All Systems Are Go!

We have chosen an agency! It was actually the largest process of elimination we have ever embarked upon: 71 agencies across 7 countries. We were able to narrow down quite a bit based on basic info available online. We contacted 10 agencies and heard back from 8. The agencies serving Latin American countries dropped off our list mostly because the wait times were still too long for us. Several of the agencies serving Asia just didn't pan out for a variety of logistical reasons. All that left us with one: Holt International - South Korea, which happens to be the first and largest agency serving South Korea since the 70s. They average ~100 placements per year - massive compared to the domestic agency we worked with before that averaged 4-5/yr. Anyway, it is roughly a two year program and right now the long pole in the tent is us! We submitted our application online last week and have been furiously filling out forms since then. This is the packet we got in the mail:

We've started a to-do list off all the things that need to be done or gathered, etc. It feels a bit like a Zelda quest at times:

• Sign & Notarize IASA (Holt's International Adoption Services Agreement)
• Photos of family & house
• Taxes Records
• Schedule of Fees Form
• Transmittal Memo
• Family Service Plan
• Birth Parent Openness Form
• Psychological Evaluation
• Home Study Application
• Autobiographies
• Marriage Data Sheets
• Parenting Data Sheets
• Medical History & Examinations
• Medical Statement on Child in Adoptive Applicant’s Home
• Budget Sheet
• Verification of Income
• 4 Reference Letters
• Photo/Media Release
• Criminal History
• Firearms Safety Verification
• International Adoption Contract/Financial Agreement for Korea
• Forms Receipt Acknowledgement
• Home Study
• I800A Form

I'm sure more things will come up as we go along. While it seems overwhelming to read, knowing that we've done it all before gives us confidence. The thing we are most anxious about is traveling to and adopting from a country that is literally on the other side of the world from where we had originally planned on going. I wonder if Rosetta Stone will let us trade in our Spanish CDs? Oh well. 
Nevertheless, we are very excited about this new adventure. We will be updating the Costs/Fees page shortly to include a breakdown of the Korea program. In the meantime, please pray for energy and determination. Thanks!

Back in the Saddle!

Well, it has been much longer than anticipated, but we are finally starting up the adoption effort again! Actually about a year late, since our 2013 Christmas letter said we'd be starting back up in early 2014. If you didn't see our most recent Christmas letter, 2014 was a year of changes for us. We both had side jobs, John got a new primary job, we sold our house, and we moved. All those changes left us with little time. Also our precious little girl just started sleeping through the night consistently about a month ago, so we are slowly getting our energy back for extracurricular activities.

That brings us to now, and in addition to starting the adoption back up, we are also announcing that we've turned our sights to international adoption! After going on mission to South America, we've had a heart for orphans abroad. It was always our plan for child #2 to be from another country, so we are just picking up where we left off.

If you hadn't guessed, we are quite interested in children from Latin American countries. We've done a fair amount of preliminary research on the agencies & programs that serve these countries. http://www.rainbowkids.com/ is a great resource for finding up-to-date information on adoption programs around the world. A general trend that we've noticed with the Latin American programs is the children tend to be older (4+). Because we want our biological child to be the oldest in the home (and is also required universally), we would have to probably wait another couple years before even submitting an application. Another common requirement is that the final visit to the country be many weeks long, like 8 weeks on average! This is not impossible to do but very challenging on many levels. Nevertheless, we have identified a handful of agencies serving Ecuador, Panama, and Honduras with younger children and shorter travel requirements.

We are also considering the Far East. The programs are very similar in each country, and they all have shorter stays than the Latin American countries. It is also more likely that we'd be able to be matched with a toddler. So far we have found prospective agencies serving South Korea, China, and Taiwan.

So the next steps for us are to start contacting the agencies for basic info. We will post again after narrowing down the selection. Please pray that God would direct and guide our search to find the next little one!