In the Summer of 2016, Belinda and I began talking more seriously about international adoption. At that point, we began researching the FAQ's of how, what, and where. It was overwhelming. To help us with our decision, we spoke with several families that had adopted internationally. In addition, we researched and spoke with representatives from various international adoption agencies. In July of 2017, we made the decision to officially file an application to adopt with All God's Children International. AGCI is headquartered in Vancouver, WA and has helped to organize and represent us in this venture.
After initial acceptance of our application, the MANY steps needed to climb were set into motion in August of 2017. I will not bore you with the work, time, and prayers needed to keep us going down this path. Instead, I would like to focus on the phone call that came on Friday evening, February 22, 2019. That was the night that AGCI called to tell us that the Central Authority in Burundi had matched us with a young boy named Roger. Needless to say, we are beyond excited and are doing everything we can to be prepared to welcome our beautiful new son into the Ernst family. As part of our adoption process, we have started a crowdfunding campaign. It may surprise you to hear that adoption related costs can easily total up to $40,000 or more. This is why we have set a goal of $10,000 to help ease the financial burden that often overwhelms adoptive parents.
Our prayer is that by inviting you into this process, you will see yourself as part of the community we hope to build around our son as he grows up. While our journey to bring Roger home goes on, the journey to make him a comfortable member of our family, community, and church will go on for many years. All of you will play a part in that process. Thank you for your love and support!
