Help us adopt our son’s genetic sibling.
After much prayer and coming to grips with our inability to conceive our own natural children, we were led by God to the blessing of adoption. In fact, it is through adoption that we enter into the family of God.
“For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.” Romans 8:15-17
Now, just as we have been adopted in Christ, we in turn choose to act in the same spirit to grow our earthly family.
At the end of 2021, we adopted our son from Arizona as a newborn. We went through an agency and spent a good chunk of our life savings. We had an open adoption and remained in contact with our son’s birth mother. We had previously expressed to her that if she would find herself pregnant again and it is a difficult situation, that we would love for our son to have a sibling. Fast forward a year and a half, she contacts us and tells us that she is pregnant again and recalled what we had previously told her. To make a long story short, she wants us to adopt her child, however, instead of going through an agency, we decided to do a private adoption.
We consulted with lawyers and were told that we would be responsible for the birth mother's wellbeing throughout her pregnancy. This placed a great financial burden on our shoulders because the birth mother is currently houseless with no income. To compound the problem, we live in Hawaii which has a high cost of living and the expense of traveling to Arizona is very high. Financially supporting homes in both Hawaii and Arizona is financially draining, especially, for the upcoming eight month duration of the pregnancy.
As we sat down to calculate how much this adoption will cost from start to finish we realized it would cost $35,000+ not including our travel and lodging. If the Lord has placed it on your heart to contribute to our adoption, you have our greatest appreciation. If you are unable to contribute financially, we humbly ask for your prayers.
Thank you for taking the time to read our story.
May the Lord bless and keep you always,
The Sanchez Family
At the end of August 2023, Veronica, my son Judah, my mother-in-law, and I, traveled to Phoenix, AZ. On the first day we landed in Phoenix we traveled all around Maricopa County seeking answers about how to properly go about performing and identified adoption. We first went to the superior court building, then to the legal library, and lastly to the juvenile court. At each location, we were met with the same basic answer, “You need a private adoption attorney.” Apparently, in Arizona, the juvenile court system only handles in-state adoptions. Interstate adoptions are handled through adoption agencies and/or adoption attorneys. That very evening we secured the services of an Academy of Adoption & Assisted Reproduction Attorney (AAAA) to represent Keyanna. These are highly vetted attorneys dedicated to adoption and assisted reproduction law. (https://adoptionart.org/)
On our second day in Phoenix, we met with the birth mother, Keyanna, of our current son and expectant child. Both she and we were timid to meet, but quickly got over our anxieties. Although we were excited to adopt a second child from her, our conversation revolved around her wellbeing. We were saddened to hear of the struggles she faced. We made sure she would have good excellent shelter and all the provisions she needed throughout her pregnancy. This is where an AAAA attorney is invaluable. The attorney not only files legal paperwork and shows up in courts, but they also manage the birthmother’s financial and physical well-being. These attorneys are excellent, especially for interstate adoptions.
But that’s not all. On our visit, we also accomplished two other things. First, Keyanna was able to visit with our 20-month-old son, Judah, her biological son. It brought her great joy not only to see and hold him but also to know that he was healthy and thriving. Second, our son was able to meet his biological older brother, Kamari. We threw a belated birthday party for him at Chuck E. Cheese. Everyone had a blast! The most amazing thing was that our son, Judah, knew, as if instinctively, that Khaleel was his brother. It was an amazing time for all. With everything in the hands of the AAAA attorney and everyone's anxieties quelled; we were comforted to know that Keyanna would be well cared for.
