Ever since I was young, the stories of missionaries like Amy Carmichael and Gladys Aylward with their work in orphan care have been stories that have tugged at my heart. I have felt that God has put the desire to adopt in my heart from a very young age and there is no ignoring it. I have been serving at Rivers of Mercy Children's Home(RoM) in Juarez, Mexico as a full-time missionary since January 2016. Before coming down here, the bible verse I clung to was Isaiah 6:8 "I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us, then said I, Here am I; send me."
As I start this adoption journey, I still stand before God saying "Here I am Lord, and I know you are with me where ever you send me whatever you call me to!" This precious little girl has lived with us since 2020. She is very dear to me and I want to give her permanency that the orphanage just cannot promise. She cannot be her own advocate and I feel like God has called me to be her advocate, her family, her mom.
This process of adoption is overwhelming and has financial hurdles but the Lord hasn’t called me to do it alone. He walks with us through what He calls us to and He calls us to live in community, as a body of Christ we are meant to live in community with one another and to help meet one another’s needs.
If you feel called to partner with me in this I need
1st and foremost prayer!
Prayer to be steadfast
Prayer for wisdom
Just Prayer! It is a very overwhelming process but God is gracious and I believe He will guide it. But Prayer for my human heart and mind to trust in Him!
And 2nd for financial partners
Would you prayerfully consider allowing God to use you to help provide for this Adoption? He has called me to this and He will not abandon me in it! I know He will walk me through this and I know that His hand is on this process and He will provide guidance and help along the way.
I have had this image in my mind of being a little sparrow hiding under the Father's wing. Let me explain why I have been meditating on how the sparrows are taken care of by God and how much more precious we are to Him.
This last week has been a week of incredible news.
On Monday, Oct 28th, I received a phone call from Erin at Help Us Adopt. They are one of the many adoption grants I applied for.
She very nonchalantly and with a very moderate tone of voice, told me that their board had met and decided who the grant recipients were for this fall. Her tone gave me the impression that I was not selected and I prepared for the bad news.... Instead, her tone turned cheerful and she said "And you were chosen!" After I stopped saying "wait what?!" she calmly explained that I was chosen for a grant of up to $30,000!!! Yes, you got that right, 30K. The “wait, what?!” started again when she told me the amount.
They will work directly with my two adoption agencies, covering the invoices from my agencies and lawyer fees, up to $30,000. This will not cover travel, in country expenses in Mexico, and other fees BUT that doesn’t have me stressing at all! I know that Jehovah Jirah is providing each step, using many different means. I can’t say thank you enough to all of you who helped get this process started through your generous donations!
Oh and don’t let me forget the other amazing news!!! The USCIS 800a approval letter was received on Oct 30th which means the Dossier paper chase is officially complete.
Currently, Help us adopt is sending the fee for the post adoption follow up visits to my home study agency and the Dossier fees to my international adoption agency!
If all goes according to plan, I will be mailing out all of my documents on Monday, Nov 4th, and within the next week they will be sent to the lawyers in Mexico for translation and submission to DIF (Mexican Social Services).
The next step is where the lawyer is able to start advocating for me to be matched with Hermanita! Please be praying there will be no hold ups in being matched and that She can soon know about this process!
I am completely blown away by the way Go is providing ro this whole process and caring for Hermanita and me like His little sparrows!!!
Psalms 91:4 ...Under His wings you will find refuge...
Psalm 84:3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young – a place near your altar, Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
Luke 12:6-7 Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies? Yet not one of them is forgotten by God. Indeed, the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Don’t be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.
(Painting by Andrea on 2/Nov/24)
A year ago we stood on top of this hill looking at two countries meeting and all I could think about was how far away it seemed before she could be a part of both of these two countries. I was thinking about hard it was for me to find an Apartment. Why were they so expensive?! How was I going to start this process if I couldn't even get a home for the process to start in?! I felt hopeful and kept plodding along doing what I felt God had called me to, but it didn't seem like it was moving. So I took this picture and prayed, and kept praying. It was not until February of this year that a townhouse in my price range finally opened up. You all helped make that townhouse a home!
Throughout the process of looking for the apartment, I had started applying for remote bookkeeping jobs hoping I could supplement my income and make a place more affordable. It took over 8 months of applying but this August the Lord brought me the perfect job! It's a part -time, remote, bookkeeping job so I'm able to continue serving at RoM with no change! I can do the work before evening groups start and can do the rest during my over night, night watch shift. This new paycheck is able to do exactly what I prayed for, it covers the rent! This means that the money many donated for rent can now be used for Dossier fees!
