[ChristyR2006]

I think I posted this before, but I posted it in a thread for a specific country, so I thought I would re-post it here since we have not decided on any 1 country yet

My husband and I have decided we would like to adopt a child, we choose International Adoption because Domestic Adoption can be so scary with birthmothers changing their minds and having up to 1 year to take the child back (in our state anyways). I could not imagine having a child for almost a year and then having him/her taken away. We also feel that God is calling us to adopt internationally instead of domestically. We feel that not only would we be providing a child with a home, but a better life full of opportunities they may never of had in their own country.

We are new to the entire process and we have not even decided on a country yet, the only scary part of this dream is the price. We are not sure how we are going to come up with the money to pay all of the fees and travel expenses. This will also most likely be a determining factor in what country we decide on, sad as it is to say. We do not have a whole lot of money left over after all the bills are paid. And even though the price tags are scary (I have seen prices ranging $15,000-$35,000) it can be even more to adopt domestically, especially if you go through more than 1 birth mother because you usually end up paying all of her living and medical expenses.

So I was wondering if there is anyone here who has gone through this process and could share with me how they raised the money, what country they chose and why, what agency you went through or did you do it provately, and any other tips they think may help.

We will not actually be ready to even start the process for another year or two, so right now I am just trying to educate myself on everything so I can get an idea of what we are looking at.

Also, has anyone done a private international adoption, not through an agency, and if so is this cheaper or no? I have heard it can be cheaper, but it seems scary to me.