of the first Christian countries in Africa and today about 50% of the country are Christians.
* Many believe coffee beans may have first grown here (and been eaten by some sheep who then wouldn't fall asleep!).
* Ethiopia has never been colonized.
* There are over 3 million orphans in the country. Total popoluation 67 million.
* Only 10% of the land is suitable for farming.
* The official language of Ethiopia is Amharic (am-HAYR-ik) which is related to Arabic and Hebrew.
7/15/08 - How the Blog Got Its Name
We've been asked about the title of our blog - God's Plan A for Mike and Amy. So in case you don't know the story yet:
When attending the America World seminar in March, there was a video presentation by the founders. They spoke of how God was not surprised by orphans or infertility and how He has no Plan B, this is all part of His Plan A for us. This so helped to heal the many hurts in our hearts. And that is how we picked the name for the blog!
When attending the America World seminar in March, there was a video presentation by the founders. They spoke of how God was not surprised by orphans or infertility and how He has no Plan B, this is all part of His Plan A for us. This so helped to heal the many hurts in our hearts. And that is how we picked the name for the blog!
7/14/08 - We Have a Family Coordinator
We received word last week from Duni, our Family Coordinator at America World. She called and spoke to Mike as well as sent an email introduction with dossier requirements. Duni is traveling in Ethiopia until July 25th so the questions (nothing major) we have for her will need to wait until she is back. She sounds very nice and is excited to work with us!
NEXT STEPS: We will be beginning the online America World adoption video/class this week and hope to finish it by the end of July. We also plan to fill out all but two questions on the
I-600A form (we have to ask Duni about those two).
PRAISE AND PRAYER REQUESTS: Praise that the list of required paperwork for the dossier does not seem to overwhelming at this point and prayers that it would continue to not seem overwhelming as we begin to gather it!
NEXT STEPS: We will be beginning the online America World adoption video/class this week and hope to finish it by the end of July. We also plan to fill out all but two questions on the
I-600A form (we have to ask Duni about those two).
PRAISE AND PRAYER REQUESTS: Praise that the list of required paperwork for the dossier does not seem to overwhelming at this point and prayers that it would continue to not seem overwhelming as we begin to gather it!
7/8/08 - Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
Not really anything new to report in the process, but we thought we'd add some answers to questions we've been asked a lot!
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE? Our whole adoption process should take hopefully only a little over a year. America World estimates 4 - 6 months for the paperwork process. However, we only need to reopen our homestudy and update it to international standards. So maybe this time will be shorter. Right now referrals from Ethiopia are taking about 7 - 9 months form the date the documents arrive in Ethiopia.
WILL WE HAVE TO TRAVEL? We will travel to Ethiopia for about a week! America World sets up everything - plane, hotel, transportation, most meals, and translators. We have heard nothing but rave reviews from families about how well everything is taken care of.
DO WE KNOW IF IT WILL BE A BOY OR A GIRL? We had the option to request a boy or girl, but have no preference so we'll take whatever God has planned! We requested a child between the age of 0 and 2 years old. We also said we would be interested in adopting a sibling between the age of 0 and 3 years old. Once again, we'll be excited for what God has planned!
HOW LONG WILL IT TAKE? Our whole adoption process should take hopefully only a little over a year. America World estimates 4 - 6 months for the paperwork process. However, we only need to reopen our homestudy and update it to international standards. So maybe this time will be shorter. Right now referrals from Ethiopia are taking about 7 - 9 months form the date the documents arrive in Ethiopia.
WILL WE HAVE TO TRAVEL? We will travel to Ethiopia for about a week! America World sets up everything - plane, hotel, transportation, most meals, and translators. We have heard nothing but rave reviews from families about how well everything is taken care of.
DO WE KNOW IF IT WILL BE A BOY OR A GIRL? We had the option to request a boy or girl, but have no preference so we'll take whatever God has planned! We requested a child between the age of 0 and 2 years old. We also said we would be interested in adopting a sibling between the age of 0 and 3 years old. Once again, we'll be excited for what God has planned!
