Called to Adopt

Today we got a call from Holt Intl, our adoption agency…..They had the best news we have had yet….Our case was APPROVED by the Ethiopian courts. We are now officially the parents of Kaia!!!! I cannot tell you the flood of emotions that washed over me today. I just want to run around screaming and yelling at the top of my lungs. I feel like I did the day Allison told me she was pregnant with our first child, Evan. What an awesome day! Needless to say tons of celebration is going on as we speak!

Allison and I have had a very strong desire to live out James 1:27 in our lives. Today, we are one step closer to seeing this become a reality. Thank you Jesus for providing for us and delivering another child to our family. God is good!

We do not know our travel dates yet….We should hear in the next couple of weeks the exact times and dates of our travel. We hope to be picking Kaia up in the next 6-8 weeks! Please pray that those dates will come with expediency. Also, please pray that God will provide the remaining finances that we need. We still desperately need about $10,000 to cover the final costs and our travel expenses. God has been faithful so far, and we know He will continue to be faithful.

(If you would like to contribute to the adoption you can do so with the option on your right, the PayPal Donation. Also, you can send a check to Impact Communications 106 Glass Springs Lane Franklin, TN 37064. All gifts are tax deductible.)

We’ve reached that waiting phase of our adoption that is simply excruciating! It’s hard to believe that almost 2 months ago we got our referral and saw our little girl’s face for the first time. Now we are anxiously awaiting the day we get to hold her and bring her home.

As of today we know that our paperwork has reached the courts in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Right now we are waiting on the courts to process our papers and assign a court date. This phase could take as much as 90 days. Portions of this process have moved much faster than anticipated, and we are hoping the same will occur in this as well. Once we have a court date, we will have to wait as much as one week after to find out if a 2nd date is needed or if it was passed. If, God willing, it passes on the first run….We will travel within 6-8 week to pick up our little girl.

Reality says it will be around late January and possibly into February when we travel.

Here is what we so desperately need…..PRAYER. We need your prayer that God will move this process along with expediency. Pray that God will protect Kaia in the orphanage in Ethiopia. Pray that God will guide the courts and officials through the process without issue. Pray that God will continue to provide for the financial needs of this adoption. We still have to raise around $$13-14,000. (See below for the details of the financial needs.) Pray that God will go ahead and pave the way for smooth travel when the time arrives.

Thanks for your continued prayer and support of our family in this incredible process.

Now is the time we are leaning into our faith that God will supply ALL of our needs. Philippians 4:19 says that God will supply all of our needs according to His riches! Allison and I believe that. We also know that wihtout making our needs known, they can never be met. So we are making our needs known through prayer, through word of mouth, through family and through media outlets. Our needs is great before we can go and pick up Kaia from Ethiopia. Here’s a Summary:

The big task at hand for us now is raising the additional funds we need to pay for the final processes. The amounts we need are the Agency fee of $9900. This cost is what Holt charges to facilitate the process, care for Kaia until we pick her up and medical and legal bills in Ethiopia. Additionally we need $5500 for our travel. The cost associated with travel is high. We have to book refundable tickets for the flexibility of adoption. Also, the lodging in Addis Ababa is costly. That brings the final grand total we need to just over $15,000. So far, everytime we have had to pay a bill, God has provided. We know that He will continue to do so. Please pray with us that God will provide.

If you are interested in donating to our adoption, we have made it easy for you. You can simply click the Donate button on the right side of our blog! It is a secure transaction through PayPal. If you do not want to use the internet you can mail donations to Impact Communications 213 Meadow Lane Kingsport, TN 37663. All donations are tax deductible.

Thanks for you prayers and support. We are grateful for you participation in helping us expand our family!

The title says it all! Today at about 12:30 we got the long awaited phone call from Holt. They called to let us know that there was a baby waiting with our name on her. The moment we answered the phone, we knew what it was! As Allison listened, the expression of joy was unmistakable! We held each other and wept in excitement. This day seemed like a dream, and now it has become a reality.

I would give anything if we could post her picture….But, as of now we cannot. Just trust us…..she is BEAUTIFUL! I got to see the face of my daughter today. There are no words for how I feel and what emotions well up in my heart.

We can tell you she is 4 months old. Her name in Ethiopia means “Orange”. Her mother cared for her for the first 3 months of her life. She brought her to the Holt orphanage in August after deciding she could not care for her properly. She is a healthy little girl.

We are beyond ecstatic but we are officially playing the waiting game once again. Before we can travel to Ethiopia to pick her up we have to wait for more paperwork to be completed here and then we have to pass court in Ethiopia. It is totally up to the courts and could take anywhere from 2-5 months.

Please pray for her safety and health while she is waiting to come home. Please pray for Allison and I as we await the process to be completed. Pray for our baby’s birth mother during this period of transition. Pray that God will continue to supply to the resources we need to pay the bills as we complete the process.

