Ever wondered about the adoption process?

When I was a freshman in college, I wrote a paper on adoption.  I never really heard anyone talk about adoption before and I was stunned to find out how many kids there were who needed homes.  The kids least likely to be adopted were older (people want babies and toddlers), and were sibling groups.  Since then I've always asked people who I knew had adopted, how they did it.  With one exception, everyone talked about the high cost, $20-30k, the enormous paperwork, the wait and the time it takes to travel to get the child/ren, etc.  Years ago one lady told me that that there were a ton of kids needing a home in Massachusetts, but those adopting had to basically agree to take any child they were given and they often had many disabilities. 

We recently learned something different.  There is an adoption agency in TX where the adoption is free.  The adopted kids receive free college tuition.  The wait is not always long because by the time they get to the agency, the biological parents' parental rights have been terminated (after lengthy attempts to reunite the family).  The kids are local so there is no travel involved.  The adoptive family also gets a monthly stipend of about $400/month per child.  And the paperwork is manageable.

The agency is Family Link and their website is  http://familylinkkids.com/about-us/

Our friends are adopting through this agency.   When they told us about Family Link, how wonderful they are, and that the adoptions are free, we decided to start the process of adopting through them.  I've wanted to do this for a long time. 

We've done most of the paperwork already and met with the agency.  We have two 12 hour days of training and a few other tasks to complete.  We have one training in January and one in February.  The agency makes it clear that they want to place the kids with a family that will be the best fit for everyone.  The people adopting can say no to adopting a child/children if they don't think it will work.  There isn't  pressure to say yes to adopting if the family doesn't think it's best. 

When I was in the Army, there was a saying about a particular Army vehicle that was often used to carry troops.  The truck was nick-named the "deuce and a half" because it's a 2½ ton cargo truck.  The saying began with the question, "How many troops can you fit in a deuce and a half?"  The answer was, "One more."  Soldiers would try to fit as many as possible on the truck.  There were rules, of course, as to how many could ride in different situations, but American soldiers are known for their ingenuity.

I feel like we always have room for one more.   God has always provided the right house for our family and I am confident he will continue to do that. 


Here's to a new journey....