6/25/08 - Paperwork is in the Mail!
Contracts and other paper work signed and sent to America World along with first payment fee.
Placement paperwork signed and put in the mail to Faith at Lutheran Child and Family Services to sign and return to America World.
NEXT STEPS: America World will assign us a Family Coordinator to work closely with us to complete the next round of paperwork as well as help us fill out the I-600A form: Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition. We will met with Faith in August to begin the process of opening and updating our home study for international adoption and take a 10 hour class about international adoption.
PRAISE AND PRAYER REQUESTS: Praise for all the joy and excitement of our friends and family - you have no idea how much that means to us. Prayer that God would continue to go before us, that we are blessed with an amazing Family Coordinator from America World, that Faith (who has left on vacation) would be able to quickly sign and return the paperwork to America World, and that we wouldn't have to wait to long to send in our I-600A form (it takes 2-3 months to process the form).
Placement paperwork signed and put in the mail to Faith at Lutheran Child and Family Services to sign and return to America World.
NEXT STEPS: America World will assign us a Family Coordinator to work closely with us to complete the next round of paperwork as well as help us fill out the I-600A form: Application for Advance Processing of Orphan Petition. We will met with Faith in August to begin the process of opening and updating our home study for international adoption and take a 10 hour class about international adoption.
PRAISE AND PRAYER REQUESTS: Praise for all the joy and excitement of our friends and family - you have no idea how much that means to us. Prayer that God would continue to go before us, that we are blessed with an amazing Family Coordinator from America World, that Faith (who has left on vacation) would be able to quickly sign and return the paperwork to America World, and that we wouldn't have to wait to long to send in our I-600A form (it takes 2-3 months to process the form).
6/21/08 - Introductory Packet from America World Arives
Our first packet of paperwork arrives from America World and is sitting on the counter when we arrive home from camping the next day! Inside is our contract and several other pieces of paperwork to sign, some sent back to America World and some to our social worker Faith at Lutheran Child and Family Services.
We are super excited as we read through everything!
NEXT STEP: Read through the packet of information and sign and return needed papers within a week.
PRAISE AND PRAYER REQUESTS: Praise for the packet arriving earlier than we thought it would! Praise that the information is so well organized and the overview of the program is laid out in a easy to understand and at this point, not overwhelming way! Pray that we are able to meet our goal for getting the paperwork in the mail.
We are super excited as we read through everything!
NEXT STEP: Read through the packet of information and sign and return needed papers within a week.
PRAISE AND PRAYER REQUESTS: Praise for the packet arriving earlier than we thought it would! Praise that the information is so well organized and the overview of the program is laid out in a easy to understand and at this point, not overwhelming way! Pray that we are able to meet our goal for getting the paperwork in the mail.
6/17/08 - We get the call!
The call from America World came this morning to Amy at work!! (They thought they were calling the home phone number.) She started shaking and crying when she heard the word "Congratulations" and really had to focus on the rest of the conversation. After getting off the phone, Amy called and left a message for Mike at home.
It is an amazing, surreal feeling! We are floating on air and smiling all day!! This is really happening! Now we can begin reading the books about Ethiopia we checked out from the library.
NEXT STEPS: Tell and call friends and family to share the news!! Wait 10 days or so for the introductory packet of information to come from America World.
PRAISE AND PRAYER REQUESTS: Praise, praise, praise for our acceptance into the program!! Prayers that God would continue to go before us and clear the path for this whole process. Prayer also for the caregiver watching over our child(ren) in Ethiopia.
It is an amazing, surreal feeling! We are floating on air and smiling all day!! This is really happening! Now we can begin reading the books about Ethiopia we checked out from the library.
NEXT STEPS: Tell and call friends and family to share the news!! Wait 10 days or so for the introductory packet of information to come from America World.
PRAISE AND PRAYER REQUESTS: Praise, praise, praise for our acceptance into the program!! Prayers that God would continue to go before us and clear the path for this whole process. Prayer also for the caregiver watching over our child(ren) in Ethiopia.
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