Waiting Anxiety and Q&A

OK... I confess, I gave in and called to make sure they received our application on Friday.  By some luck on a late Friday afternoon the person who answered was also the person with our application on her desk.  So, I'm glad I called and at least know our application was not lost in the mail and they would be in contact early next week.  Hopefully before I go down to Texas for work on Wednesday.  Also Mary and I have been using this period to think further about details and decisions ahead.   This weekend we also started to try to get ahead of the paper chase by getting multiple certified copies of our birth certificates.

Beyond that, we have told most of our family and some of our friends now about the adoption and felt very supported which was reassuring.  Common questions we've been asked and answers below:

Q:  Why adopt internationally or specifically from Africa?
A:  Mary and I have felt called to adopt from Africa specifically and to adopt from countries where children are in orphanages.  This is not the case in the United States due to our social service infrastructure.

Q:  How much does it cost / is it expensive?
A:  The cost is for the process and services necessary to complete an adoption (satisfying government requirements of your home country and the foreign country) as well as services related to services your agency provides in country (legal, transition, etc..).  Some of the costs may be offset by tax credits or employment benefits.  More details are available on some of the agency websites if you are considering adoption.

Q:  Are you considering a child with special needs?
A:  Mary and I have not felt specifically called to this but are praying and investigating this.  We find it very inspiring that some are called and willing to open their homes to these children who often are waiting much longer to be placed in homes both domestically and internationally.

Q:  How long will it take?
A:  This is hard to say and international adoption can take strange turns due to the interaction with government agencies.  Only a small part of the process is partially under your control and we don't want to set false expectations.  We know adopting will require patience and prayer.  When pressed, we have offered one to two years, but have no way of knowing if that will resemble reality this early in the process.