Though this is not moving as fast as my human mind wants it to go, I can see all the ways God is providing and guiding along the way!
Because of all the ways He has worked in the hearts of all of you who have donated and by providing this job for me, $6,000 of of 16,550 for the Dossier fees are covered! One step closer to Hermanita being able to be apart of the two countries that I get to be a part of 💖
Exploring Las Cruces!
Since renting the townhouse, I have been having fun exploring the town. It's been fun finding cute little walking paths and desert hikes with beautiful views, checking out different parks and the library, enjoying all the beautiful murals around town.....and spending nearly every Monday at a different post office. You know, might as well explore the different post offices if you have to go there on a nearly weekly basis haha. I actually have my "favorite" post office now :)
But all of those USPS trips have been completely worth it! This portion of the adoption process is "fondly" called the paper chase .
(This next part is a ton of adoption jargon to mean, things are moving! Continue reading if you would like to understand a little bit about the process and where I am at.)
I was successfully able to mail in my I800-a form to the USCIS (United States Customs and Immigration Services). I have received the notice that it was received and am awaiting my date to get biometrics done. (From my understanding, this is a fancy way of saying yet another set of fingerprinting done and photos taken of me).
I have also been able to mail nearly all of my documents to the Secretary of State to get an apostille on each (apostille = verifying that the notary is valid and legal to send to Mexico). With the apostille nearly done, I have nearly all of my documents ready for the Dossier. The Dossier is the packet of documents I will mail back to USCIS to be approved and sent to Mexico.
I have also been working on different grant applications. Grants are not a sure thing, and many of them don't pay out until later in the process.
Still praying for and saving as much as I can for the $16, 550 I need to be able to send the Dossier!
Exciting update!!
On Monday, June 10th, I was finally able to have my home inspection for the home study!
I absolutely loved my social worker, and greatly enjoyed her stories from all her years of work!
Even with this inspection accomplished (which feels amazing!), the paper chase continues as I wait for the home study to be finalized and accepted by USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services) and I prepare all the documents for the Dossier.
The next invoices, for the Dossier fees and the post-adoption follow-up fees, have arrived with the amount coming in at $16,550.
I was recently convicted to use affirming language, such as “when this adoption is finalized, Once the paperwork is approved, after I am matched with hermanita, etc”. Fully believing and trusting that God can accomplish this while also walking forward with palms open believing “even if not” that He is good!! So that being said….
Once the home study is approved, I can start applying for Grants. Through my adoption agency, I am working with a financial advisor who feels confident I will be able to be approved for grants; however, that is not a guarantee and I have no idea how much the grants will cover.
Thank you all for your support through this journey! Please continue to pray that God will provide the funds needed. If He is leading you to financially help in this next step, you can contribute through the link below or through gobgi.org/andrea. I am beyond grateful for how God is guiding this process and know that it is in His hands. I also wanted to update you all that I have been able to start doing a little bit of bookkeeping work on the side that is helping pay for the rent at the Townhouse. If you know of anyone who needs a remote bookkeeper, please send them my way!
I’ve got some very exciting news!
On March 4th I picked up my keys to an adorable townhouse in Las Cruces. After over a year of searching for somewhere that is affordable, safe, and meets adoption guidelines, I was able to sign the lease! I am praising the Lord for His provision!
This now means I can officially send the commitment fee to my international adoption agency and fill out their initial paperwork. The next step is to reach out to the local New Mexico Agency to start the home study process but, before I can schedule it, the townhouse needs to become a home.
Several have asked how they can help or what I need. There is a lot that goes into making a house a home, but here are a few specific ways to help:
*This amazon wishlist has some ideas (you’ll notice a lot of pink because, for Hermanita, pink is life). They're simply ideas though, so don't feel restricted to these specific products.
https://www.amazon.com/registries/gl/guest-view/TFX7LFR03IKJ
*Donations of used items in good and gently used condition. If you no longer need it, I would love to give it a new home!
*Continued financial support through this fundraising page. The first check written for the commitment documents was $4,750. For full transparency, the next step will be approximately $4,800 for the home study, the I-800 filing with the government, and the fee for preparing the dossier. Along with those bigger fees, there will be other smaller miscellaneous fees as well. These are just the initial fees to start the paperwork.
It's so amazing seeing how God is providing!
