We are currently a family of five, striving to follow God's calling in our lives. We hope to soon to be a family of 6! We've created this blog to document the amazing journey we're on to bring our son home from Ethiopia.
Click on the image below to learn more about our decision to adopt.
"By adopting a child and helping them reach their potential, they help us reach ours. An adopted child is not an unwanted child; to the contrary. They are a child who was searched for, prayed for, cried for, begged for; received by arms that ached, making empty hearts full. Love is... meant to be shared."
- Author Unknown
Our Adoption Journey
October 5, 2009 - Applied to CHSFS Ethiopia Program
October 8 - Accepted to CHSFS
October 15 - Application sent to local home study agency (ADIN)
October 27 - First Home Study appointment
November 24 - Applied to America World (AWAA) Ethiopia Program
November 24 - Second Home Study appointment
December 9 - Officially accepted into AWAA Ethiopia Program
December 12 - Third Home Study appointment (Home Visit)
December 20 - Fourth Home Study appointment
December 28 - Applied for passports
January 15, 2010 - Received final, notarized Home Study
January 16 - Filed I-600A Application
February 23 - Fingerprint appointment at USCIS
March 17 - Received I-171H Approval
March 18 - Dossier state certified
March 19 - Dossier mailed to AWAA
March 26 - DTE!!!
April 1 - Dossier arrived in Ethiopia
August 24 - On Deck!
September 24 - Number ONE on the waiting list!
October 8 - REFERRAL!!
November 3 - Learned of our court date (January 18)
January 15 - Meetcha Day!!
January 18, 2011 - We PASSED court!! Elias is officially our son!!!!
February 9 - Submitted to Embassy
February 23 - Cleared by the Embassy
February 28 - Gotcha Day!!
March 1 - Embassy Appointment
March 6, 2011 - Elias is forever HOME!!!
Why Ethiopia?
There are roughly 4.6 MILLION orphans in Ethiopia
One in ten children die before their first birthday One in six children die before their fifth birthday
44% of the population is under 15 years old
60% of children in Ethiopia are stunted because of malnutrition
Ethiopia's doctor to children ratio is 1 to 24,000
Per capita, Ethiopia receives less aid than any country in Africa
Half of the children in Ethiopia will never attend school. 88% will never attend secondary school
Coffee prices (Ethiopia's only major export) declined 40-60%from 1998-2002
Severe drought struck the country from 2000-2002 first year no crops second year no seeds third year no animals
My name is Laura. My husband, Charlie, and I have been married for 10 years and have been blessed with three daughters; Emma, Ellie and Erin. We are currently in the process of adopting our fourth child, a son, from Ethiopia. We are excited to be on this journey and hope you'll follow along!
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