Courtney Pickford

Updates

• Update 4

  Long awaited update

  June 17, 2026

  Sorry its been so long since I posted an update! I got really busy and time got away from me. In January my agency reached out with the file on a little boy they thought might be a match for me - and they were right! I fell in love with him and submitted a "Letter of Intent" (LOI) in Feb. It was fairly quickly "approved", and then I waited. And waited. And waited some more for that formal referral! I had the assurances from Colombia and my agency that paperwork was moving along and no other LOIs would be considered, but we needed that magical formal referral to get the ball rolling on finalization. That finally came through this week!

  My little guy just turned 5 last month, and has a number of congenital conditions. The most notable is Poland syndrome, which affected him pretty severely. His left arm is short and he's missing three fingers; his left lung is small and he's missing most of his ribs on that side; his left pectoral muscle is not there, and his heart is on the right side of his body! It amazes me how God formed the body to adapt. As it says in Psalms, God knit this sweet boy together in his mother's womb, and he is fearfully and wonderfully made! Despite all of his physical challenges, none of them slow him down. He loves music, dancing, sports, running around, and playing with friends. He's got the best smile in the world, the cutest dimple, and is known in his peer group for being a leader sensitive to the emotions of others and very affectionate and caring. He's curious, intelligent, and confident. I cannot wait to bring him home.

  I am working through paperwork on my end now, including getting him approved by customs and immigration (USCIS) as an adoptive child here in the States. I'm expecting to travel to Colombia the end of September! We'll be in country for 4-6 weeks before all the legalities are done and we're able to travel back to the States. He'll need a full medical work up once we get home, and then we'll know more about what therapies or treatments (read: surgeries) he might need.

  Of course that formal referral this week came with a big price tag to cover fees for this second half of the process - roughly $20k. Ouch. Big thank you to all of you who have helped me so far towards that, be it through the grant donations here or through the garage sale I had last month! Together that covers about half of this week's bill, so I'm incredibly grateful! (That being said, you are of course welcome to make an additional donation to the grant here on this site if you are so moved! I promise it will get to me and help cover those costs and his upcoming medical expenses!)

  Please continue to keep me and my guy in prayer as we work towards "familia para siempre" - becoming forever family. His little world is about to blow up as he will be relocated to prepare him for adoption - lots of unknowns, uncertainties, and new concepts for him. My heart hurts to be the "cause" of this pain in his little life, even though I know it is absolutely for his best in the long run. So please pray especially for his heart and mental/emotional well being in the next few months. I'll keep you updated as things progress!

• Update 3

  Watch and Pray

  February 22, 2025

  I wanted to share a quick update for those of you who are keeping pace here. I received my USCIS approval early December, and was able to mail my completed and final dossier to the adoption agency on Dec 12! They shipped it to Colombia the next day, where it began the translation process. Christmas is a major holiday in Colombia, even more so than in the States, and the country essentially shuts down until mid-January. I'm expecting the translation process to be wrapped up shortly now, at which time my application will be submitted to ICBF (the government branch in Colombia that addresses children and family services). Unfortunately ICBF's website states that they are taking about 9 months to give decisions on applications at this point, so after mine is submitted I don't expect to hear anything until the end of the year.

  As for next phases, obviously the next big step is ICBF approval (eta end of 2025). After that, I'll be back to waiting again, but this time for a child, because the next milestone will be ICBF sending me a referral for a child! A referral is a lengthy documentation of the child's history and specific medical conditions. I'll have two weeks to accept or decline, and those will be a busy two weeks of learning and prayer. Once I've accepted a referral, it takes about six months before I'll be able to travel - again, a busy six months.

  I hope that helps put the foreseeable future into context for you. Updates here will likely be brief and spaced out with all the downtime for the next year or so. I'll be taking advantage of the waiting to do some more traveling and other things that will likely go on hold for a bit until we come home and take time to settle in to our new family. I appreciate your prayers, and your support.

• Update 2

  Home Study Finalized!

