America World Adoption News

Adoption from the Inside Out

Empowered to Connect is a great website resource for adoptive families. Recently they posted an audio presentation entitled “Adoption from the Inside Out”. This presentation is focused at adoptive and foster parents and encourages parents to assess their pasts as well as looking forward to assess their motivations and expectations towards the adoption or foster process. In doing this parents can learn to be “fully present” with their child(ren) and enable healing and growth in their family.

To listen to the presentation please click here. You can also follow along with the slides and handouts for this presentation.

Expense Receipts for Adoptions Completed in 2010

America World’s finance department is currently working on receipts for families whose adoptions were finalized in 2010. These receipts will include an itemized list of all payments made to AWAA throughout the course of the adoption process.  Families who completed their adoptions in 2010 and who have not yet received their itemized expense receipts, will receive them by the end of January.

Invitation to AWAA Corporate Office

Families are  invited to visit the AWAA corporate office during our regular business hours. Our office located in McLean, Virginia within the Washington D.C. area. We welcome families to come and see our office and meet our staff. Prospective families can call our office and set up a visit with staff in the program they would like to consider. Current clients may call or email their Family Coordinator and set up a meeting to discuss paperwork, the adoption process, or to hand deliver their dossier or other documents.

Previous clients are always welcome to call and set up a visit with their Family Coordinator or other staff they worked with during their process. Many local families stop by after their adoption to introduce  their children to our staff. Families who visit the D.C. area for vacation or who may be traveling through the area, often stop in as well. We welcome families to visit us and  hope to see many of you in the future.

China, Ethiopia, & Eastern Europe Waiting Children

Over the years we have seen more and more families considering the adoption a child with special needs through our China or Ethiopia Waiting Child program, and we recently have added a Eastern Europe Waiting Child program.  Some have minor correctable needs while others may be more extensive.  Some families have made the decision to adopt a child (or children) that are HIV positive. 

CBS News recently ran a story about a large adoptive family with HIV positive children—an amazing story!  Please click here to watch the video feature on this family.  If you are considering adoption or the Waiting Child Program you can request one of our information packets to learn more at www.awaa.org or call America World at 800-429-3369.

From Russia With Love

My niece, Mikayla was adopted from your Russia program roughly 3 years ago when she was 21 months old. I was so excited for my sister though I was initially nervous about it. I wondered if Mikayla would be speaking Russian and if the transition would be hard; would she like me and accept me as her auntie? Would we bond? What would she be like? Would I feel like she had always been a part of our family? I had seen her pictures when my sister visited her and I had bonded to them but did it mean I was already in love with this child or just the idea of her?

It was hard grappling with these feelings and yet my excitement over Mikayla's impending arrival had me grinning from ear to ear. When she arrived to America, I had graduate school so I couldn't be there to greet her or her parents off the plane and it frustrated me. Still, I went to see her once I got out of class and peeked in her crib. Sleeping peacefully was this tiny, peaceful child who had the most beautiful white blond hair and adorable features. Watching her sleep, I knew I was in love as only a first time aunt can love her first niece. I got to know Mikayla over the next few days and it was as if she had always been here. It didn't matter that she was adopted; she was born out of her parents hearts; out of all of our hearts! I speak to my friends and colleagues positively about adoption - it was amazing to receive all the email updates while Mikayla's parents were in Russia waiting to hear if they would get to take her home; crying tears of joy when they got the news that she was theirs, but most of all, the bond that I have formed with the little girl who calls me "TeeTee" is the most amazing and wonderful feeling in the world.

My sister and I have had some great discussions with Mikayla who now has a cousin, my biological daughter. She questioned her own origins as only a 4 year old could but we've always been honest and forthcoming about her adoption and she has accepted it well, not feeling different because her cousin arrived via c-section instead of by plane. She will have more questions as she grows, but I will always be there for her and be supportive of her. It's the least I can do as her Aunt. I can't remember my life before her, and can't wait to see the young woman she becomes. I love her more than words can say and her adoption has expanded my horizons in ways that I can't fully explain except to say that the experience has been nothing short of miraculous.

Paige Rahn

Adoption Education: Adopting from East European Countries

 
From Heart of the Matter Seminars :

This one hour course addresses topics pertinent to families adopting from Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan and other East European countries.  Topics include the adoption process, race and culture issues specific to East European adoptions, common medical issues, transitioning a child home and more.

Please use this coupon for $10 off the $35 course. 

Plan your Orphan Sunday event today!

 

If you haven’t already, plan your Orphan Sunday event today!

As you do, you’re also part a national echo with churches across America and beyond.  It’s about waking the Church to God’s heart for the orphan and what we can do in response.

Here are three great options for your Orphan Sunday event:

1)      Simulcast Concert with the Desperation Band.  Invite youth pastors and student leaders (and the young in heart!) to host this LIVE simulcast concert on the night of Friday, November 5.  Learn more here! <http://www.orphansunday.org/live-event>  (You can also download free concert posters on the Orphan Sunday resources page <http://www.orphansunday.org/resources> .)

2)      Answer the Cry DVD.  This 60-minute program highlights ways every Christian can make a lasting difference for an orphan.  Answer the Cry is hosted by bestselling author Francis Chan and features music performances by award-winning artists Steven Curtis Chapman and Mark Schultz. A limited number of DVDs are available at no charge to anyone hosting an Orphan Sunday event, whether in a small living room or a massive church.  Answer the Cry will also be available for streaming as of November 1, 2010.   To request a DVD, please email here <mailto:orphansunday@christianalliancefororphans.org?subject=Answer%20the%20Cry%20DVD>  by October 25, with your name, mailing address and a brief description of your event. 

