WE ARE ADOPTING | THE KLACKNERS

4.12.2022

WE ARE ADOPTING




Hey friends and family,


We wanted to let you in on a little secret -- we're adopting! We have begun pursuing domestic infant adoption and are hoping to welcome a precious baby into our family within the next year or so. We're sure you have a few questions, and we hope this letter answers some of those for you.


Why are we adopting? 

Well, first and foremost, we feel called to this journey by the Lord. When we were dating, we each talked about wanting to adopt one day, but we thought that day might be after we had a biological child. After 2+ years of trying to grow our family, and being unable to do so, we feel like it's time to move toward adoption, where the Lord had already nudged us beginning all those years ago.

The road to get to this point has not been an easy one. It's been full of deep grief and pain and questioning the Lord's goodness and His plan for our family. But even on the hardest days, deep down, we know He is good, we know He is faithful, and we cling to the hope that He gives us. 

How does domestic infant adoption work?

We've chosen to work with Christian Adoption Consultants who are helping us walk through this frequently confusing and complicated process. Our first step was to find a local agency to complete our home study, which is a state requirement before being able to apply with an adoption agency. We are in the middle of our home study now, and we've been told this part of the process takes 2-4 months to complete. Once we are "home study approved," we'll be able to apply with adoption agencies! Working with Christian Adoption Consultants allows us to apply to multiple adoption agencies in different states at once, which typically cuts the wait time down considerably. 

After we have applied with adoption agencies, our family profile book (a thoughtfully written and designed 20ish page "about us" book) will be presented to expectant parents who are making an adoption plan for their baby. If an expectant parent chooses us, we will be "matched" and will eagerly await the baby's birth! Depending on how far along the expectant mom is in her pregnancy, the wait could be a few months, a few weeks, or a few days.

So why are we telling you this?

We need all the prayer we can get. Adoption is a long, hard, and beautiful road filled with both deep brokenness and immense joy. We will be navigating piles of paperwork, learning as much as we can about adoption and becoming parents, and hopefully cultivating a relationship with an expectant family.

We would love it if you would pray about these things:
  1. That Jesus would be near to us and give us wisdom and discernment as we move forward in working with adoption agencies and in speaking with expectant mothers who have made an adoption plan for their baby.
  2. That Jesus would be protecting and embracing the future expectant mother we match with and the baby she is carrying. And if she does not know the Lord, that the care she receives and our interactions with her would be a light and reflection of the Gospel.
  3. If the Lord is leading you to join our adoption team financially.

Because of the significant costs of adoption, we will need to fundraise a good portion in order to bring our baby home. The average cost of a domestic adoption today is $40,000-$50,000. That's no small number. You may be wondering (as we also did) why adoption costs so much. Where is all that money going? It goes toward paying to work with an adoption agency, adoption lawyers and their legal fees, state fees for adoption, and care for the expectant mother, which could include paying for her medical costs, housing, groceries, transportation, etc. This number doesn't include the cost of our home study, travel/housing for when it's time to go get our baby and bring them home, or the adoption finalization. Would you pray alongside us as we trust the Lord to provide for us in this process?

We will be sending out another announcement in the coming weeks via email and social media about ways to give to our adoption fund if you feel led to partner with us in this way.

We are praying for a multitude of things on this adoption journey, but most of all we pray that this part of our story honors the Lord and brings Him glory. He's the one who adopted us in the first place, and we are forever changed because of that.

We love you all,
Shane + Megan