Here is our Adoption Journey so far…
We are adopting River (age 8 and her little sister, Sadie (age 6) from Liberia, Africa.
These 2 precious kids will complete our family of 7.
We chose Liberia because we are impressed by Liberia’s resilience and progress as a war torn country that is healing from so much. Liberia works hard to allow adoptions when necessary and to reunite families whenever possible. We are grateful Liberia is allowing us to adopt our daughters, and hopeful as we watch Liberia grow as a country.
We started this journey in April of 2022.
In May of 2023, with the help of our friends and family, church, community, and organizations like Noonday Collection, Phill the Box, Funds2Orgs, and Adopt Together, we reached our fundraising goals to make our adoption possible. At that time, we anticipated our Liberian daughters would be joining our family in 3-6 months time.
We did not get any solid updates for months, until November of 2023, when adoptions for multiple agencies, including our agency, were suspended in Liberia.
There are multiple political conflicts that brought adoptions to a halt in November of 2023. Although these political conflicts put Liberian children at risk, the layers of the conflicts are multifaceted and complicated beyond the adoption process itself.
At this time, there are no adoptions (domestic or international) progressing in Liberian until these political conflicts are resolved. This was a decision made by Liberian governmental leadership.
In February of 2024, we decided to travel to Liberia as a family and do some real-time fact finding on what barriers prevent our family from being together.
We have met with multiple Liberian government officials and multiple individuals who play a role in working in adoptions here. We have spoken with multiple US congressional offices, and have reached out to anyone in the adoption realm that can give insight and advice in a way forward for our children. We continue to hope the US embassy in Liberia will assist us, but have not been able to get a meeting with them to discuss our concerns.
We have visited our children’s orphanage multiple times a week. We have done multiple fundraisers to keep the doors of our daughters’ orphanage open, keep the children’s needs met, and support the staff that cares for them. We have physically done all we can to assist the orphanage in maintaining quality, safety and health for the children. We have discussed our case with experts near and far.
We have been in Liberia for over 3 months, and are sadly running out of funds to remain here.
We fear if we leave, our encouragement and our persistence to represent American families will be lost with our departure. We fear if we leave, the support we have recruited for the kids here will fade. We fear if we leave, the Liberian government will be less motivated to remember our children’s case.
Thanks to each of you and the words of encouragement, financial donations, textile donations and actions of noonday purchasing power to move mountains this past year. We hope you will help us push one more mountain of money out of our way to complete our family.
We continue to humbly ask for any assistance that can be found to support our family in this quest for safety for more than just our 2 Liberian daughters, but a quest to provide a safe way home for them and their peers that wait in orphanages in Liberia.
Rachel’s 2nd travel day.
Trajectory
As I see my trajectory changing towards home today, and know that the reason I have to go home is because I literally need to buy more time, it is a difficult view from the airport today. I am separated from my family as I battle something different on my own to make this all work.
It reminds me of labor in childbirth. At some point, you just reach a place that no one else can help you. It’s just you, and what you have and who you are and whether or not you can endure.
Endurance in adoption is difficult, but not impossible. But it is not for everybody.
As I stand in the space of being their mother, I have to think back on why I personally chose this road. Of course, we decided this as a family. But what was my reasoning? What was my “why”? For me, it was more than deciding to do the next right thing I could reach. Although that was part of it, that was not all of it.
I decided to pursue these 2 little girls the same way God pursues me. No matter what it costs, be that time or money or distance. My efforts will continue until this is done or I am dead.
James 1:27 is a verse that comes to mind a lot these days as we work to keep the doors of this orphanage open, so that the widows are not turned away in their most desperate hour.
Malachi 3:10 is another verse that comes to mind when I think of how each time we appeal to the court of public opinion, you all become the hands and feet of a mighty power that changes the trajectory of so many little lives.
This pursuit does not end when their adoption completes. It is a lifelong pursuit to prove value to those the world values least.
I love this quote…
“I am a daughter of a King not moved by this world. My God goes before me and is with me. I do not fear, because I am His. “ -not sure who said it.
No matter my trajectory, I am His, and I will keep…. …going.
As they grow, all of our daughters will see what happened here this year. They will know their value to us and the consistency that lies within our actions to secure their futures as best we can. They will be able to look back and see the handprints and footprints we brought to Liberia just for them.
Even if this never works out and even if we sell all of our possessions and continue to surrender our security on this earth to claim these 2 little girls as our daughters, we know that our decision to be here matters. Our decision to stay longer matters. Our decision to bridge time and distance for other families who cannot be here right now is a decision that really matters.
Thank our for standing with us and cheering for us and picking us up each time the waves of this process knock us down and threaten to let our dreams drown.
Kids matter. People matter. People are good, with good intentions.
Thanks for the proof.
Keep…. …going.
This is day 113 in our 2024 video update for our adoption journey to 2 little girls from Liberia. We have been in the process of adopting these 2 little girls for 755 days.
YouTube link to subscribe:
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhvmF_X0zoUuAwUF7WzqlfZaskzIBmns2&si=0SE6xFYPJoXfkGIY
To shop our noonday fundraiser to help with needs for the orphanage, click here:
https://bit.ly/lightsoninliberia
Click here to find out more about our story. There is a place for tax deductible donations.
https://bit.ly/adoptfaster
To support the orphanage directly for their upcoming lease payment, go to this website:
https://smallworldadoption.com/donate-today/
and choose “Small World’s Children’s Home Liberia” from the drop down menu.
Happy Sunday!
Day 752. The police investigation is officially over. No fault found with Small World. 5 months of our kids’ lives spent unnecessarily in an orphanage. Approximately 50-100 kids turned away at the door of the orphanage over the last 5 months while this investigation into nothing went on.
Happy Birthday to our littlest American daughter and way to go for being a good sport about your unplanned birthday in Liberia.
Grown-ups in government: “Do better.”
Keep…. …going.
