Our Daughter Is in Ethiopia, and We Are Bringing Her Home.
There are approximately five million orphans in Ethiopia today. Soon there will be one less. We are bringing a new daughter home. Our story is one of paperwork, patience, and providence.
The adoption call came on a Sunday morning in August of 2008 as we stood singing with fellow believers at Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Hood River.
That’s when I first saw her. She was between 12-18 months old, in a white tank top. Her hair was in pigtails, tied with pink ribbons. I could see her from the waist up. I heard God say, ‘Bring them home,’ and instantly, I knew. I knew she was in Ethiopia; I knew she was our daughter; I knew we needed to go get her. I shared my vision with
Bob, and he readily agreed that this was God’s plan for our family.
Seventeen months have passed since that morning, and many forms, interviews, and a hefty dossier have brought the adoption near fruition; but the seeds of adoption were planted even before the our wedding day, over twenty years ago.
I remember talking with Bob about having our own children– as well as adopting. We currently have three boys; Brennan, age 14, Noah, age 8 and Joshua, age 6.
Monday, April 12th, we received the referral and photos of Magdalyn for the first time! She was 7 weeks old at that time. Our Ethiopian count date is May 26th when they review her case, our paperwork, and hopefully approve us for adoption! We are hopeful that we will be traveling to Ethiopia to meet our daughter and bring her home this June! In the meantime, we are praying for the Lord’s continued financial provision, the safety of the children at the orphanage, and the African families impacted by adoption.
By the time all fees have been paid, an Ethiopian adoption can cost between $25,000 and $30,000. To keep the community and supporters informed and provide them with a way to share our journey, we have a blog at BringingLoveHome.com with current information and opportunities for people to dialog, donate, or purchase ‘Just Love Coffee‘ fair-trade coffee varieties.
Samantha has helped us form a fantastic team of people and we are organizing an on-line auction! Stay tuned! It’s coming up the first of June.
Please visit our blog for updates, stories, details of the adoption process, as well as pictures of our family and our daughter (when available) at: http://bringinglovehome.blogspot.com .
Cheri Rogers
Cheri,
It is always great to read about another family who has the same vision. Your court date is exactly 15 months to the day when our paperwork was logged in. We just found out yesterday that we are #2 with our agency.
Congratulations on almost crossing the finish line. We’re right behind you!
Vance & Stacey Rogers
PS We think it’s hilarious that there will be two Ethiopians with the same last name living 45 minutes from each other.
PSS Our family photo on our blog was taken just down the road from you guys.