Hi Everyone!
We know it's been a while but we have been waiting till we got settled here in Florida to update everyone. The transition to the new location and the new jobs have gone really well! Luke is finally getting comfortable with the administration part of being a principal and balancing teaching grades 5-7 as well. I am teaching 3-4 part time and give release time to Luke for a couple hours. We are finally making some friends and also connecting with others that happen to live near us. We also took a trip to Beijing and Hong Kong this last summer to visit Luke's brother in China for his wedding and my sister in Hong Kong. Everything's been great!
Now...where were we in the adoption? Last November we had almost completed all of our paperwork and our social worker was about to write the report for our home study. Fast forward 11 months...we just handed in ALL of our paperwork to complete our home study here in Florida!! They do things a bit quicker here. Instead of having us write essays on our childhood, how we were raised and disciplined, and how we plan to raise our children and discipline, they just come over twice and interview you. Some of the paperwork we had filled out a year ago was able to be used as well which was a HUGE help. Now that all of the paperwork is in, we wait a couple weeks for our new social worker to write our report and give us the Florida stamp of approval! YAHOO! Now we are working on our dossier (doss-ee-ay) which is a fancy word for paperwork required from Kyrgyzstan. Once we send that we begin the waiting and fundraising process.
We are so blessed to be where we are and wouldn't have it any other way. It's amazing the way God has designed our lives and how there is a reason for everything:) We are so blessed!
More updates to come...
Monday, October 26, 2015
Sunday, January 4, 2015
We are in for a Rough Ride!
Hey All!
Or should I say y'all?
So many things have happened in the past month or so that I thought I would wait until it all played out to update everyone. After we had our home visit with our social worker in November she began working on our home study. She actually would already be complete with it right now if it wasn't for Luke receiving a call to teach at Ascension Lutheran School in Sarasota, FL to be principal, grades 5-8 and Hispanic Outreach.
After telling our social worker she decided to pause our home study until we told her our decision. She said that was the best option because if she completed it and found out that we would be moving we would have to pay the home study completion fee and then also start over if we moved to Florida. Since each state has different regulations and paper work we would have to start from scratch.
It was a long 5 weeks that we deliberated...and we have decided to accept the call. After years (as a woman) of being told that the choices that I would make would affect having a child I was thinking that God is SCREAMING at us that this was not our time to be parents...it's hard not to take that personally. What's a few more months, right? When Luke heard that a choice that he would have to make would push everything back he automatically said "We need to stay!" It's hard not to be thinking about what you can control and what you can't. A lesson that is difficult for everyone to learn. The position was so unique for Luke's skill set, would strengthen us as a couple, and would help us work together towards one common goal: Point souls toward the kingdom of heaven. So... we will be moving to Sarasota sometime in June. And so the classic Lutheran question comes into play "What does this mean (for the adoption)?" Our home study is basically scratched and once we move there then we can start over with all the paperwork. I have already spoken with one agency in Sarasota and found out that nothing is transferable. We will need an adoption agency for the home study, the paperwork, and the home visit. After that is complete Lutheran Social Services in Milwaukee will still be our placing agency, since we have committed to the Kyrgyzstan program.
Hope this helps! It's still cold in Wisconsin and children are in need of warm winter head gear!!! My friend Keturah is still making hats for kids! Half of the proceeds go to the costs of our adoption. Here is the link below...
Made From the Heart
Also...Luke and I are planning on making a puzzle with a world map and the country of Kyrgyzstan is highlighted and a Bible passage is also on it. Those who have already donated will receive a piece or pieces to sign and then we will be "selling" the pieces for a signature to be part of our journey. More updates to come!!
Or should I say y'all?
So many things have happened in the past month or so that I thought I would wait until it all played out to update everyone. After we had our home visit with our social worker in November she began working on our home study. She actually would already be complete with it right now if it wasn't for Luke receiving a call to teach at Ascension Lutheran School in Sarasota, FL to be principal, grades 5-8 and Hispanic Outreach.
