Hello Friends, Family, and Strangers out there…
As most of you might have heard already, we feel led to adopt a boy from Eastern Europe. We have talked about adoption throughout our marriage and finally wanted to start preparing for it this year. Well, as I (Chrissy) was doing research on the process and seeing how everything worked, I was also looking at waiting children in the countries in which we were feeling led to adopt. I have always browsed pictures online of the boys needing families, but a week and a half ago one boy just grabbed my heart. It was like he was chosen for me. Had to be a God thing! I could not stop thinking about him and I just kept praying and I was moved to tears many times. Over the course of the past week, that boy has grown more and more on my heart as well as Erick’s. We have had many discussions over adoption and him specifically the last few days. We have been praying for the ability to start the application process, we just have not had everything we needed to get started.
Well, we just found out that the institution he was moved to recently might be one that is a very horrible place. http://covenantbuilders.blogspot.com/2010/11/sad-reality.html and here http://bit.ly/guSQ5S
We are not sure if this is the kind of institution he was moved to or not, but it is likely that it is. They move boys around ages 4-6 to institutions like these if they are not perfectly healthy. It is not that they try to hurt the boys there, they are just extremely poor and the conditions are really bad. It is not healthy: physically, mentally, or spiritually. Many children, (85%), do not make it past their first year in one of those places. We were shocked with this information and crushed to find out orphan boys (probably our boy) have to live like that, and want more than ever to go rescue this boy from wherever he is and soon. We feel the call to GO! Every day he is there is more damaging. He needs a mommy and a daddy to love him and tuck him in at night. To hug and kiss him. To teach him and take care of him. We can’t shake the love for this kid that has grown in us. So we are stepping out in faith that God will provide everything that is needed to move forward so we can get our son. I was going to post some pics right here, but we are not allowed to do that until we are matched with him. I will share when I can! But believe me, he is PRECIOUS and you will love him! He use to be in the baby orphanage where he got pretty decent care. A lady I found online that had met him there last year said that he was fun, active, smiling, curious and “all boy”. He is listed as a child with “special needs”, but we are keeping that information confidential. I pray that his smiling fun spirit is not quenched in the place he now resides.
He is not matched to us right now. This is what we are writing to you about. We want to apply so that we can commit to him and be matched to him so that we can go through the process of approval and be his parents and bring him home. We might be his only chance to find a family!!! I know he has been an orphan for at least two years, but most likely his whole life (I will find out more info on him once matched). If he is now in one of these horrible institutions I mentioned above, then we will actually be saving his life!!! To start the application process we need the initial funds to pay for the home study and commitment fees. The amount we still need right now for this is about $3,700. More will be needed later, step by step. The whole entire adoption will cost around $25,000. This includes travel costs. If anyone feels like donating any of the initial cost to us so that we can get started, we would greatly appreciate it!!! The sooner we can apply, the better.
Once we have our home study underway, we can set up different fundraiser options to help support the adoption as well as continue to take donations. We will be having a yard sale to raise funds once the winter passes. We will also look into all the grants we can find and apply to them. The government also gives a $13,000+ tax refund for the year you adopt. So a lot of the cost comes back to us the following April. The whole process really doesn’t make that much sense. I don’t get why it is so hard and expensive to rescue a child.
The whole home study and approval process can take like 2-6 months. Once it is time to go get him, we will have to make two separate trips to the country where he is. The first will be about 2-3 wks long and then we come back home for about 3 wks and wait. Then, we will return to get him and that trip is 2-3 wks long as well (should be shorter than the1st). Then from that trip, he comes home with us. So, for the time we are gone during these trips, we will need family/friends to commit to watching/caring for our three kids. The dates for these trips will not be known till close to the time. So whoever can help us will have to be flexible. I know that makes it hard to plan, but that is how it works. If we can get started next month, then we might be traveling over the summer. Yet it might be more like the fall. The program he is set up under takes an avg of 7 months! That is pretty quick for an adoption… but for him it will be 7 very loooong months!
There are a lot of other things involved in the process but they are not important for this letter. If you would like to know more, please ask. We will tell you what we can and of course throughout this blog more info will be revealed and updated. Be sure to sign up to get those emailed to you!
Anyway, if you know me well, you know I just hate asking for things. I do not like asking for help, especially for money. It is really hard for me to do. So, please think over this and pray! Please see if you can help us/him in any way. We truly feel he is our son and just as if it were any of our other 3 kids over there suffering, we would do absolutely anything to go and save them. We are determined to find a way to bring him home! Will you help us?
With much love, hope, and gratitude,
Chrissy and Erick Wilson
