Smallwoods Adopt from Bulgaria!

Our adoption story is decades in the making. When Alanna was in 7th grade, she saw an adoption announcement from a family friend. They had adopted a little girl from China, and in that instant, God placed the dream of international adoption in Alanna's heart. It was the first calling she was confident was from God. When Alanna and Shane began discussing marriage, Alanna shared this calling with Shane. They agreed that this was something they would pursue together in the future. For many years, they have prayed and asked God if it was the right time, but they never felt God leading them to take the first step until now. This year, on Mother's Day, Alanna felt an intense stirring in her heart and sensed God saying, "there's room in your heart to mother another." After praying for several months, Shane too agreed that the time was right, and so they started the process of adoption. They saved a little over 10% of the adoption cost themselves so far, believing that in order to demonstrate their calling, their faith and their actions must work together. Now, they're inviting others to play a part in this next chapter God is writing. They are firmly grounded in the belief that God will provide, and they believe that He often does so through His Church. When we work together, anything is possible.

We do not take asking for donations lightly. We believe transparency is paramount when other people are donating their hard-earned money to play a part in the story of another family. As a couple, we have no debt except for our mortgage. We are trying to make this adoption happen without taking out any kind of loan, but we know this will not be possible on our incomes alone. It will take generous donations and grants to make this a reality.

We have put a great deal of research into the cost of international adoption ahead of time with the help of our adoption agency, All God's Children International. We have listed out the fees below so you can see where we came up with the number we are trying to raise.

$400 - Application Fee

$10,100 - Adoption Agency Contract and Home Study

Includes: 1st Adoption Agency Fee, 1st Adoption Program Fee, Home Study, 1st Adoptive Parent Education, Monitoring & Oversight of Adoption (IAAME).

$10,655 - Dossier

Includes: 2nd Adoption Agency Fee, Translation & Document Fee, Citizenship & Immigration Services fee (USCIS), State Certification fees.

$8,500.00 - Referral/Matching

Includes: 2nd Adoption Program Fee (Foreign Country Program for admin, legal fees, government fees, etc), Post Adoption Admin & Translation fee, 2nd Adoptive Parent Education.

$6,700 - Court Approval

Includes: 3rd Program Fee (Foreign Country Program for admin, legal fees, government fees, etc).

$10,215 - 1st & 2nd Travel to Bulgaria to Meet & Receive Child

Includes: Airfare, Lodging, Meals, Medical Evaluation(s), Immigrant Visa

$2,500 - Post Adoption Services

Includes: State re-adoption fee for citizenship, Post-adoption reports by home study service.

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