After telling our social worker she decided to pause our home study until we told her our decision. She said that was the best option because if she completed it and found out that we would be moving we would have to pay the home study completion fee and then also start over if we moved to Florida. Since each state has different regulations and paper work we would have to start from scratch.
It was a long 5 weeks that we deliberated...and we have decided to accept the call. After years (as a woman) of being told that the choices that I would make would affect having a child I was thinking that God is SCREAMING at us that this was not our time to be parents...it's hard not to take that personally. What's a few more months, right? When Luke heard that a choice that he would have to make would push everything back he automatically said "We need to stay!" It's hard not to be thinking about what you can control and what you can't. A lesson that is difficult for everyone to learn. The position was so unique for Luke's skill set, would strengthen us as a couple, and would help us work together towards one common goal: Point souls toward the kingdom of heaven. So... we will be moving to Sarasota sometime in June. And so the classic Lutheran question comes into play "What does this mean (for the adoption)?" Our home study is basically scratched and once we move there then we can start over with all the paperwork. I have already spoken with one agency in Sarasota and found out that nothing is transferable. We will need an adoption agency for the home study, the paperwork, and the home visit. After that is complete Lutheran Social Services in Milwaukee will still be our placing agency, since we have committed to the Kyrgyzstan program.
Hope this helps! It's still cold in Wisconsin and children are in need of warm winter head gear!!! My friend Keturah is still making hats for kids! Half of the proceeds go to the costs of our adoption. Here is the link below...
Made From the Heart
Also...Luke and I are planning on making a puzzle with a world map and the country of Kyrgyzstan is highlighted and a Bible passage is also on it. Those who have already donated will receive a piece or pieces to sign and then we will be "selling" the pieces for a signature to be part of our journey. More updates to come!!
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Made from the Heart
Made from the Heart
With so much love,
Rachel and Luke
Wednesday, November 5, 2014
Home Visit/ Timeline
So this last Tuesday morning our social worker came over to our house to call us "worthy" parents. We had spent soooooo much time cleaning out the garage, the basement, and the rest of the house. We put in smoke detectors in every room, two fire extinguishers, and a couple carbon monoxide detectors....you know, the normal things expecting parents all buy for their homes! She came on in, asked us a few questions, and did a 2 minute tour! She didn't go in the garage or the basement and barely looked at anything. She most likely saw most things without us even noticing. We love her! Hope you're ready this Emilee! We asked a few questions ourselves which were mostly about the upcoming events for us. She is hoping to complete our home study by the end of December. She also gave us what we need for our Kyrgyzstan dossier (paperwork that the officials over there need). We will be set to START waiting hopefully in January! Yahoo! Just giving you guys as much of a timeline that we have so far. We are also still taking fundraising ideas! Until next time! Brick can't wait....
Monday, October 27, 2014
Fundraising?
So...the uncomfortable part of adopting comes into view right about now. We need ideas for fundraising!! If you have any creative, fun, or easy ways for us to fund raise for all of our recent expenses our ears are wide open! Please feel free to contact us with your ideas because we need all the help we can get.
Above is a button that says "Donate." That button allows people to donate money directly to my PayPal account. Do NOT feel like you have to give anything! We appreciate any kind of support, and it doesn't have to be financial. Thank you so much!
Also, I have been getting the question "What do Kyrgyzstan children look like?" so here's a link to google images:)
Kyrgyzstan Children
Above is a button that says "Donate." That button allows people to donate money directly to my PayPal account. Do NOT feel like you have to give anything! We appreciate any kind of support, and it doesn't have to be financial. Thank you so much!
Also, I have been getting the question "What do Kyrgyzstan children look like?" so here's a link to google images:)
Kyrgyzstan Children
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Chosen Country!
One quick update! Luke and I have officially decided on a country after many discussions and deciding what would be best for us. The country we are adopting from is Kyrgyzstan! It recently opened it's gates again for people to adopt from there so the wait it shorter than normal (hopefully!). If you're wondering where Kyrgyzstan is, it's just south of Kazakhstan, west of China, north of Tajikistan, and east of Uzbekistan. The children there usually appear to have some Asian features with a mixture of some lighter hair and skin tone. Their first language is Kyrg but their second is Russian. Just wanted to update you a little. Also, I really wanted to share this song because I keep hearing it on the radio and thinking how wonderfully true it is! It's such a wonderful reminder for me that I am not in control and what a blessing that it. The link is below and the song is called Glorious Unfolding.
