Monday, September 27, 2010
Second Home Study Meeting
Our second meeting for our home study was today, and it was a good meeting. It was very informative, and she gave some great advice on helping an adopted child adjust into a new environment. Our social worker also mentioned a Life Book, which is a baby book for adoptive children. I'm going to look into that. Then there was some digging into the lives of Ryan and Cristy. The questions are nothing bad or hard, but I get kind of nervous when I'm asked so many questions. She did ask us the question everybody seems to ask, "Why India?" Our desire is to give a child some opportunities they would not have otherwise. Most people typically do not think of India as being poor. India has so many different parts to it...from the eternal snows of the Himalayas to the cultivated peninsula of far South, from the deserts of the West to the humid deltas of the East, from the dry heat and cold of the Central Plateau to the cool forest foothills. There are parts of India that are amazing and have wonderful technology, but the country as a whole is very populated. A recent study showed the Indian states, including Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal, have 421 million poor people. This is more than the 410 million poor in the poorest African countries. It was hard for me to believe at first that eight Indian states account for more poor people than in the 26 poorest African countries combined. The adoption agency we picked, Dillion International, works with an orphange in Kolkata. There is also hopes in the next couple of years that two more orphanges might possibly open up for Dillion to work in, and that is very exciting news! I hope to hear in my lifetime that many children of India will find homes whether in India or all over the world.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
Adoption Changes Prayer
I'm amazed at how different my prayers are now that we are adopting a child. The country of India is always on my mind. I pray the people there will come to know the Lord. In a country where Hinduism is so strong, very few people have heard the gospel and what Jesus did for them. I also pray for the woman who will carry our child and give birth to him or her. My prayer for her is she is healthy, has food, and a place to stay. Everyday I can't help but to wonder if our child could be born today. That's such a fun and exciting thought! I pray our child will be taking care of at the orphanage until we get there, and the many other orphans will find homes. I pray for God's perfect timing, and that He will give us patience while we wait. As for our current family, I pray God will prepare us for the needs of our adopted child. My prayer list seems to grow everyday, and I love it! Since we have started the adoption, I come across so many people of Indian heritage and things dealing with India. It gives me just a small hope for the child to come. Here are some pictures of children from India I really like.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
The Process
We have been asked often what is the process for adopting in India, and how long is the wait. Then after stating the wait is 2-3 years, we get asked why it is so long. So here is the India adoption process through Dillon International.
- Application 1 (approved June 2010)
- Application 2 (approved July 2010)
- Families complete a home study (started September 2010-December 2010)
- Submit their dossier to Dillon International
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Families will wait approximately 12-24 months for a referral of a child after submitting their dossier to Dillon
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Families wait another 5 - 7 months after accepting an assignment of a child to receive their child's legal documents authorizing them to receive guardianship -
Within 1 - 2 months after receiving their child's legal documents, families will travel to receive their child -
Families must travel to Kolkata (Calcutta) to receive their child -
Plan for a 1 - 2 day stay in Kolkata (Calcutta) and a 3 - 4 day stay in New Delhi.
Learning to Make Indian Food
As we adopt a child from India, we want to make sure that he or she knows about the culture of India. So we're starting with food. Ryan ordered a spice kit filled with Indian spices last week. They smell so good! It should be a fun adventure over the next many months of learning to cook with them. We have a few recipes such as Orange Cardamom & Turmeric Chicken, Warm Green Curry, and Bombay Sloppy Joes.
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