The next few months will be tough as we wait. I cannot wait until the day I get to hold Kaia in my arms. WOW! Just to say that brings tears to my eyes!

(BTW, The picture above is not her!)

As of this past week we have officially entered the waiting phase of our adoption. Any day now we expect to receive a referral from our agency. They have placed all waiting families to date, and we are simply waiting for them to bring us a child. I cannot explain the anticipation we are feeling right now. Everyday we wonder if this will be the day we will finally see the face of our future daughter. I often wonder what her eyes will look like and what her smile will look like. More than anything I cannot wait to be able to see our future daughter’s face and know who I am praying for everyday. Our boys are beginning to ask often when we will be bringing Kaia home. While the answer is still a hesitant “I don’t know”, there is more reassurance it is sooner than the week before!

Continue to pray with us that God will protect her. Pray that God will keep her health intact. Pray for the caregivers who will watch over Kaia until she comes home with us. Pray for us as we wait anxiously trying to believe that God’s timing is the best! That is truthfully the hardest for us. We are grateful for your prayers and support as we move ahead in our journey to grow our family through Ethiopia.

Hey Folks….We have been blessed to find and partner with a great organization, Anni for Orphans, for our new Adoption Shirts. These shirts are incredible. The design was done exclusively for us, the Robison family! The cool thing that Anni does, different than most folks, is that they print the story of our adoption on the inside of each shirt. These shirts tell a story.!

The profits from this shirt go towards the cost of Kaia’s adoption and completing our family. You will love these shirts. The are very comfortable & the highest quality! (They are made by Next Level Apparel) You can purchase your shirt by clicking here, or the link to your right!

Also, if you have not been added to our mailing list, you can do that by clicking here. We use mail to keep people updated from time to time about major turning points in our adoption process. The most important thing you can do is continue to pray for our family, our future daughter Kaia and her birth family. Thanks for your love and support through this process. We are looking forward to the day when we can post a complete family photo with all of us!

I have been wanting to write this blog for awhile now but have had a hard time putting my thoughts into words. Throughout this adoption process I have focused my thoughts mainly on our new daughter to be and our family. She most likely has not even been born but I have prayed for her delivery, health, comfort, needs, and environment. I am ashamed to say that I was totally forgetting about her mother. How could I??? She is the one who is giving us our daughter!  

Most likely she is not giving her child up because she is unwed or a teenager. Her decision, most likely,  is completely unselfish in that she doesn’t have the means to take care of her child or even provide food. I can’t even fathom what it takes to come up with the strength to do the most selfless thing imaginable. So now I ask that you join us in praying for our daughter’s mother. Pray for her health and safety. Pray for her as she making the decision to give up her child. Pray that she can take the baby to an orphanage and not just abandon her. Pray that she is surrounded with love and support. 

There is a possibility that when we travel to Ethiopia we will have the opportunity to meet Kaia’s birth mother. Just thinking about this meeting brings tears to my eyes. How will I ever be able to thank her? How will I remember every detail about her and our meeting to one day share with my daughter?

It has been too long since we updated this blog. In the busy-ness of life and the wild ride of adoption, it is easy to let a blog go. Frankly, you get tired of the writing, signing, proving, printing, notrizing, certifying, etc. So, writing a blog post can be the last thing on your mind. But, we thought we would give an update.

We are finally reaching our Dossier stage! That means that the paperwork, at least the major part, is almost over. We have a few documents to collect yet, and then it is done. What does that mean? It means we are now about to enter the toughest phase…..WAITING. I hate waiting. We hate waiting. Everybody hates waiting. That is just the reality of life itself. But, we are waiting with great anticipation of soon finding out who our future daughter will be! Nothing gets me more excited than that.

God’s timing is always perfect. This weekends’ sermon for Grace Church includes the concept of our adoption into God’s family! When we study the scriptures and realize that Jesus went through much more than paperwork and waiting to bring us into His family, our process seems easy! Please be praying that all of the paperwork will be accepted, approved and move through smoothly. Be praying more for our child, whoever she is. Pray for her health, safety and her care-givers. Pray for her mother who will be giving her up for adoption. Pray that her mother sees the love and grace of Jesus through this process. Thanks for your prayers and support.

I reckon I can tackle the hardest of subjects in regards to our adoption process. Hope you’re ready for this, because for some this could strike at the core of who you are and your values. So, get ready…..

When we began the process of adoption, it came from a desire to bring a child home from a country that is very dear to us, Haiti. We love Haiti. As a matter of fact, I will be back for yet another trip in 2 weeks, my first of a few trips this year. But, in the process we discovered that we do not qualify. It was a matter of age…We’re not old enough. In some respects, I guess that is a good things right!

