We were married in 2012, and we started talking about adoption right away. Because of Joel’s experience growing up as a missionary kid, we felt like international adoption would be a good fit. He would be able to understand our kids’ feelings, to some degree, as they don’t fully fit into either culture. When we started the adoption process the first time, back in 2013, we knew we wanted to adopt from Africa, and we started in the Ghana program.
Shortly after applying, there were some changes in the Ghana program that made us slightly hesitant to move forward, and our agency suggested we switch to the South Africa program.
We always wanted to adopt siblings, and we chose to move forward with very open parameters, believing that God knew better than we did what kids needed our family. Throughout the process, Joel constantly joked with everyone that we would get matched with triplet 8-year-old boys.
The day the call came with our referral, in October 2014, we about fell out of our chairs when we found out we had been matched with twin 3-year-old boys and their 2-year-old brother. While they weren’t 8-year-old triplets, they were almost triplets and all boys! In March 2015, we arrived back in the U.S. with our three boys, after seven weeks in-country.
We left the door open for future adoptions but knew we wanted our kids to attach, settle and be comfortable adding new kids to our family. We also hoped that all three would be in elementary school, too!
In 2018, we had the opportunity to purchase our dream home, a restored 1900s farmhouse, located in a diverse school district, with lots of property for boys to play! We have 1.5 acres for our boys to run and play, which they do anytime the weather is good enough to be outside! Our home is always filled with many different cultures, which we absolutely love. This home gave us more space to raise a larger family, making adopting another sibling set a real possibility, too.
We are currently serving as foster parents in the transitional foster care program for unaccompanied minors, so we typically have six boys in our home. We love the loud, craziness that six boys bring to our home, and we appreciate the opportunity to learn and honor other cultures in our home!
When our kids brought up the idea of adoption, we had already been praying about it as a couple. A waiting sibling set that a friend shared prompted us to move forward in the process, even though adopting that sibling set wasn’t an option. We applied to adopt again from South Africa and worked hard to get our paperwork ready.
While we waited for a referral, we agreed to join the transitional foster care program, which was designed to care for kids who are crossing the border without a legal guardian. We started taking in kids, learning Spanish and embracing the Latino culture, in March of 2019.
About eight months into the wait for our referral, while doing foster care, some changes in the South Africa program prompted us to pray and reconsider, and we decided to change to Colombia, due in part to our experience in the transitional foster care program. After redoing some paperwork, we are now waiting for a match from Colombia of a sibling set of 2-3 kids, under the age of 11!
We always wanted to adopt siblings, and we chose to move forward with very open parameters, believing that God knew better than we did what kids needed our family.
Joel
As a missionary kid, I spent most of my childhood in West Africa, between Mali and Cote d’Ivoire. Living in different cultures and countries was part of my life growing up. I came back to the U.S. permanently after graduating from high school, and I have lived in many states since then through college and post-college.
I love computers and electronics, and so my career in IT is a perfect fit for me. I love to travel and get restless if I am not exploring new places! I also love working with my hands to build things, spending time with my three boys and taking family trips. You’ll frequently find me wrestling with my boys or coming up with ways to make them laugh.
Lauren
I grew up with a small, close knit family in Indianapolis, Ind. Our family hosted many international missionaries, exchange teachers and friends from around the world, so at an early age, I was exposed to a variety of cultures, which continues to this day.
I work from home as a full-time Director of Communications, providing support to a wonderful non-profit that is working to provide clean water access in Africa. I have a love of learning languages that has allowed me to learn French and Spanish, and someday I’d love to learn more languages. I also have a personal goal to make a new recipe every night for dinner, so I am always looking for and trying new recipes! I love being a mom to our three kids, Asher, Micah & Sawyer and being a foster mom through the transitional foster care program we have participated in.
Sep
15
We are finally here!
We finally, by what can only be described as 1,000 tiny miracles lining up together, are in Colombia! International flights have not resumed in Colombia yet, but we were able to get on a humanitarian flight with a special visa. We arrived on Sept. 5, and we have been quarantining in the city where our soon-to-be-adopted children live. It’s a strict mandatory 14-day quarantine, but we are nested down in our apartment, working remotely. We are very thankful both of our jobs allow us to take our work with us, around the world.
The day we’ve waited months for is only days away! We will finally get to meet the kids! We told the kids yesterday on our call for a sweet 10th birthday celebration. Although we couldn’t be there in-person with her, it will be the last birthday she will spend here, and so they made it so special for her!
Seven days & counting!
