Our First Adoption Event

On Friday we went to our first adoption event. A local church sponsored it through their adoption ministry. There was an amazing speaker talking about how God calls us to care for the orphans and widows. Jason and I left energized and compelled. I AM one of the good Samaritans. I would stop and help someone in need on the side of the road (have done, actually).

The whole night I kept tearing up at the photos of those adopted. How far I have come! A couple of months ago I was crying in the same church because I couldn't have kids. Now I was crying because I'm so happy my child is, or soon will be, out there.

I would be lying if I didn't say I'm still worrying. I'm a planner. I know my next steps, but am nervous about the steps after those. I wrote a facilitator from Kazakhstan and the Kazak embassy, yesterday. I just want a clear picture on how the process works in their country right now. Most adoption blogs I'm reading are over two years old. So many things have changed since then. I hope they write back with some good information.

I'm also concerned about the amount of time we have to be over there. I know I can take a month or so off and be fine. Jason can't, though. He just started this job and has to work like a mad man to keep it. I know if I continue to trust in the Lord, he will take care of all things. I know this. I have to keep reminding myself it will all work out. 

Kazakhstan

Our second choice is Kazakhstan. This is for the simple reason their minimum age for adoption is 1. While we don't mind adopting at age 1, we would prefer younger. Kazakhstan, just like Uzbekistan, is well aware of the exorbitant prices the adoption agencies charge and prefer to work directly with the parents. Photo listings are illegal for Kazakhstan. The only way to be matched with a child is to go to the country and bond with the child. These countries are more concerned about the parents and child truly bonding than parents thinking a child is pretty and selecting that one. 

The children are of Asian, Eurasian and Caucasian descent, and usually, parents adopting from this country can choose to adopt a child of any ethnic heritage. Children are generally well cared for with only the usual health issues. The entire process takes less than one year. Children who end up in the orphanages of Kazakhstan are typically abandoned at birth at the hospital. This means a minimal amount of the birth parent history may be available, along with some of the child's medical history. These children are usually abandoned due to extreme poverty- because the birth family is unable to provide for them. Children in Kazakhstan are the same races as those from Uzbekistan. 

Picture from a family who adopted from Kazakhstan. Aren't they beautiful?

Kazakhstan has many more adoptions from the U.S. than Uzbekistan. We happen to also have a friend with family ties there which could possibly help us along the way. Just like with Uzbekistan, we will have to travel to the country, hire a facilitator who would help us with travel and language barriers, and stay there for 4-6 weeks while we meet a child and finalize the process. 

The indigenous Kazakhs were a nomadic Turkic people who belonged to several divisions of Kazakh hordes.They grouped together in settlements and lived in dome-shaped tents made of felt called yurts. Their tribes migrated seasonally to find pastures for their herds of sheep, horses, and goats. Although they had chiefs, the Kazakhs were rarely united as a single nation under one great leader. Their tribes fell under Mongol rule in the 13th century and they were dominated by Tartar khanates until the area was conquered by Russia in the 18th century. They gained independence from the former Soviet Republic in 1991. 

Selecting a Country

Several people have asked why we aren't adopting in the U.S. First of all, we can only adopt from a private adoption because of Jason's epilepsy. It's a sad fact that governments and agencies won't accept couples with an epilepsy diagnosis. I also don't like some of the adoption laws and red tape. The birth mother has several months to change her mind about the adoption. The government will come into your home, where you have been taking care of your child, and remove the baby giving it back to the birth mother. 

I have always, always pictured myself holding a child who doesn't look anything like me. When I was trying naturally, it always bothered me that I couldn't imagine my child. I couldn't envision me holding my baby in a hospital. What I can see 100% is a child who doesn't look like me. I can see me going to another country, going through the court system, and returning home with my family a little larger. I can not only see it, but feel it. This is my path. This is exactly where God wants me. 

I started looking at ways we can adopt international. With the epilepsy, any country who has entered into the Hague Agreement, will not accept adopting parents with epilepsy. Jason and I contemplated lying about it. We know we can find a doctor to pronounce him fit, but do we really want to force an adoption?

Through my research, I came across independent international adoptions. These are countries who have not entered into the Hague Agreement. These countries do not allow adoption agencies into the country. Their governments control the process. While this can be riskier (as one has to be willing to do the work oneself), the rewards can be great. The fees are about half what they would be with an agency. They also don't limit based on epilepsy.

Click here to see a list of non-Hague Agreement countries (this is subject to change).

Looking through these countries, a friend recommended Ukraine for adoption. There are a lot of successful stories on adoption from Ukraine on the internet. It looked very promising! After a couple of hours searching, I found where Ukraine has closed all adoptions to foreigners for any child under the age of 6. This won't really work in our case.

On the list, Uzbekistan comes after Ukraine. I started looking at it and Kazakhstan, as those are both in the same region. The children are absolutely beautiful! There are not many adoption stories from the last 3 years, but a new law was just passed which helped open up more adoptions to international families. 

After praying on it, we are sure this is the region for us. We feel this is the direction God is leading us and are extremely excited.