Once that roadblock was apparent and we knew we had to move on, we began investigating other countries. We looked in Guatemala, Argentina, Brazil, Russia, Ukraine, Korea and Mongolia. The other one we looked at was Ethiopia. We actually went straight there from Haiti. But, decided to keep looking just to be informed and sure of our selves. In the process, we always came back to Ethiopia. I think for both of us, this was rooted in our love a desire for Haitian adoption.

So, about 2 months ago, the decision was made, and we began the long road of paperwork and fundraising. We were accepted into Holt International’s Ethiopia Program in January. As of now we are 2 months into a 3-5 month paperwork process. (That is a blog for a different day!) We have been belabored by the process, we are excited because each step gets us one day closer to expanding our family.

Here’s the real subject……We are going to become a multi-racial family! Mind you, in some parts of the US this is no big deal. But, we live in the South! Yeah, I am stereotyping people at this point. But, I have experienced the deep-south for what it’s worth! And, I found it to be raw at times. I lived in Montgomery, Alabama, for many years. I attended a school where I fell into a minority as a white student. I grew up listening to older relatives make jeers and comments about “colored” folks. The idea of inter-racial dating and marriage was out of the question. Especially the further south you travel.

But, times have begun to really change. We have a black president for the first time in history. After living in Minneapolis for a year I realized that inter-racial marriage really is no big deal for a large portion of our country.

But, there is still a large portion of people who are not sure what to think. It is not that they feel like one race is better than another. It is not an inborn hatred or ill will. It is simply a departure from the norm. It is change, and change scares the hell out of people! Really!

We have found even within our own family that the process of thinking through a multi-racial family is a wild idea. Admittedly, it is not easy when we have to have one of those mildly awkward conversations regarding this subject. But, the reality is that once it has happened, the minds and attitudes are at ease. People simply need to hear us say and articulate our understanding of the weight of being “different”. It is our desire that we become part of a larger movement of people and families, who see this very thing become the norm.

Scripture tells us that “there is neither Greek nor Jew…..” God sees no color, He sees no difference. If we are to be imitators of Christ, then we must view people in the same way. Our duty is to love and care for those in need!

James 1:27 says that true religion is caring for widows and orphans in times of need!

My question to you is this…….Would you be able to become a multi-racial family? Why? Why Not? 

Hey guys! It’s Allison again. I know it has been awhile since the last update. I have decided that maybe I could get used to this blogging thing. Michael has been extremely busy lately and I know he doesn’t have the time to keep up with two blogs. Evan and Noah keep me pretty busy but surely I can find the time! Anyways…I thought I would share some of Evan’s thoughts on our adoption and let you guys know that our baby girl has a name! Noah is still a bit too young to comprehend any of this. Evan is 3 years old going on 10 and Noah is almost two. 

When we first decided that we were going to start the adoption process we asked Evan if it would be okay if we got he and Noah a little sister. He was always very adament and said no! I thought it may just be the girl thing but he said he didnt want a brother either. Finally about a week later I figured out why he was so against getting a little sister. He said “I don’t want her to sleep in my bed, mommy.” The poor thing thought he was going to have to share his Thomas the Train bed! After I assured him that she would have her own crib and her own room he was totally okay with it and even very excited. I haven’t broken the news to him that when she does get here he and Noah will be sharing a room. Just a room, not a bed!

Once we decided that we were definitely going to be adopting from Ethiopia, I asked Evan if he thought it would be okay if our new baby girl was brown. He said “No mommy, I want her to be grey!” I thought to myself how does he even know what color grey is? I don’t remember teaching him that color. He got over the grey thing very quickly and now tells everyone that he is going to have a brown baby sister. When we go shopping he likes to pick out clothes that he thinks she should wear. If I pick up something pink he will say “no mommy she needs the purple one!” Don’t worry, I am not buying any girl clothes yet. It is just fun to look! 

For some reason as soon as we decided that we were adopting a little girl the name Kaia (KY ah) popped into my head. That name had never been a consideration when I was pregnant with Evan or Noah before I knew I was having boys. I really have no idea where it came from. I did a little research on it and turns out it is a Hawaiian name meaning of the sea or pure. I thought that was pretty cool because Hawaii does have a special place in our hearts since that is where Michael and I got married. I asked Michael what he thought about the name and he loved it. In the past as soon as we both actually agreed on a name we said “thats it!” and quit looking. I asked Evan if he liked the name and surprisingly he did. He usually would pick out a name like butterfly or something. So the name stuck! As of now our baby girl will be named Kaia. Apparently I have a thing for four letter names.  It seems crazy because she has a name, we talk about her everyday, and in
all probability she hasn’t even been conceived yet. It does bring a huge smile to my face to think about the fact that we don’t know her but God does. He knows exactly which child will be ours and is creating her just for us! God is so good! 

Thanks for checking in on us. I really am trying to get better at keeping this updated. As always we covet your prayers!