Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to (some of) the questions we hear about adoption
Many people have questions about adoption, especially the international variety. Though this area is a work in progress (clearly), we hope you'll find the answers to at least some of your questions below. If you don't find what you're looking for, please email us!
You already have four kids. Why adopt?
The short answer is that we have room in our home and in our hearts. The long answer involves our belief that:
- children are a blessing from God (He said it Himself),
- taking care of widows and orphans should be a high priority for God's followers (see banner graphic above),
- if just a small percentage of Christian familes would adopt a child, all the orphans in the world would soon have homes, and
- God told us to.
Every child we've added to our family has brought us an exponential increase in love and joy. So why not?
Why International Adoption?
We recognize that there are many needy orphans in the US, and every orphaned child needs a home. We feel called to adopt internationally (this time around, anyway).
Why Ethiopia?
After settling on a Christian non-profit placement agency, we then had to choose the best country and program for our family. We wanted to choose a program that had a fairly short waiting time for a referral (patience is not one of our strengths). Some countries require adoptive parents to make two trips (like Russia and Ukraine). With four children at home, this would be emotionally and financially difficult for us. Other countries have a limit on the number of children you may have living in your home when you apply to adopt.
Ethiopia has a relatively short and uncomplicated adoption process (we're not getting any younger!). Ethiopia is a country that loves and values its children. Every picture we have seen of Ethiopian children shows smiling, happy children and smiling caregivers. We are fascinated by Ethiopian culture and we think the people are beautiful.
Are you getting one child, or two?
We're hoping to adopt a sibling set of two girls. We'd like a toddler and a little sister, so as to not upset the birth order in our family. It was our initial understanding that fewer families wanted sibling groups--now it appears that ours is a pretty common request. Will our desire for siblings slow down the adoption? That remains to be seen. As with "traditional" procreation, the ultimate outcome of this process is entirely in God's hands!