May
14
Patience in waiting…
It’s funny, but the adoption process is very cyclical. Hurry up and push hard…then wait. Hurry up and complete paperwork…then wait. We got to this part in the process thinking that our waiting was done–we should be traveling! But this extended, unexpected wait has been excruciating for our family, now that we’ve seen their faces, heard their voices and Skyped with them. These aren’t hypothetical kids or just a pile of paperwork. They are now so real to us, we are ready to meet them in-person, and yet…we wait!
We are praying for some miracles to happen to allow us to get to these two quickly, before more time passes. We still believe our travel expenses will be higher than anticipated, so we are using this extra time to save up, take Spanish lessons (since our only formal Spanish training has been from our 19 5-12 year-old foster children) and finish up some house projects! We are ready to go any day, but we need some literal miracles to happen to make it all possible.
Until then, we will be here…waiting!
May
14
Still waiting…
It’s funny, but the adoption process is very cyclical. Hurry up and push hard…then wait. Hurry up and complete paperwork…then wait. We got to this part in the process thinking that our waiting was done–we should be traveling! But this extended, unexpected wait has been excruciating for our family, now that we’ve seen their faces, heard their voices and Skyped with them. These aren’t hypothetical kids or just a pile of paperwork. They are now so real to us, we are ready to meet them in-person, and yet…we wait!
We are praying for some miracles to happen to allow us to get to these two quickly, before more time passes. We still believe our travel expenses will be higher than anticipated, so we are using this extra time to save up, take Spanish lessons (since our only formal Spanish training has been from our 19 5-12 year-old foster children) and finish up some house projects! We are ready to go any day, but we need some literal miracles to happen to make it all possible.
Until then, we will be here…waiting!
Apr
8
Waiting…again!
The good news is–all paperwork, minus one document, is complete! Aside from waiting on the Embassy to issue one document, we are officially good to go! Our two soon-to-be Wrights learned about our family, right before everything shut down due to COVID-19. They are so excited, and of course, we are too!
The bad news is we don’t know when will be able to travel. We have to wait for things in both countries to resume, including travel. Like everyone else, we have no idea when life will begin to move again. We are about $2,500 short on agency fees, so we are working hard to save up and finish fundraising to pay for both our final agency fees, plus our travel. Because of the shutdowns recently, we are anticipating a longer in-country stay when we finally do get to travel, so our travel costs will probably be higher, as well.
However, we are thankful all of our family is healthy and safe, although in two different countries. We will use the extra time to perfect our Colombian cooking skills, practice more Spanish and get our house ready for our two new kids! We will update when we know anything else!
Feb
27
We’ve been matched!
The day you wait for, think of and try to remember in the midst of piles of paperwork finally came! Last October, we heard that there might be a sibling set that would be a good fit in our family, but we had NO details. No info, nothing! We’ve been waiting…and waiting…and waiting! In adoption world, things move slow…until they move fast! We found out that our dossier was approved, and two days later, we found out we’d been matched. However, we had to wait for all of the referral paperwork to make it through translation and to us. And yesterday, we got their full paperwork and accepted the referral!
We’ve been matched with two amazing kids from Colombia, a 9-year-old girl & her 5-year-old brother, and we hope to travel in the next couple of months to complete the adoption! Prayers are appreciated that all of the final paperwork goes smoothly & we are given clearance to travel sooner vs later so our kids aren’t out of our family one day longer than they have to!
ALL adoption fees have been paid, except for the last $15K, which is due in the next week. We also think we’ll have an estimated $20K+ of travel expenses when we have seven people traveling for a month in a foreign country.
Right now, we have all the feelings! There is so much to do in the next couple months to bring our newest two family members home. We cannot wait to have them in our arms and in our family! They are already SO loved, and we cannot express in words the incredible honor and privilege it is to be entrusted with two more children.
The Wright Adventure continues…party of seven coming SO soon!
Feb
18
Dossier approved!
Our dossier has been approved, meaning that the Colombian government has agreed that our paperwork is in order to complete an adoption from Colombia! With that, our family is eligible to be matched with kids! We should have another update very, very soon!
Dec
16
Holiday waiting!
As the holidays approach, we wanted to update everyone and let you know that all of our paperwork was submitted to a casa (children’s home) in Colombia in November. Our dossier has been translated, and now we are waiting for the committee to approve our dossier (or return it to us with further questions). Because of the Christmas season, we do not expect to hear anything back until January. We believe, due to our openness in parameters, that we should be matched sooner vs later. Our goal truly is to adopt kids that would be harder to place. We really believe that older kids are such a huge blessing!
In the meantime, we are counting our blessings, enjoying time with family and even incorporating in some new Colombian holiday traditions to our family!
