Team Tiny Tot: Exciting Update!!

So we have run into a lot of road blocks in our quest to adopt an orphan. Having another baby set our timeline back, and since Russia closed their program down to Americans, we haven't known what direction we needed to go. We looked into other countries, and kept finding that their programs were either shut down, took upwards of 6 years, or we didn't meet their criteria for adoption. Most of these countries have ridiculous criteria, like adoptive parents not being able to having any biological children, or needing to `have been married for a minimum of 10 years! Anyhow, we have been waiting it out and giving our family time to adjust to our new baby, and seeing if adoption is still right for us.

Keiffer is rather certain that he doesn't want any more biological children, but more importantly, does not want any more infants. He is diapered out, if you know what I mean! We continually have things happen to us like seeing something on television about orphans that stirs our hearts and whispers, "You need to adopt". This usually happens late at night right before bed, and then all of a sudden Keiffer and I are back on our lap tops side by side browsing adoption sites and researching international adoption. Trying to find that spark to ignite the fire again and guide our way.

The other day my friend Amy, the same one who inspired me to look into Russian adoption, posted something on Facebook about a non-profit organization called Project 143. Oh boy, did this open up a can of worms! I went to the website and found out about hosting orphans. Something I had never heard of before. Looking back at my friend's website, I saw that she had just hosted an orphan from the Philippines, and read all about her experience as well of that of about 5 of her friends who did the same. It brought new hope in our quest to help an orphan!

So what is hosting? Some orphanages "shut down" for a short time in the winter or summer, and they move the children to camps. I am not too sure what these camps are like, but another option that is available to select orphans, is to go on a "vacation" of sorts to America to live with a family for 5 weeks. A family in America "hosts" the child. Their photos are put into a photo-listing to be selected by people interested in the program. If they are selected, so begins the process. So the very first question that came to my mind and I think everyone who first hears of this is program would ask, "Isn't that cruel to take a child out of an orphanage, show them everything they are missing and then send them back?" After reading more about why they have this program, and what it does for the children, I realized that this is actually a good thing. Hearing testimonials of families who have hosted, as well as from orphans themselves, I feel good about the cause.

I filled out the initial pre-application, which would give me access to a photo-listing of orphans available for hosting. As I scrolled through the children I came across the most gorgeous little girl whose name I will keep confidential but call "E". She was just staring right at me. I read a short bio on her which said this:

BEAUTIFUL, FRIENDLY & LOVING! "E" likes dogs/cats and has good marks in school. Her favorite subjects are Visual Arts and home economics. She likes to play with kids. She likes to make paper crafts, do hair and manicures. If she had money she would buy earrings and nail polish. She wants to become a hairdresser one day. She is very sweet and loving girl and has a good relationship with her brother. She is healthy and does not take any medication.

So anyone who knows me would see why I was so drawn to her. She could totally be my daughter, seeming as I love visual arts, am a cosmetologist, owned a hair salon, am a crafter, love dogs and cats, and have two girls who are total girly girls! Oh, add to that my obsession with hair bow making and dressing my kids up.

I brought hosting up to Keiffer, prefaced with a "So I've been thinking"... He jokes that whenever I say that it usually costs him $3,000! Not really, but he knows I had some serious wheels turning in my head. He thought it was just another one of my "great ideas", but when I showed him E's picture he said, "She's an orphan?!", followed by a "Let's do it!". We slept on it and in the morning as I was revisiting the photo-listing, I realized that E has a brother whose name I will also keep confidential but call "A". A handsome boy whose bio read this:

RESOURCEFUL! "A" is in 8th grade. His favorite subjects in school are math, sports, and home economics. This summer he earned money by picking berries in the woods and onions and selling them. He prefers being outside, but also enjoys computer games. He likes hiking and swimming and enjoyed golfing when he was in America last time. He also liked to help his host mom cook meals. He thinks it would be fun to be in a city. The social worker says that he struggles with low self-esteem.

What a handsome boy! Immediately I thought about how I would love to have him in the kitchen with me making delicious food. He sounds like my child with his creative mind looking for ways to make money :) Seeing that he suffers from low self esteem made my heart sad.

In reading more details about eligibility of hosting, I found out that siblings cannot be separated when being hosted. So if we are interested in E, we would "have" to bring along A. It didn't take us but a short conversation to come to the agreement that this is totally the best thing for them and we wouldn't want to split them up anyways. Even if it was allowed. In fact, their being siblings we feel they will have a better time transitioning. Knowing they have each other to confide in and communicate with during their trip, makes us feel a little better.

We spoke with a representative from Project 143, asking as much information on both children as she had available and became certain that we want to bring them here to America to be with us this summer. Here is the catch.... we want to adopt them! Oh boy, here we go. So one of the wonderful bonuses to this hosting program is that these children are all eligible for adoption by their host family, and a great deal of them, after being hosted, get adopted from their host family. As we envision this experience with E and A in our heads, we just know that we will fall in love with them and be devastated to send them back to their hometown in Latvia to continue living in the orphanage. An orphanage can't love them and provide for them the way that we can.

We committed to both children by placing a deposit down on their travel costs. Fortunately we have the money readily available sitting safely in our adoption account! The hosting will be very expensive, costing us $5,500. Seriously crazy huh?! But it is so worth it when you realize that we can change a life, or in this case, two lives. This cost includes all of their travel expenses to and from Latvia, the cost for two chaperons, their Visas and other legal documents, paperwork, etc. And you know what is even more crazy, is that they will arrive, "with the clothes on their back". They don't own anything, so will come with nothing. This means, that we will be buying all of their clothing and personal hygiene items, in addition to everything else they will need while here. We will be able to send them back to Latvia with a large suitcase and backpack with all of the items we can fit in it, which will be so nice for them. Adoption will be a lengthy process, so there is no question that we will have to send them back. At least for awhile.

I have so much more to share, and will do so in my next post. More details on our plans to adopt E and A and all of the crazy emotions we are experiencing. Our world has flipped upside down and I know when speaking for myself, I am scared out of my wits! Now all of a sudden we are wondering how in the world we are going to pull all of this off. How are we going to pay for the adoption of not one but TWO children? After the hosting, we will only be left with $4,000 in our adoption account, and will be in need of what seems like an impossible amount of money! How are we going to afford a new vehicle with room for 8? How are our hearts going to cope with the ups and downs that are inevitably going to come our way. How in the world are we going to be parents to a pre-teen and teenager?!! Like WOAH! It is easy to get discouraged and not know how it is all feasible, but we both have faith that God has a plan for us. He has all along. He has stirred our hearts for long enough and now it is time that he is calling us to ACT. We know He will take care of us. He will send us angels here on earth to make this all possible. We have faith.