OUR ADOPTION

We just adopted a little girl from Bulgaria.  She is eight years old.  Her name is Ivelina Anne.  Bulgaria is a small country in Eastern Europe.

 

 

Our adoption timeline:

- - Many months of praying about adoption - - 

NEW YEARS EVE 2011:  Jeremy and I make the decision to adopt internationally
January 3, 2012:  Mailed pre-application to All God's Children Intl.
May 13, 2012:  (Mother's Day)  Announced our adoption plans to our families
June 29, 2012:  Mailed formal application with deposit to AGCI
July 2, 2012:  Pre-approved for one child from Bulgaria!!
July 9, 2012:  Orientation phone call with AGCI
October 17, 2012:   Contracted with AGCI & paid first payment
October 24, 2012:  First phone call with our AGCI case worker
October 28, 2012:  Applied for home study
January 16, 2013:  Submitted initial home study paperwork and fees!
February 7, 2013:  Began home study visits with social worker
March 22, 2013:  Ivelina officially put "on hold" for our family
May 11, 2013: Received finalized home studies in the mail! 
Early June:  applied for NBC 
July 9, 2013:  NBC fingerprint appointment
August 6, 2013:  Received NBC Approval! ...just waiting on our official match now!
September 13, 2013:  No official match. =(  Home study update and rewording required.
October 28, 2013:  Our second NBC approval.  Waiting on official match again!! Fingers crossed!
November 15, 2013: Official match and travel dates offered
**We had to decline the first travel dates we were offered.
January 16, 2014:  I800 application mailed
January 18-25, 2014:  First trip to Bulgaria to meet Miss Ivelina
February 16, 2014: I800 approval! ---> submit Article 5 for approval
** getting new medical letters, new FBI clearance, and new local criminal clearance while we wait
April 25, 2014:  Court appointment!  We passed!  Ivelina is ours!!
June 4-14: Pick-up Trip
June 15th around 7p.m.: Finished - HOME with Ivelina!!! 

Scripture that has spoken to us about adoption:

Psalm 31:8-9

⁸Open your mouth for the mute,

For the rights of all the unfortunate.
⁹ Open your mouth, judge righteously,
And defend the rights of the afflicted and needy.

John 14:18
I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

Micah 6:8

He has told you, O man, what is good;
And what does the Lord require of you
But to do justice, to love kindness,
And to walk humbly with your God?

Psalm 82:3-4

³ Vindicate the weak and fatherless;
Do justice to the afflicted and destitute.
⁴ Rescue the weak and needy;
Deliver them out of the hand of the wicked.

 John 1: 12-13
¹² But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, ¹³ who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Isaiah 1:17

¹⁷ Learn to do good
Seek justice,
Reprove the ruthless,
Defend the orphan,
Plead for the widow.