Welcome to the World of Paperwork

Rob and I had our first "home study" visit on Friday.  It was an hour long, and the purpose was really to let us know what paperwork we needed to complete.  The stack they gave us of waivers, forms, etc. was at least an inch thick.  We each have to get a medical exam, as does my mother (who lives with us) and Alan.  We and my mother have to be fingerprinted for our criminal background checks.  We had to list every address we lived in since we were 18 years old.  We have to take 10 hours each of training.  Wow!  It's no wonder that the home study process takes six months to finish.  Tracking down everything we need might just take that long.

The next step is to complete all the paperwork.  We will then have two more home study visits at the BCS office in March/April, and then finally they will come out to our home for a safety check.  Hopefully, by then, the house addition will be completed so they won't have to "ding" us for safety issues around the construction site.

The biggest decisions we have to make right now involve the type of child we are willing to accept.  The checklist is three pages long, and covers things from birth parent background to child disabilities (both minor and severe).  Your continued prayers and support are greatly appreciated throughout this process.

Bring Sissy Simon Home

Pershendetje miq! (Hello friends!)

Many of you know by now that the Simon family has decided to follow God's calling to adopt an orphan from Albania.  Since we don't yet have a referral child, we are calling our little girl "Sissy Simon," as she will be Alan's new little Sissy.  The journey will be very long (could be 2-4 years) and expensive ($25k to $45k).  We welcome your prayers, most importantly.  We have also set up a fundraising site to assist us in raising the money for the adoption expenses.  The  sit e can be accessed here: http://www.anython.com/running-for-sissy-simon?participant=6613

Here's how our journey began (spoken from Rob's perspective):  "Even before Alan was born, she and I had given consideration to adopting at some point. After Alan’s birth, the first two years were tough on our family, mostly because of my work schedule and how much of the burden of care that placed on Liz. During this time, we largely never thought about adopting. Then, after my career change to a more regular position close to home, I started to feel God’s pull again. There were times that I felt he was constantly reminding me of the need for forever families for these children that are in the orphanage and foster care systems. Towards the latter part of 2014, Liz and I went to an information session at Bethany Christian Services (BCS). We knew that the road was tough, and when you see the numbers, it is a reality check. Still, we felt this is what God wants for our family."

So, why Albania?  We discussed with BCS both domestic and international options and prayed about our first major decision in this process.  Domestic adoptions are either newborns or older than age five.  This is because the U.S. exhausts all options within the biological family before releasing the child for adoption, which can take anywhere from 3-5 years, making the child five years or older.  We want to maintain birth order, so we don't want a child older than Alan, but I would prefer not to have an infant in my house either.  So we began to explore international options.

We were approved for most of the international programs that BCS works with; however, most of the programs that had a child in our preferred age range (1-4 years of age) were all special needs.  I know my limitations, and I would not be the best parent for a special needs child.  That's where Albania came into the picture.

Children at an Albanian Orphanage

ALBANIA: The Albania program is open to families interested in adopting a waiting child with identified special needs, or non-waiting children with a range of needs, from healthier children to mild/moderate special needs. Profiles of waiting children can be found on the Bethany Portal. Families must be open to an age range of 0-4 years old for a non-waiting child, and children will most likely be a minimum of 12-18 months at the youngest. We cannot guarantee you will referred a young child. For Albania (and for any other country where children have spent significant periods of time in institutional care), it is important to note that all children will probably have some developmental needs (of varying types and degrees, depending upon their particular situation). Two trips are required: 1) 4-6 weeks and 2) 7-10 days with 15-30 days in between trips. Families may choose to take one trip, however it could potentially be a stay of up to 3 months in Albania. One parent may leave after court if necessary.

Albanian children

The most important thing we need from you is prayer.  God is leading us on this journey, and we want to hear his guidance throughout the process.  There will be many decisions to make along the way, and many steps to get us to our final "destination."  We will have to trust God in a number of different areas, particularly in the financial area.  This will stretch us financially, and we will really have to trust God to provide over the next couple of years.

Rob and I have the financial means to support a second child.  However, we don't have all of the upfront money that will be needed for adoption expenses.  Think about trying to pay for a new SUV with cash - that's about how much money it will take to go through the adoption process.  As such, in addition to the fundraising site, we will be hosting several fundraising events.  We will keep you updated as to what those will be, but some possibilities include quarterly dinners at local restaurants where 5% of the sale of your food (before tax and tip) would be donated to our adoption fund and a 5k or 4-mile race,

Alan and I have begun to learn some Albanian in anticipation of his sister knowing that language when he meets her.  I'm learning for that reason, and also so I can feel more comfortable staying in a country for 4-6 weeks where they do not speak English.  Unlike many other European countries, from what I've read anyway, Albanians do not learn English in school.

We have our first Home Study visit at the BCS office on Friday.  From my understanding the Home Study will take about six months to complete, and must be done before we receive any child referrals.  Be praying for us, as we don't really know what to expect from this first visit.

Falemnderit (thank you) for joining us on this journey.  We look forward to sharing our story with you as it unfolds.

Albanian orphans