[godsgagirl]

Hi, Donna. I'm actually traveling to Lithuania Friday. We finally got our referral Feb. 2 and go for our first court date on April 8.

We are using Bethany Christian Services in Atlanta. The office is in some transition (international coordinator is retiring) but we've been very pleased overall with the service we've gotten. Our SW is Sharon Stumb from that office, but there are others I think.

Let me know if you have more questions.
Jenni

[donna kay 1967]

That is so exciting!

I have been looking into Bethany since I first saw your mention of them. That is why you may have seen the post I had regarding religion. I was uncertain about their name, since I myself am not a Christian. Other than certain regions of Russia having Christian families under the Family Requirements section, I didn't see anything on their website requiring that. Their website was, at least, more informative than most. I was also impressed at how they actually work within the countries to improve the lives of families.

I placed about 4 phone calls yesterday afternoon to the major agencies around Atlanta (I haven't tried One World yet) inquiring about starting my homestudy and not a single one, including Bethany, has returned my call yet! That has surprised me.

I would be very grateful if you would keep me apprised of your progress whenever you have time.

Best of luck to you!
Donna

[godsgagirl]

As I said there's been some transition going on in the Atlanta office. Hopefully you'll hear something soon. I really don't know how they deal with families that aren't Christian. I just know that's the basis of what they are doing in the countries they work with.

Have you checked out the yahoo group for Lith adoptions (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lithuanian-adoptions). You can get lots of good info there. Several agencies are represented.
I know there's another member of that group who is from Georgia and she is using Illien.

One way you can get direct info from Bethany is to deal directly with the European coordinator who is based in Michigan. Her name is Toni Carter and # is 231-995-0870 (I'm not giving out unavailable info--it's actually on the website). I've been dealing directly with her because of the "newness" of the Lith program. We are actually the pioneer family in the process of completing a "normal" adoption for Bethany. (A single mom adopted a special needs child and ended up having some different experiences as a result.)

Hopefully this will help you out some. I've got to get back to my packing.
Jenni

[Beezid]

Hi there, I am also from Australia. Have you adopted from Lithuanian? Has the process been difficult, and how long did it take? Thanks so much, we only just attended our first seminar today, and we are looking at Lithuania or Poland.

[godsgagirl]

It has been one year and a day since we met Daniel for the first time. You asked if Lithuania was a difficult process. Wellllll... We began the paperwork process in January 2002 and the adoption was finalized and Daniel came home with us on May 28 of 2004. Paperwork itself was completed in 3-5 months and the rest of the time was waiting.

Most couples wait at least 2 years--longer if you want a younger child. And children are usually at least 2 or older--no infants. If you have Lithuanian heritage you do get some preferential treatment.

Are you aware of the yahoo group for Lithuanian adoption? It might help you to check out their message board and read up on some of the experiences people have had there. Some are still waiting and others have successfully adopted. It's a wealth of information.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/lithuanian-adoptions

Hope this helps!
Jenni in Georgia