One Step Closer!

We're a little bit closer today! Our dossier made it to Guatemala!

Next we will be invited to travel down to spend time with Olivia. During that time (called the Empathy Study), we will be interviewed by the adoption authorities there, so they can make sure we are all bonding well, etc. We're hoping this happens in March.

Please visit and share the links to our fundraisers, we appreciate every penny and every prayer!

YouCaring.com ~ Adopting Olivia 

Booster Fundraiser ~ Adopting Olivia

Thank you and God bless!

Stay tuned!

 

"Bringing Olivia Home" Team

We are so thankful and blessed that this journey we've been on, for so long, will soon be ending and we can begin a new chapter in our family's life!

We can now see the finish line, but before we reach it, come several steps in the adoption process before Olivia will actually come home. 

To date we have made 8 trips to Guatemala, there will be 2 more. The first is called the "Empathy Study" where Olivia will spend 1 or 2 weeks (to be determined) with us and we will be periodically interviewed by the adoption authorities there during that time. After that, our file will go to Family Court where a judge will finalize the adoption. The last trip, several weeks later, after obtaining a passport, visa, etc. she will accompany us home. We don't have a time frame as yet, but we hope this will all take place and she will be home by summer.

We have started two fundraisers to help defray the final costs of the adoption, ie: travel, documents, attorney and other fees. Because of the unexpected 7 year duration, this process has not only exceeded the originally expected timeline, but has also exceeded the original cost estimate at least 3-fold.

If you feel led to be a part of our "Bringing Olivia Home" team, and you'd like to help do that with any size donation, we would be more than grateful. 

The first fundraiser is through YouCaring.com. You can find our page with this link: http://www.youcaring.com/adoption-fundraiser/adopting-olivia-after-7-years-she-s-coming-home-/137318 

The second is through CustomInk Booster, where we've designed a t-shirt you can purchase to help raise funds. That link is: https://www.booster.com/adoptingoliviafundraiser

Please feel free to spread the word and share the links above.

Thank you and God bless, we so appreciate everyone's prayers and support! 

Stay tuned, updates to follow!

Guess what?

It's taken 6 years, 11 months and 4 days of waiting, but today we received word from the Guatemalan officials through our government, that our adoption of our sweet Olivia WILL proceed!

We have several steps, 2 more trips and a few months to go before she can come home, but we are praising God for His faithfulness and the beautiful light at the end of a very long tunnel! 

Stay tuned!

Eight

 Happy 8th Birthday precious girl. You are loved.

Patience

Well, the hearing did take place yesterday, but there was no ruling. There are a few more legal steps the court is waiting on in order to hopefully come to a resolution.

The next and hopefully final hearing is scheduled soon.

Please pray for God's continued protection over Olivia. That He would comfort her and guard her heart and mind.

We really appreciate everyone's support! Thank you and I'll update soon.

A Little Closer

I know it's been quite some time since I posted here. I think I finally have something to share. 

Well, since the last hearing on March 1st, we have been waiting for the results of DNA taken on March 21st. That day, the police brought the elusive, alleged birth mother to court and took her DNA sample. She told the judge, just like the alleged grandmother has said over the past 3 years, that she is not Olivia's birth mother.

We received "unofficial" news of those results in late June, then got the official result from the court on August 19th. Negative. The family at the center of this investigation for over 3 years, is not Olivia's biological family. We are so relieved and are thanking God!

Over the past few months, our case has been batted back and forth between courts, it has finally rested back where it's been for the past 2 years. Tomorrow morning is, what we've been told to be, the "definitive" hearing. We pray that the judge will finally see that WE are Olivia's family and he will grant adoptability so we can proceed with her adoption. 

We'd appreciate your prayers. Please also keep in prayer the remaining children and their families. There are many of us still fighting this battle.

I'll post again once we hear the outcome.

Thanks and God bless!

STUCK

If you're in our area, please come out and join us Sunday evening, May 5th at 7 pm at the AMC Webster 12 Theater for STUCK ~ the award winning documentary that addresses a broken international adoption system and the need for reform that works! 

We will be speaking after the film and telling the story of our 6 year-long fight to get Olivia home.

We encourage you to buy your tickets online ahead of time at www.stuckdocumentary.com Help us make a difference, come out and see the movie!

If you're not able to attend, please go to www.bothendsburning.org and sign the petition to change the broken system and/or support this movement in other ways. 

The STUCK movie is currently on a 60 city, 80 day bus tour that will culminate on May 16th at it's final screening in Washington, D.C. Go to: (copy & paste) https://bothendsburning.org/initiatives/stuck-tour/itinerary/ to see if the tour is coming to a theater near you. 

The purpose of the film is to help the average person understand the issues that have caused the international adoption system to become a deterrent to children being placed in loving homes. The other objective of the film and tour, is to gather over 1 million petition signatures asking government officials to take specific actions to change the landscape of adoption. It will be delivered in D.C. on May 17th during the Step Forward for Orphans March.     

If your family has been touched by adoption, if you're interested in international adoption or if you've simply been praying for and supporting our family through our process, we would love to have you help us make a difference to protect and advocate for the rights of orphaned children through this movement.

Thank you and God bless!