the cost of adoption

“My friends, adoption is redemption. It’s costly, exhausting, expensive, and outrageous. Buying back lives costs so much. When God set out to redeem us, it killed Him.”

– Derek Loux

"International adoption is so expensive", I hear that all the time. Astonished people ask why a country or agency would charge so much to adopt an orphan.  Simply put every person that has a hand in adoption has a job to do. We don't work at our job for free so we shouldn't expect them to work for free. Once it's broken down, you see that while $25,000  ($29,000 if Katie and Braden travel with us) is a huge expense, it's really isn't that much when we are talking about the life of a child. A child that needs a family.  When we were called to adopt, we didn't have more than $150 to go towards our adoption. We were not sure how it would be possible to pursue but God has provided every penny so far, at just the right time. Most days I am not at all stressed about the financial part of adoption. On days when I get worried, I remind myself that God would not send us down this road without any provision. He gave me the desire to pursue photography eight years ago, knowing this part-time job would help to pave the way for our adoption before I even knew for sure we would one day adopt. The same God that started this journey many, many years ago is the same God that will provide. We are most certain of this! 

People often ask me why adoption is so expensive and what all the costs are for. Below is a breakdown:

Breakdown of Adoption Fees

US Agency Fee
Application fees, agency service fees, home study fees, dossier and authentication fees, post visits and reports

$9700 (We have paid all of this - PRAISE GOD!)

India Adoption Expenses
Official fees, court fees, documents, orphanage fees, application fees

$7000

In-Country Expenses
International flights (for 2), hotel, in-country flights, food, guide, driver, tips

$5000 (an extra $4000 for Katie and Braden to travel with us)

Out of Pocket Expenses
Fingerprint fee, medical reports, passports, citizenship and immigration services, required adoptive parent training courses, birth certificates, marriage license, citizenship certificate

$2200 (We have paid most of this - PRAISE GOD!)

Post-Adoption Costs
Attorney fees, court costs, post adoption services, new birth certificate

$600

Why international adoption? Why India?

Scott and I are often asked why we chose international adoption as opposed to domestic adoption or foster care/foster to adopt? Most of the people that ask this question don't know a lot about adoption. They usually assume there are lots of available children ready to be adopted here in the U.S. Compared to the millions upon millions of orphans in third world countries, that just isn't true.  In India alone, there are 86 million orphans. There is such a need for loving, Christian homes for these children; children that may never know Jesus, experience the love of a family, go to college. The best response I've found recently was on this blog: Why International Adoption

Why India? We have been intrigued with the people and culture of India for quite some time. The children are beautiful! Another reason we were drawn to India was the female gendercide epidemic. You can check it out for yourself with a google search. "Our" plan was to adopt a girl from India. In this quest we've met a few bumps along the way. The first one was last August. A friend was on a mission trip to Haiti and came across an 8 month old boy that needed immediate medical attention. His mother begged the mission team to take her son because he could barely eat or drink. Our friend insisted his wife call us and ask if we would be interested in adopting him. His medical needs were far beyond what we thought we could handle and, well, he was a boy. We were already in the India program, pursuing a girl. Seemed logical that we should decline, right? That sweet little guy did find a loving family, received much needed surgeries and he's doing so very well now. Check out this video about him - Delcardo We were back on track to adopt a girl. We were certain "our" plan was also God's plan. That changed in early January when we got a call from our agency asking if we would consider a boy. Scott and I spent some time in prayer, seeking God's will for our family. If we didn't accept the possibility that God could want a boy for our family, then He could certainly put a stop to adopting all together. So God chose a boy for us - and while it was not part of "our" original plan, we could not be happier with HIS choice - a beautiful, precious, "active and affectionate" 13 month old BOY!