We have BIG news! We have started the process to adopt a child from India! We are so excited about this… a little nervous… but mostly very excited!
Why adoption? We thought if we ever did adopt, it would be when we were older or had parenting experience from our biological children. But life doesn’t always look like we imagine. After a couple of years of infertility, we came to a decision: grow our family through medical intervention to achieve pregnancy or look into adoption? After researching (and a really beautiful connection to India that happened in the same time frame), it became clear that we wanted to give a child a home who would not otherwise experience familial love and opportunities afforded through adoption.
Why India? This is a tough question because there are children everywhere who need homes, but ultimately we feel God has given us a heart for India . Dakota first traveled to India in February 2018. It was on this trip that his heart began to open to adoption. The reality of orphans now had faces and names! Several months after his return, we found ourselves still daily thinking and talking about the children he met. The number of youth living in orphanages and on the street in India is staggering, yet adoption numbers lag far behind.
Is it expensive? Yes! Adoption is costly, but we trust that God will provide. We will be making lifestyle changes to decrease our living expenses and fundraising by either selling items or hosting small events. As part of our adoption process, we have started a crowdfunding campaign. It surprises many to hear that adoption related costs can easily total around $40,000. We are also open to adopting siblings, which would increase some expenses in this process.
We hope that by inviting you into this process, you will see yourself as part of the community we hope to build around our child as he/she grows up.
How long does it take? Our agency reports that 18-24 months is the average time from application to bringing a child home.
Thank you for reading our happy news. We are grateful for any encouragement or prayers for this journey!
