Adopt With Love

Thank you so much for taking the time to read our story!

We are trying to adopt a child from Bulgaria before they age out of the system. When I was a teenager (Dad), I first learned that older kids have an extremely hard time being adopted. Since then I have learned that each year, in the U.S. Foster Care system alone, approximately 20,000 children will age out and be on their own without any stable family structure to guide them. Internationally, some kids age out as early as 13 years of age.

We have seen these kids first hand volunteering with a helping organization based in the U.S.. We’ve spent time with them by traveling to their orphanage. Some were adoptable and some were not. Each country is different. Some countries discourage international adoption hoping to find families locally, while others have very strict guidelines and requirements. Nevertheless, these kids are wonderful and full of promise. Helping them in anyway helps them more than you might realize. Small to us can be grand and inspirational to them. Even by simply inquiring about a child’s adoptability, we encouraged one country’s agency to look for distant relatives. They found them. We saw her several times after they took custody, and she was very happy.

On that day when I first learned of an orphan’s plight, it was a particular child’s story that struck me. He was not unlike me and near my age. It affected me so profoundly that I remember saying to myself, “when I grow up I will adopt an older child.” From then until now, I have felt an unwavering call to adopt. And today, we have that opportunity!

We learned of this young person through a family member, and we all three felt strongly connected to them and offered to welcome them into our home (their new home). We have a very tight window in which to act before they age out. The international adoption process is comprehensive. Fortunately, we have a number of wonderful individuals helping us, we are willing to do the work and believe this is what we are meant to do.

If you feel led to help us in any way, please do so.  Also, if you feel led to share our story with someone who you feel would benefit from our experience, please let them know. We believe this adoption is meant not only to bless our child, but also ourselves, our family, our friends and everyone who hears our story.

Your support will go directly to agency fees, international fees & services, travel and support. The whole process will be around $40,000. Any amount you can give will be so appreciated by all of us involved!

We thank you in advance for your good thoughts, loving prayers and kind support!!

We all thank you and wish you much love and happiness!

God Bless!

The Richardson’s