⭐️WE ARE ADOPTING!⭐️
Wahoo! We will be releasing a video soon with our full story, but for now, here are the answers to some frequently asked questions:
—— 𝗙𝗔𝗤'𝘀 ——
🇿🇦 𝙒𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢?
South Africa! SA is the southernmost country of the continent of Africa. The agency we are working with is called All God's Children International (AGCI) and they work with an orphanage in Johannesburg.
🚸 𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙘𝙝𝙤𝙤𝙨𝙚 𝘼𝙡𝙡 𝙂𝙤𝙙'𝙨 𝘾𝙝𝙞𝙡𝙙𝙧𝙚𝙣 𝙄𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙖𝙡 𝙖𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙖𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙮?
There are a few reasons… AGCI is one of only three U.S. organizations accredited for adoptions in South Africa. We wanted a faith-based agency that would support our reasons to adopt. A wonderful family from our church adopted one of their children through AGCI so its great to have another couple to ask questions and relate to while going through the process.
👨👩👧👦 𝘿𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜?
Yes! We are open to adopting a single child or a sibling group.
⏰ 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨?
2+ years before we come back home to the U.S. with our child/children. This means we're looking at sometime after the summer of 2025.
🌎 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚?
The basic process goes as follows:
• Application/Contract (45 days)
• Home Studies & Dossier (5-9 months) (This also includes a 40 hour parent training)
• Wait For Referral/Accept Referral/Travel to SA (1-3 years)
• In-country stay/bonding period/court appointments (3-4 months)
❤️ 𝙃𝙤𝙬 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙬𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙧𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪?
We are not going to sugarcoat it… Adoption is expensive. Any financial donations are what we really need in order to live out this calling. We are confident that God will prepare us in a multitude of ways, so your prayers and emotional support are also needed and helpful. We would also love a quick text or a message whenever you are thinking of us :) Lastly, we are VERY open about our journey and love answering questions, so don't be shy!
🔗 𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙞𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙨 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙬𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙣 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚?
YES! The best part about AGCI is its knowledgeable team and resources. They even have their own podcast called Together By AGCI that we listen to often. Here is a link to get you started:
https://allgodschildren.org/podcast/
—— 𝗨𝗡𝗖𝗢𝗠𝗙𝗢𝗥𝗧𝗔𝗕𝗟𝗘 𝗤𝗨𝗘𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦 ——
We also realize that there are some uncomfortable questions people want to know and we are willing to answer:
💸 𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙙𝙤𝙥𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙨𝙤 𝙢𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙥𝙖𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙩?
We set our goal at $50,000 to allow flexibility for adopting siblings. Adoption fees come from a few major sources:
1) Paying the agency for their work in translating documents, partnering with the South African government, and rendering other adoption support services. This is to ensure the safety of the process; to prevent trafficking and make sure we're prepared to support the children. (~$25,000)
2) Paying social workers and medical professionals for home studies, medical testing of us and the adoptee, and post-adoption reporting. (~$10,000)
3) Paying for the 3-4 months of travel, including food, lodging, and transportation for us and the child(ren). (~$10,000-$15,000)
Fortunately, the agency offers some grant money and loan options, but we are mostly hoping to pay for these fees through our own money, savings, and donations from our community. It doesn't all happen at once either; these fees are spread out over several years. For more information, check out the South Africa funding page from AGCI
https://allgodschildren.org/international-adoption/adopt-south-africa/
👶🏾 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙠𝙞𝙙𝙨 𝙗𝙚 𝙗𝙡𝙖𝙘𝙠?
Our kids will be people of color. Fun fact: South Africans use the terms white, black, and colored (meaning of mixed race) to describe their racial identities. "Colored" is not necessarily a taboo word to them, but we will not be using it as a term to describe our children.
📝 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙚?
They will keep their birth first name, but their last name will become Zapata-Palmer.
🇺🇸 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙗𝙚 𝙐𝙎 𝙘𝙞𝙩𝙞𝙯𝙚𝙣𝙨?
Once we come back to the States, the initial paperwork will upon entry will grant them citizenship.
💊 𝙒𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡 𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙙𝙨?
It is advised to all adopted parents that any adoptee will most likely have medical needs and/or past trauma. We are not sharing specifics at this time.
🎉 𝘼𝙧𝙚 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙗𝙞𝙜 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩𝙮?
Although we would love for all our family and friends to meet our kids right away, we will be introducing our children to other people slowly over time as they become more comfortable and at home. Please be patient in meeting our kids as they will have so much to adjust to!
We have much to learn on this journey as well, and we are excited to have you along with us in our community.
❤️❤️ THANK YOU! ❤️❤️
