o The possibility of adoption was present in Dixie’s mind for years, but it wasn’t until one year after our second child was born that we actually started researching and actively engaging in the process. With a longing to grow our family and realizing that God often asks others to care for children that are left without a home, we realized that this was something we could do. In August of 2006 we began our Journey leading to an actual filed application in January of 2009.
• What finally inspired you to follow through with adoption:
o Our faith and trust in God’s Word made it easy for us to have a peace about adopting. Two particular passages of scripture inspired us along our journey to Nyah…The Bible says in James 1:27 that “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” We simply knew that God would bless us with a child if we simply followed his command in willingness to care for someone that needed a home.
o We also knew that although our child was not biologically connected to us, they were created by God with us in mind. Psalm 139:13 says, “For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.” We fully believe that when God created our child, he had our family in mind. Therefore, Nyah was created for us, making our connection with her no different than our biological children. God created all of them with us in mind.
• How did your biological children respond to this decision:
o We included our children in the decision process from the very beginning. They have been completely supportive of getting a new sister and in many ways they kept us inspired with their genuine love and concern towards getting their sister home as quick as possible.
• How did your extended family accept the news that you were adopting:
o Our entire family has supported us through this journey. We are blessed with a Christian family that completely understands that the bonds of love extend way beyond blood lines and the color our skin.
• Why did you choose Ethiopia:
o After researching areas with the greatest need, we felt led to Ethiopia for a number of reasons. We were mainly drawn there by the positive and amazing spirit of their people. Despite facing several adversities and difficult conditions, they have an amazingly strong culture that promotes sincerity and lovingness towards each other. They are very proud of their culture and the beauty of their land and surroundings. They love their children and do all they can to take care of them to the best of their abilities.
o Living conditions lead to one of the highest mortality rates in the world, which leads to having thousands of children orphaned and in need of loving families. Their children are not given up due to selfishness or a lack of love, but yet mainly due to high mortality rates and short life expectancies.
• General Facts on Ethiopia: (or click here http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethiopia to learn more)
o Northeastern Africa, near the Red Sea. Located in the “Horn of Africa”. Source of the Blue Nile river.
o Rich in Culture, History and National Pride “The Cradle of Humanity”; Ethiopia is one of the oldest countries in the world that has no history of colonization.
o Slightly smaller than the state of Alaska
o Among the 20 most populated countries in the world…Approximately 80 million people/Estimated 5 million Orphans
o Life expectancy: 46 years for men and 49 years for women
o 94% of Ethiopian women still give birth at home without a skilled/trained attendant
o Major languages are Amharic, Oromo, Tigrinya and Somali. The country is divided into regions and most tribes within those regions speak a different dialect of the base language.
o Major religions are Christianity 62% and Islam 34%
o Monetary unit is the Birr (approximately 13 birr to the dollar)
o Main exports are coffee, hides, oilseeds, beeswax and sugarcane
o Ethiopia is known to be the origin of the coffee bean
• Summarize the process of preparing legally for adoption and preparing for travel:
o There's a significant amount of paperwork and communication that has to take place before you can complete an adoption. At times it seems very overwhelming, but it is certainly doable if you stay focussed and motivated by the overall reward. Your adoption agency will help you through the process from start to finish. EVERYTHING has to be confirmed and notarized! To sum up an answer to this question, I would just tell you that we even had to have official records in our file that our dog was healthy...
• Share some about your experience in country:
o In country experience was absolutely amazing. We were so pleased with how this went that we can't wait to return to Ethiopia. What was the biggest reason for this...the people. For a country with so much adversity and challenges in their recent past, they are SO HAPPY, SINCERE and LOVING. We learned so much about contentment from observing while in country. We love America, but we could definitely use a lesson in happiness and contentment from the people of Ethiopia.
o We were very comfortable and well taken care of while in country. Our accomodations and lodging were so much better than we had expected. During our stay we visited several museums and local points of interest. Authentic Ethiopian restaurants and the food at our guest house was AMAZING! We tried everything and thoroughly enjoyed the food! One of us especially enjoyed the Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony (guess who that was)!
o We were very comfortable and well taken care of while in country. Our accomodations and lodging were so much better than we had expected. During our stay we visited several museums and local points of interest. Authentic Ethiopian restaurants and the food at our guest house was AMAZING! We tried everything and thoroughly enjoyed the food! One of us especially enjoyed the Ethiopian Coffee Ceremony (guess who that was)!
• Now that you are home and settling into a routine, share about how the transition is going and what you have experienced:
o It couldn't be going any better! You can see from some of the posts on our blog...Nyah is doing very well and we are so happy to have her in our family. God certainly answered our prayers and designed this little girl to be a part of our family. Her smile says it all! Although we set out to do something great for her...she has done immeasurably more for us. She is an amazing person and we can't wait to see what God has in store for her in this lifetime...
• If someone might be interested in adopting, how would you tell them to get started:
o Researchers believe that more than one-third of Americans have seriously considered adopting, but no more than 2 percent have actually adopted. It is certainly our hope that others will hear our story and consider adoption as a real and rewarding option for growing their family. It has been an amazing journey for us and we would absolutely do it all over again.
o Seek out a reputable adoption agency and most importantly, contact others that have used the agency. Learn of their experience before selecting your agency!
o We recommend Children’s Hope International
- 11780 Borman Drive; St. Louis MO 63146; 314-890-0086
- http://www.childrenshopeint.org/
o Other statistics from the ABBA Fund website:
- 132 million children in the world have lost one or both parents.
- 87.6 million orphans live in Asia.
- 43.4 million orphans live in sub-Saharan Africa.
- 12.4 million orphans live in Latin America and the Caribbean.
- Almost 1.5 million children live in public care in Central and Eastern Europe.
- More than 500,000 children are in the United States foster care system. Approximately 129,000 children are currently waiting to be adopted from foster care. On average, children waiting for adoption have been in foster care for 43.8 months (more than three-and-a-half years). Approximately 25,000 children “age out” of the foster care system each year.
- Between 118,000 and 127,000 children have been adopted in the United States every year since 1987. Of these adoptions, approximately 20,000 are international, 50,000 are from foster care, 25,000 are domestic agency adoptions, and 25,000 are private, independent adoptions.
More than one-third of Americans have seriously considered adopting, but no more than 2 percent have actually adopted. Only 4 percent of families with children (1.7 million households) contain adopted children.
We certainly hope that you will consider being the next family to provide a forever home for a wonderful child in need... Jim, Dixie, Davin, Delton and Nyah Davis