  August 8, 2024

  I have my finalized home study, all notarized and ready to go! This experience is such a "hurry up and wait" game. The next step is to file an I-800A with USCIS - this is a petition with the US government to be approved as an adoptive parent from a Hague-approved country (in this case, Colombia!). My I-800A packet is nearly 50 pages, and will require another round of fingerprinting and FBI clearance checks. The USCIS website advises that the process is taking 4-5 months for approvals right now, so I expect to receive approval around Christmas. In the interim, I have more trainings to complete for my primary adoption agency, and more paperwork to do in preparation for my dossier. But that will be a far lighter load than I've had these past six months. The other fun thing I get to do now that the home study is approved is start to apply for financial grants - most are based on financial need and for some reason people think debt is even more acceptable when it is for an adoption, so I don't know that I will get any. I TRULY, TRULY appreciate those of you who have chosen to support me financially through Adopt Together. Yes, those dollars actually reach me! And they are a blessing! I'm still looking at another $30k+ before I get home with my child, and then there will be medical expenses after that, so every little bit now helps.

  So for the new few months, please do continue to keep me in prayer. Pray for a speedy approval with USCIS, for wisdom as I time the remaining paperwork requirements so that they won't expire too soon and need redone, and for favor as I pursue grants to help fund this adoption. Pray for my child and my child's birth mom, that she would make good choices and that the Lord would supernaturally protect my child against layered complications/special needs. Please start praying for favor for my dossier with Colombia, for those who will be considering my application and providing referrals to match me with my child. And thank you SO much for your prayers through this season!

• Update 1

  Making Progress!

  June 9, 2024

  First, let me thank you all for your prayers and generous support toward my adoption. Your notes, texts, donations and support have been such a blessing. I'm so grateful.

  I wanted to let you know that my home study process is wrapping up! It's been a very busy few months, and I have learned SO MUCH. I think I started this journey with the misconception that the home study would be studying my home to determine fitness for adoption - wow, was I wrong! It actually meant I would be studying at home a LOT! I've taken more than 10 credits of classes ranging from risks and common needs in international adoption, to what behaviors to expect, the impacts of prenatal stress and exposure to drugs and alcohol, the impacts of institutionalization, and strategies for attachment once we get home. I also completed nearly 20 hours of cultural learning and exposure - from Colombian history, culture, cooking, and music, I feel so much closer to my daughter and better prepared to keep her connected with her birth culture as she grows up.

  This month I'm tackling the final task on my to-do list - completing a 26-page resource packet where I identify and interview dentists, pediatrician, specialists, counselors, and schools and partner with them to detail out a transition plan for bringing my child home and helping her through the initial weeks and months of being home. It's been an eye opener for just how remote my little town is in terms of access to specialists and Spanish speakers. It's very overwhelming but I'm so grateful for the focus from my agency to have these resources lined up in advance!!

  So what's next? I have my last home study visit the end of June. After that, we will finalize the documentation for the home study and then I will have to get all the official documents (birth certificate, home deed, etc.) that are already notarized apostilled. Basically this is one additional step of authentication in which the State of Michigan affirms that the documents and the notarization are legitimate. Colombia requires this as part of the dossier process, and it has to be completed before the notarizations get too old. Once that is done, the entire packet of all the documents I've gathered, paperwork for the home study, certificates from my education credits, etc. will all be compiled into what is known as a dossier - basically me and my life situation in a book. This will be translated into Spanish and then sent to the branch of the Colombian government that handles child services, ICBF. ICBF will review the dossier and then decide if I get approved or not. I doubt I'll have a final word on approval from ICBF before the end of the year, but it is in the Lord's hands. If/when approved, I will then go in the pool to await a match!

  As my supporters in this adoption process, I'd ask you pray for wisdom as I line up all the support structures that will help me and my child in the coming-home journey - all the doctors, specialists, the right schools, etc. It's hard not knowing what age or specific needs he/she will have, so pray I cover all the bases appropriately so I can dig deeper quickly once I have a match with my daughter and know the specifics of her needs. Pray for me as I navigate the finalization of the home study and all the legal steps that come next. And of course, please pray for my child and his/her birth family, that the Lord would even now be guarding and guiding them.

  Thank you again for your support and prayers! I cannot adequately express my gratitude for your involvement in this journey. Thank you.