2 of our Little Helpers

Caption: "Going to work."

A Legacy of 40 years of Sweetness

My parents, Ron and Barbara Reaoch, celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary today.  In honor of the sweetness that we have witnessed in their marriage, my two brothers and myself wrote tributes, poems and enjoyed many conversations of joy-filled reminiscing.  My brother, Jonathan Reaoch, wove recordings of these memoirs into an audio collage.

Take a peak at my parents' 40 years of marriage and enjoy with us the memories of God's goodness, faithfulness, humor, love, and providence!

40 years of Sweetness - An Audio Collage by Jonathan Reaoch with tributes, recordings and poems by Benjamin Reaoch, Jonathan Reaoch and Elizabeth Tachick

Some of the inside jokes you may not get, but hopefully you can hear the great love and admiration we have for our parents.  They are special, indeed!

Getting Ready for Baby Toph

Baby boy clothing has been gradually showing up in bags on our porch since we became parents!  Now it will be all laundered and ready for Toph when we arrive!  What a relief for new parents.  This is by far the most fun I have ever had folding clothes!

Latest Adoption News: Dossier in Ethiopia

Our dossier has made it to Ethiopia!  Yeah!  This means that all of our documents passed US government authorization and we are now officially okayed to receive a referral.

Thank you all for your prayers!

We Are Expecting...

a baby boy!  We have begun the process of cross-ethnic adoption from Ethiopia and are excited to become parents in God's time.

We are expecting a baby boy (0-6 months old) and are making preparations for his arrival. 

In the next few posts, we address the following frequently asked questions about our adoption:

• How did God lead you to adopt?
• Why Ethiopia?
• What is involved in the adoption process?
• What is a realistic timeline for the adoption?

Adoption FAQs, Part 1

How did God lead you to adopt?
First, through His Word, the Bible.  Adoption displays the gospel of Jesus Christ with vividness, not only in doing the James 1:26 work of caring for orphans, but also in demonstrating physically what happens in the heavenly places when we are drawn to God by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. When God draws people to Himself, He gives them full inheritance rights in Jesus Christ, the firstborn Son.  This outrageous position is secured for God's children because of the phenomenon of adoption according to Romans 8, Ephesians 1, and Galatians 4.

Second, through our desires.  We have been discussing our desire to adopt, and seeking God's timing for it, ever since we were married over 5 years ago!  The Lord has planted in our hearts a love for the next generation, a deep longing to be parents, and a growing understanding of that blessing and responsibility.

Third, through the testimony of others.  God has used the writings, friendships, and encouragement of godly examples like Russell Moore,  Jason and Shawnda Kovacs, Maridel Sanberg, John and Noel Piper, David and Sally Michael, and many others, to teach us about God's design for growing families through adoption.

Related:
Adoption Announcement

Adoption FAQs, Part 2

Why Ethiopia?

As many of you know, we have a heart for the continent of Africa.  We want to fellowship with and encourage the African church to root herself in Jesus Christ and His Word, to understand mankind's orphaned state, and to delight in God the Father who adopted her.

According to UNICEF, there are more than 58 million orphans in Africa, and Ethiopia has the second largest population of orphans on the continent.  These children are orphaned for many reasons including AIDS, poverty, and abandonment.  At this point in time, Ethiopia's government is one of few in Africa who are willing and able to ethically process international adoptions.  Ethiopia is a country rich in culture, and Christian heritage, and yet her families are suffering because of poor health and poverty.

Related:
Announcement; Adoption FAQs, Part 1

Adoption FAQs, Part 3

What is involved in our adoption process?
We'll answer this in two parts: the timeline and the finances.

Timeline
The process of adoption is appropriately known as "the paper pregnancy."  The following steps outline milestones we have already completed in the process:
1. Application to an adoption agency
2. Application to USCIS
3. Gathering and notarizing legal documents from "all corners of the globe" for the Dossier
4. Home Study paperwork (compiling documents, references, essays, etc)
5. Home Visit by U.S. certified social worker

The following list outlines steps we anticipate but have not yet completed:
6. U.S. certified social worker completes Home Study report
7. Adoption Agency reviews and recommends our Home Study report
8. Adoption Agency then sends compiled Dossier to MOWA and USCIS
9. We wait...we wait...
10. Adoption Agency contacts us with a referral of a baby from an orphanage in Ethiopia
11. We accept the referral
12. Appointments are scheduled with the Ethiopian Court and the US Embassy in Ethiopia
13. We travel to Ethiopia to gain guardianship of our son
14. We travel to the U.S. to gain U.S. citizenship for our son, and to get him a U.S. passport

Finances

We are in the process right now of applying to several adoption grants and are praying for God's continued provision through this process.  Praise the Lord for the way He has provided for the expenses so far!   

Some of you have already expressed that the Lord has burdened you to play a financial role in uniting our family. We are profoundly humbled by your generosity and God's beautiful plan of using His family to care for orphans.  An organization, dedicated to the plight of the orphan, International CARE Inc, has committed to come alongside of us by administering a charitable giving account, exclusively for our adoption expenses, from which 100% of your tax deductible donations can be applied toward the adoption without increasing our taxable income.

If you are interested in being a part of the adoption in this way, checks should be written and mailed to International CARE, Inc., with a separate note indicating it is for our adoption expenses:

PO Box 1603

Bel Air, Maryland 21014

Related:
Announcement; Adoption FAQs, Part 1; Part 2

Adoption FAQs, Part 4

What is a realistic timeline for the adoption?

In God's perfect providence, adoption comes without a due date.  This makes us greatly desire your prayers for our hearts to trust deeply in our Heavenly Father's timing for this process.  We ache for our family to be united, and pray daily for our son, knowing that he may already be waiting for us, as well.  But we trust in the Lord's plan for our family which is much larger than us, and we praise Him that He graciously includes us in His work.

You may still be wondering whether we are preparing for our baby to come home next week or four years from now.  Based on our agency's past experiences with Ethiopian adoptions, we expect that we may be traveling to Ethiopia sometime next spring or early summer.  However, the trip could happen earlier or later than expected.

Related:
Announcement; Adoption FAQs, Part 1; Part 2; and Part 3