Counting the Cost

By far, the two most frequently asked questions when people find out we are adopting are: "How did you choose to adopt from Ethiopia?" (I'll answer this one next time) and "Doesn't that cost a lot?" The answer to this one is, "Yes." In fact, I often tell people that it will cost about what the average American spends on a new vehicle. The fees are paid incrementally to several different entities as so many steps are involved in international adoption. Here's a rough idea what the breakdown looks like:

• Application fees to adoption agency and home study agency


• Home study and adoption training


• Physicals and testing


• Documents (original birth certificates, marriage license, passports, etc)


• USCIS application fee and fingerprinting


• Dossier fee (due to our adoption agency)


• Adoption agency program fee (due at the time we are matched with our child. This fee will be double if we are matched with twins or a sibling set. This fee goes to the adoption agency and to Ethiopia. Much of this fee goes to provide humanitarian aid in Ethiopia.)


• Travel fees (Ethiopia requires two trips. Fees include plan tickets, lodging and meals.)


• Post placement services

When we decided we were going to adopt in 2008, we knew we needed to prepare financially. We began to make sacrifices and challenged ourselves to cut back anywhere we could in order to save. Even still, the fees seemed so much higher than we would be able to finance and we knew God would have to provide. Throughout this time, we also felt the effects of the economic downturn and I resigned from my job after having our third child.



We officially began the adoption process in the summer of 2010, and our first large payment was due in early August. At the end of July, we enlisted help from many wonderful friends and had an adoption fundraising yard sale. We were overwhelmed by the generosity of people who donated items to be sold and those who gave of their time to help. Let me make a long story short...It poured almost the whole two days, and we made a whopping $1,750! Amazing! The next week our payment was due and we were thrilled to have made a significant portion of it at our yard sale. We were brought to tears when we opened our mailbox to find a check from a sweet family at our church that covered (to the penny) the remainder of the payment. This family had not even been aware of the specific need at that time or of the amount brought in from the yard sale. They had only felt the nudge to give and had obeyed. God-math.



Our second large payment was due right before Christmas. We had applied and interviewed for an adoption grant, but were not sure we would be approved. Right when I was needing to mail off the check, we recieved confirmation that we had been approved for the grant. The grant covered a large portion of this payment and we were so grateful. A couple days later, Mike recieved a very unexpected bonus that came quite close to covering the remainder of the payment. God-math.



The majority of our adoption expenses are still ahead and we don't know exactly how they will be covered. We are doing our best to make wise decisions and sacrifice in order to continue to save. I'm not convinced every step will be easy. God doesn't promise us that. I am convinced He will provide and I'm actually excited to see how.



I am in a Beth Moore study on the book of Daniel that has been life-changing. A great quote from the last session has stuck with me: "Our calling will cost us something." This statement took my thoughts to our adoption...the cost is high and has required us to make some sacrifices. But, this is our calling...part of our life's purpose! Oh my, is it worth the cost! Every. single. penny. I'm so thankful that through our own selfishness we didn't miss it. I believe that would have cost much more.