3)      An Event You Create.  Orphan Sunday events are as unique as their organizers, from a sermon or Sunday morning prayer to home group Bible study or fundraiser.  The Orphan Sunday site has 59 FREE downloadable resources, <http://www.orphansunday.org/resources>  and 14 FREE partnership packages and other ideas <http://orphansunday.org/hold-event>  to help you create your event.

And, once you’ve decided what you’ll do, make sure to post your event on the Orphan Sunday MAP! <http://orphansunday.org/find-event>

What’s the ultimate goal?  Hearts coming to share God’s heart.  Choices made.  Lives altered.  Children rescued.  And God glorified as His people are again known as defenders of the fatherless.

Color Blind

From the blog of Jonathan and Tara Nalley at http://jntordinarymiracle.blogspot.com/. 

Throughout this process Jonathan and I have understandably been faced with a number of questions regarding why we chose Russia as our child's birth country. We explained with some statistics/facts regarding this area in a previous post but I thought I'd elaborate on our decision a bit more tonight. AWAA was the first agency that Jonathan and I looked at when we decided to think about adopting. We were instantly impressed with everything the agency had to offer, which included references (which we found to be very important) and a honest Christian perspective on things.

We looked into other agencies, but it was clear that the Lord had led us to AWAA for a reason. At the time of our decision to adopt, the countries that were open to us were China, Kazakhstan, Ethiopia, Russia, Rwanda, and the Ukraine. Brazil was in limbo at the time. I will first say that for as long as I could remember I felt a burden for Russia, I have no idea why. Although it may not mean anything, I will also say that for a majority of Jonathan's teenage/adult years he had a weird (to me) poster of the Kremlin in his room and the celebration going on after the fall of the Soviet Union. So while yes, I was always drawn to Russia, this posed a new dilemma with Jonathan and I both being the future parents and wanting to make this adoption decision together.

Immediately we could eliminate China because both parents must be over 30. Actually, we should have been eliminated from all of the other countries because all of the age requirements require both parents to be at least 25. I was barely 23 when we decided to adopt. Those age requirements were no match for our Lord's plan though, and after casually asking a AWAA representative, our worries were dismissed because we met the alternative but previously undocumented requirement of being married for over 2 years. China is not so lenient. So then we were faced with adopting from an Eastern European country (Kazakhstan, Russia, Ukraine), Rwanda, or Ethiopia. Rwanda was (and still is) temporarily suspending adoptions so that was not an option, and Ethiopia's wait time is up to two years. We both were ready to be parents the day we decided to adopt, so we wanted the shortest wait time possible. So that left us to decide between the Eastern European countries. So we prayed, and we read, and it wasn't long before we had clearly chosen the country that the Lord had for us all along.

I titled this post "Color Blind" because that's what I think adoption should be about. About 4 months ago we were asked if we would be willing to accept an asian child from Russia. We said "yes" without much thought. We both felt that just because God led us to adopt from Russia, didn't meant that he had led us to only adopt a caucasian child. We wanted God to choose our child, and didn't want to put any limits on what He can do. The chances of us receiving a child of Asian descent are slim now, but I would be thrilled either way. I see families that exemplify transracial adoption and it's a beautiful thing. Both Jonathan and I feel it's the outright display of what Christ did for us. There is never any doubt that that child is adopted. We hope and pray that the Lord will use us in the field of adoption as many times as He wills, and no matter how many countries or races he leads us to. We want to follow Him no matter what and no matter what the cost! We praise Him for adopting us into His family, and making all races brothers and sisters in Christ.

USCIS I600 Processing Changes

Beginning July 1, 2010 all extensions and grandfathered cases of the I600A/I600 cases will be processed by NBC (National Benefits Center) instead of the local field offices. These changes are now reflected on the USCIS website.  The local (state) USCIS offices will be mailing all I6000 cases to NBC and will mail letters to families explaining the new process.

Families filing extensions without a fee can mail their application/documents directly to NBC at the following address:

NBC
Attn: Adoptions
PO Box 8025
Lee’s Summit, Missouri 64002

Families filing an extension with a fee must mail their documents/application to the lockbox location for processing.

If using U.S. Postal Service:
PO Box 660087
Dallas, TX 75266

If using Courier services (UPS, FedEx, etc.):
ATTN: Hague
2501 S. State Highway 121 Business, Suite 400
Lewisville, TX 75067

Families with questions on this process should call or email (NBC) USCIS. The contact information is as follows:

Phone Number: 877-424-8374
Email: NBC.Adoptions@DHS.gov

USCIS National Children’s Art Project

Now that school is out, looking for a fun project for your kids this summer?  The U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has commissioned an art project for children ages 5 through 12 across the country, which will depict interpretations of the theme, "We Are America."  The project asks children to draw pictures that answer the question, "People have come from all over the world to become Americans.  Why does that make us great?"

All adopted children have a very special story behind how they became a U.S. citizen.  This project could be a great opportunity for them to reflect on both their heritage, and the future they have as part of a new family and new country. 

Full details on this project here: USCIS National Children’s Art Project. 

This project is open to all children, adopted or biological.  If you decide to participate, send us your submissions at blog@awaa.org in addition to the USCIS, and we will feature some of the artwork and short essays!