Newsletter #2

A great Christmas “hello” to our adoption family. Thank you for your prayers and donations as we continue along this adoption road.
What have we done so far?
At this time we have completed our orientation with Christian World Adoption, our adoption agency. We attended a webnair, signed our contracts and paid the first fees. We have also begun our home study. We turned in a large amount of paperwork including a transracial parenting plan, a cultural awareness plan, our family histories, and a family budget. We had one visit from our case worker and there will be 2 more before the home study is complete.
What are you working on now?
We need to have certified copies of birth certificates and immigration cards for the dossier that gets sent to Ethiopia. We are waiting to receive those in the mail. We are having our physicals done and doing the required education for both the home study and CWA. We will also be getting our finger printing done in the next couple of weeks. All parts of the dossier need to be notarized so we are currently attempting to collect all the documents needed, such as employment letters, drug screens, and bank statements, get them notarized appropriately and then not lose them.
What comes next?
We submit documents to US Citizen and Immigration Services to obtain international adoption approval once the home study is complete. When we obtain approval then we send in our dossier, pay the rest of our fees and await a referral. (A referral is when they match you with your children.) We feel like we are well on our way and the excitement keeps building.
Fees?
We would be glad of any help, if you feel led check out the CWA website or email us. Please continue to keep us in your prayers. We wish all of you a MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!