Earlier today I received an email asking me if receiving the money for the adoption was urgent or if we had some time before the money was needed. My first reaction was to simply say, "No, it isn't urgent." Then I began to think a little more. You see, the reality is that, no, it isn't urgent and yet it is. When you adopt, particularly when it is an international adoption, there are many fees that you have to pay. There is the immigration/fingerprinting fees, the agency fees, the country's fees from where you are adopting, the shipping fees, the fees to have your paperwork authenticated, the fees to order the numerous certificates (birth, marriage, etc.), and so on and so forth. These fees all come at different times and different stages of the adoption process. This is why, in our latest fundraising efforts we focused on the $830.00 that was needed for the immigration paperwork and fingerprinting (which, by the way, we did receive). Now we have to get ready to pay for our homestudy which will be $1800.00. Plus there are physicals for everyone in the family, TB test, state authentication of paperwork, and so on. As you can see it begins to add up.
The question remains, is there an urgent need? Well again, adoption is a process of steps and they have to be done in order and they have to be paid for along the way. This means that our son will continue to wait in an orphanage in Ethiopia until we have everything here done and paid for. In addition there is the matter of his age and his limited time left in order to be eligible for adoption. In realistic terms we have about a year to complete this. In realistic terms it takes about a year to complete this - if you have the money to pay for everything to get it completed.
So is there an urgency to this? Yes and no. As a father who desires to bring his son home, it is the most urgent thing in my world. As a often too proud man who hates asking for help, I'm begging for it now. I wish I could tell you more of the young boy we long to adopt. I wish I could show you a picture of his wonderful face with his bright eyes that reflect such hope and such joy. Then you too would fall in love. Thank you for your help and God bless.
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"Do not be afraid, for I am with you; I will bring your children from the east and gather you from the west." Isaiah 43:5 (NIV)
AWAA
About Us
- The Raymers.
- We are John and Dottie. We have 5 kids: Hannah, Abel, Joshua, Feromsa, and Bereket. This is our blog about our lives.
Timeline and Cost
- Here you can find a posted a listing of all of our adoption expenses that are paid and are yet to be paid.
- *Note* AWAA program fees are reduced because John is an associate for AWAA.
- 1-13-10 AWAA Application Fee $250.00- PAID
- 2-3-10 First program fee* $250- PAID
- 3-8-10 Fingerprinting $830- PAID
- Birth Certificates, etc. $70- PAID
- Fingerprints for NC $10.00 PAID
- NC SBI Background Check $30.00 - PAID
- Physicals for everyone $150.00 - PAID
- Homestudy $1800 PAID
- Authentication of out of state documents $40.00 - PAID
- Post-placement fees $1050 - PAID
- 4-13-10 Fingerprint appointment with USCIS
- 4-21-10 Home study complete and in hand
- 4-22-10 Referral!
- 4-28-10 I-171 arrived!
- 4-28-10 Program fee ($250), 1/2 International Program fee ($3,750), Post-placement admin. fee ($385) Total of $4385 PAID
- ????- Agency mid-payment fee ($2000), Translation/Authentication fee ($800), Post-placement deposit ($1,000), Courier fee ($150), 1/2 International fee ($3750) Total $7700
Ethiopia
Addis Ababa |