Financial Transparency and Update

First Meeting 

Financial Transparency

Because so many of you are contributing to this adoption, I wanted to be as transparent as I can be with our expenses.

Spent so far

Kisses 

To date we have spent $7335 toward this adoption and still need to raise approximately $32,000. (details below) Part of that was costs for the first trip/Match Trip, which cost a total of $3435.  This included the airline ticket, visa, immunizations, lodging, in-country travel and food. Thank you to all those that contributed! My trip was amazing and the children are absolutely precious!

What's needed
We currently have an invoice from the agency for $12,900 which includes the Step One and Step Two payments and half of the Additional Child/Sibling Cost.  Of that $12,900 we have paid $1000.  The remainder needs to be paid as soon as possible.  To raise this money we will continue our fund raisers and grant applications.  Donations are always accepted and appreciated. 

Beach day

Next Steps
Our next steps will include filing the I600a with USCIS which gives us the approval to adopt internationally.  That cost will be $815.   And, we will begin building our dossier.  

Update

 

As you can see from the pictures above, the children are very sad about my having to leave, so was I. Hunter cried every time I put him down and in these pictures, which I received yesterday, you can see the big crocodile tears running down his cheeks.  It's hard to see.  I miss them so much it makes my heart ache.  I pray for their peace and joy throughout this process and that mountains are MOVED! on their behalf to bring them home ASAP! 

Thank you again for helping pray them home, for encouraging us and contributing to this amazing journey!

With Many Blessing!

Kelley

EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT!

WE HAVE AN EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT!

For those of you who followed our last two international adoption journeys, you're familiar with Reeces Rainbow (RR). For those of you who are just starting out on this journey, let me tell you that we are excited to once again have a family sponsorship page (FSP) through this not for profit ministry for children with special needs! When we first were matched with Clara and Hunter, we did not know that Hunter had special needs and therefore had not set up a RR account. Now that we know more about his needs, WE HAVE AN FSP, and it just went live today!

All proceeds donated to our adoption grant through RR are tax deductible and go towards the children's adoption costs. If donations are made via paypal, paypal charges a 3% fee. You can make donations via the button on the side bar or the link below:

Family Sponsorship Page

If donations are made by check, 100% of the donation comes to us. Checks should be made payable to and mailed to:

Reece’s Rainbow

PO Box 277 

Monrovia, MD 21770

Where we are on this journey

Our home study is final, and plane tickets have been bought.  I leave for Africa October 5th for our 1st of three trips.

Financial Transparency

For transparency sake, I'm going to list the costs below with those which have been paid in green.

Fee Schedule (for one child)

• Application Fee $350
• Step One Payment $5,025
• Step Two Payment $5,375
• Step Three Payment $5,375
• Step Four Payment $5,375
• Additional Child – Sibling Cost (full biological sibling) $5,000 

Additional Expenses (These are not covered in the Program Country Fees, and should be considered)

• Home Study - $650
• I‐600a Filing $720 + $85 per adult 
• Child Sponsorship $100 a month per child (on going costs until we bring the children home)
• Airline Tickets $1,400 ‐ $2,500 per ticket (1st trip purchased at $1400)
• In Country Travel Costs $165 a day
• Visa and Passport costs Est. $250 per adult 
• Visa and passport costs for children (not yet sure of $$)
• Medical exam for children
• Post Placement Reports - $900

All told that's approximately $43,000 to bring the children home.  Adoption is expensive and on top of the costs, there are mounds of paper work, months of waiting, many hours behind the scenes making arrangements and much time spent on ones knees in prayer.  Adoption definitely is NOT for cowards!  

Thanks for helping us rescue these precious children and make them a part of our family!

Many Blessings,

Kelley

Dalton - UPDATE (new picture)

See how much I've grow

n! 

Dalton

See this precious little pumpkin?  He's beautiful and so young.  

Don't you just want to hold him and squeeze him and call him your very own? 

Well, you can!  Yes, he needs a Mommy and Daddy - a FAMILY. 

The Eastern European country where he was born allows for large families and older parents. 

 The process is much quicker than many other countries.  I have personally been there many times and it's a lovely place to visit.  

For more information

click on either of the links below

Reeces Rainbow or Hand of Help in Adoption 

or you can contact Nancy Thornell at nktdft@gmail.com 

Please pray for him, share his profiles and let's find this precious pumpkins family!

Domenic - UPDATE (He has a family =)

Domenic

He is precious. 

A beautiful baby boy born 2016 in Eastern Europe with designer genes.  He, unlike my Leza and Nico who were also born with designer genes, is available for adoption as an infant.  Do you know what being adopted this early means?

It means he wont lay in a crib with nothing to do but rock and stare at his hands for hours and days on end. He wont go without eye contact which would contribute to gaze avoidance and sensory and/or attachment disorders.  Instead he would get the hugs, snuggles and direct eye contact every child needs in order to bond with others and learn, among other things, to trust.

It means he can get the occupational, physical and speech therapy that my Leza and Nico did not get until they were 4 and 3.  For the last 2.5 years we have been struggling to teach our children things they should have learned long before they came home, the basics like eating, drinking from a cup, walking and talking.

It means his growth wont be stunted due to poor nutrition, and lack of human contact.  Our Leza and Nico are roughly the size of 3 and 2 year olds at the ages of 6.5 and 5.5.  We have other friends with designer gene bio kids and at roughly the same age, they are so much more age/size appropriate than ours. Orphans, for various reasons, often do not grow at the same rate as their peers.  

It also means he won't have institutional autism like my almost 7 year old Leza who just this year has finally, finally started coming out of her shell.  

I know sometimes there is guilt that comes with wanting to adopt a baby when there are so many older children available.  However, having done both, I can assure you both have their rewards.  If it is in your heart to adopt an infant, please do so.  Please rescue them so that they will have a good head start in life and not grow up to be yet another older child in need of a family.  

Domenic's Youtube Video Link

Reeces Rainbow Link

Hand of Help in Adoption Link

We Could Buy A Pool!

The other day, I was sitting in the back yard watching our eight kiddos splash and play in the two small pools we bought from our local Fred's.  The kids were having such a blast with the four girls in one pool sitting so sweetly together and the four boys in the other pool acting like they seriously needed to splash all of the water out before they were through!  

I thought to myself "Wouldn't it be great to install an in ground pool, so they could really splash and play!"  And as I sat there a few minutes longer it crossed my mind that 1. they would all need swimming lessons so that my nerves would not be shattered every time we got in the thing, and 2. that it would cost us about $25,000 to have one built with all that we would need to accommodate their special needs.  It would take us maybe a year if we were really frugal.  Yea, we could build a pool.  But then it hit me - 

That $25,000 could save the lives of two kids!

As I continued to think on that, I again realized just how much of a good time our current 8 were having.  Would they love a pool?  Sure they would.  Would they rather have another brother and sister?  Absolutely!  So could we scrimp and save and hold yard sales to buy a pool?  Yep! 

But this year I think we'll  just take swimming lessons at the Y and save two more lives instead!  

We would love it if you came along on our journey or became a part of it by contributing to our adoption fund.  The donation button is on the right of this blog, or you can click here. It will convert many currencies for those of you who do not live in the USA.  

Thank you again for your support, love and prayers!

With love,
The Robinsons