Glorious Unfolding
Glorious Unfolding
Sunday, October 5, 2014
Welcome!
Welcome to our adoption blog! We are so grateful to share this joyous news and experience with everyone! This way we can tell you our story and share our updates. I am very new to the blogisphere so if anyone has any suggestions on how to make this website more efficient or pleasing to the eye please let me know:)
A little bit about ourselves: Luke and I married almost four years ago after meeting in college. Luke is a 6th grade teacher at St. Marcus Lutheran School in Milwaukee and I just started teaching ESL at Christ-St. Peter Lutheran School in Milwaukee.
As some of you know, Luke and I have been trying to grow our family for a few years now. It had been one of the more frustrating and saddening experiences we've had together. About one year ago we looked into the adoption option. We weren't quite ready to pull the trigger but it had always been in the back of our minds. After inquiring about adoption we tried one year of constant doctor's appointments and months of tests and we realized that it was harder on us than we thought. I think I left that doctor's office crying almost every time.
A few months ago we went back to meet with the same adoption agency we checked out a year ago (Lutheran Social Services). We received all the paperwork we are supposed to fill out. We hadn't started on it until about one month ago when one of the requirements was to attend an 18 hour parenting class. This was when everything clicked for us. We knew we had wanted to be apart of the International Program. After seeing so much poverty in our first year of marriage living abroad in Colombia we thought this was just the program for us. Unfortunately we are not able to adopt from Colombia because of their restrictions. Our number one choice as of right now is Kyrgyzstan. They recently opened their doors for other countries to adopt. The wait for a match is about 4-8 months. Right now we have most of our paperwork done except our physicals at the end of October. The social worker will come to our house to see if we have a fit environment for a child, then we receive the paperwork from the country we've chosen, next....we wait! After we are matched we would travel a few times months apart to make sure all paperwork has been processed. Then we come home with a baby! We can be matched with a baby 11 weeks or older but our age limit is about 3. That's where we are right about now and wanted to give you the story! Updates to follow in a couple weeks or so!!!
A little bit about ourselves: Luke and I married almost four years ago after meeting in college. Luke is a 6th grade teacher at St. Marcus Lutheran School in Milwaukee and I just started teaching ESL at Christ-St. Peter Lutheran School in Milwaukee.
As some of you know, Luke and I have been trying to grow our family for a few years now. It had been one of the more frustrating and saddening experiences we've had together. About one year ago we looked into the adoption option. We weren't quite ready to pull the trigger but it had always been in the back of our minds. After inquiring about adoption we tried one year of constant doctor's appointments and months of tests and we realized that it was harder on us than we thought. I think I left that doctor's office crying almost every time.
A few months ago we went back to meet with the same adoption agency we checked out a year ago (Lutheran Social Services). We received all the paperwork we are supposed to fill out. We hadn't started on it until about one month ago when one of the requirements was to attend an 18 hour parenting class. This was when everything clicked for us. We knew we had wanted to be apart of the International Program. After seeing so much poverty in our first year of marriage living abroad in Colombia we thought this was just the program for us. Unfortunately we are not able to adopt from Colombia because of their restrictions. Our number one choice as of right now is Kyrgyzstan. They recently opened their doors for other countries to adopt. The wait for a match is about 4-8 months. Right now we have most of our paperwork done except our physicals at the end of October. The social worker will come to our house to see if we have a fit environment for a child, then we receive the paperwork from the country we've chosen, next....we wait! After we are matched we would travel a few times months apart to make sure all paperwork has been processed. Then we come home with a baby! We can be matched with a baby 11 weeks or older but our age limit is about 3. That's where we are right about now and wanted to give you the story! Updates to follow in a couple weeks or so!!!
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