January 7, 2016 Update

Walrod Family Adoption Update

January 7, 2016

Thank you all again for all of your prayers and support!  We have been eternally blessed by you!

Here is an update on our adoption process and some answers to some frequently asked questions.

Process update:

We thought that our home study would have been completed by the middle of December.  However, we ran into a bit of a paperwork snag.  We needed some documentation that we thought was already taken care of, but alas it was not. Since it was so close to Christmas by the time we found out, the people who need to help with the documentation were out of the office until after the New Year.  This essentially put us a month behind which is a huge disappointment and difficult to handle going into Christmas. 

We have resolved to trust in God’s timing even when are hearts ache with the thought of another holiday missed with our little ones.  We’ve shed a few tears over not even being able to send them anything for Christmas.  We won’t lie …this is REALLY HARD! 

However, God is driving the bus!  We may have to change a few flat tires here and there, but HE is still driving the bus! 

Funding update:

We had some additional donations come in since our last update.  Total raised to date is just over $2,900!  Praise God from whom all blessings flow.  We still have a very long way to go, but we try to focus on all that HE has provided, not one what is yet to come.  HE IS FAITHFUL!  Always and forever FAITHFUL!  Please pray that we meet our next funding goal which is still $2,100 away. 

Frequently Asked Questions:

How long will this process take?  International adoption is usually a very long, complicated and expensive process.  Our best guess (based on what we know right now) is that we hope to travel to China to adopt the children in late summer or fall of 2016.

How many children are you adopting? Two  (we have three biological children and we have adopted internationally three times)

How old are the children?

We pre-approved to adopt a boy age 3 and girl age 4.

Are the children related?

They are not biologically related that we know of.  However, they are originally from the same city. 

Why does adoption cost so much?  The short answer is that everything about the adoption process is intended to help reduce child abuse and trafficking.  Since these travesties are on the rise worldwide, more and more rules, regulations and systems have been put in place to help reduce the risk.  All of these things require the involvement of professionals on both sides of the ocean.  We have a complete list of all our expenses and it is available for anyone who is interested.  We aim to be completely transparent about the fundraisers and expenses.

What are their special needs?

This is generally private information but we can share some details to help you understand their needs a little better.  The girl has some issues with her eyes and language development.  We actually have more questions about her needs at this time.  We will not know the extent of her needs until she is home and examined by a team of specialist. 

The little boy actually has a brain malformation.  His condition is most commonly misdiagnosed as Asperger’s syndrome.  We also will not know a whole lot more until he is home. 

It just came to a point for us when reviewing waiting child profiles that we prayed, “Just show us which one is our child.” And then it really doesn’t matter what the papers say, what the doctors say or the diagnosis …this is our child and we will do whatever we need to do.  We will just do the thing, trust God to meet all our needs and carry us through whatever trials lay ahead.  It is a very humbling and scary experience.

We desperately covet your prayers.  Thank you ….a thousand times again! Thank you just seems so inadequate!