This was so beautifully written. I wish I had written it myself. What an amazing story. Show Hope has already given us a grant to bring our little Ethiopian peanut home -- a day that I dream about at least once an hour. This article blows me away.
http://blog.showhope.org/2012/03/28/adoption-suddenly-turned-personal/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+showhopeblog+%28Show+Hope%29&utm_content=FaceBook
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Thursday, March 8, 2012
March Update
Just writing to give you a quick update on our adoption. . .
As of March 6th, we have officially been on the waitlist for 10 months. According to our most recent update from Holt International, we are somewhere around #62 on the wait list. They are now saying that the wait time from dossier to referral is over 14 months. That means we could receive a referral in 4 months or a bit longer than that. We are trying to be patient in the wait.
Financially, things have been tough since the move, but things are looking up a bit here recently. So, we are hoping to grow that adoption account quickly in the near future!
Here is a break down of what is going on, financially, with the adoption.
| Step | Cost | Date Paid | Due Date |
| Application Fee – LSS | $420.00 | 10/25/10 | |
| Application Fee – Holt | $300.00 | 10/27/10 | |
| Home Study Fee – LSS | $2,780.00 | 1/14/11 | |
| USCIS | $890.00 | 2/2/11 | |
| Program Fee – LSS | $1000.00 | 5/20/11 | |
| Remainder of Program Fee – LSS | $750.00 | | Upon Referral |
| Dossier Fee – Holt | $3,000.00 | 5/6/11 | |
| Program Fee – Holt | $9,890.00 | | Upon Referral (have $6,000 grant and an additional $3300 in the bank for this). |
| Post Placement Fee – LSS | $1,300.00 | | Upon Referral |
| Trip 1 to Ethiopia | $8,000.00 (estimated) | | Upon Scheduled Travel Date |
| Trip 2 to Ethiopia | $8,000.00 (estimated) | | Upon Scheduled Travel Date |
FUNDRAISERS
- Just Love Coffee: $5.00 to us for each bag of coffee sold www.justlovecoffee.com/TheThomas. This fundraiser is on-going until we travel to Ethiopia to bring our child home.
- Lifesong for Orphans: Make a tax deductable donation. We have been told that they will continue to accept donations in our name up until we travel to bring home our child. Make checks payable to ‘Lifesong for Orphans’. In memo section: ‘THOMAS #1855 ADOPTION’. Send to Lifesong for Orphans PO Box 40 202 N Ford Street Gridley, IL 61744.
- Gazelle Gadget Fundraiser: We are hosting an online gadget drive through Gazelle and would love your support. You can visit our drive webpage at http://thomasadoption.gazelle.com. A gadget drive is a new way to fundraise that turns your used electronics (laptops, cell phones, MP3 players, digital cameras & more) into cash to support a cause. Contributing to our drive is simple. Just visit our drive webpage, find the value of the gadgets you would like to donate, and send them to Gazelle (shipping is free). The value will go to support our adoption from Ethiopia. If you would like to donate, please go to Thomas Adoption Gadget Drive (http://thomasadoption.gazelle.com) to learn more about our drive and track our progress. You will receive a confirmation of your donation by email, and we will be notified as soon as you make your donation.
- I am planning a “That’s My Pan” fundraiser in the near future. I’m in the process of getting all of that together and will keep you posted on when that is ready to go! J
PRAYER
- - Finances to continue to come through.
- - Jaden working on recording his first album (all proceeds earned to go toward the adoption). He is working hard. He has begun the recording process but it is taking longer than anticipated.
Thank you all so much! We are very blessed by each of you!
The Thomas Family
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