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Originally Posted By tracyWe are finishing our paperwork so we can get a referral. Everything is together but Arizona takes many months to do their homestudy. They have to go to the courts. We have been waiting 3 months and hopefully it will be done this next month. Its frustrating when other states do this in a month. We will then wait for a referral. How long did it take for you to get a referral? How old is your child at this time? Is your referral for a boy or girl. There are 5 families before us but they all want girls and we are open to either. Best of luck with your adoption. Let me know how everything is going.
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Originally Posted By EveWe are waiting for a girl who was born about 2 months ago. We have very little information about her so far, as communication with the Marshall Islands is slow. We didn't have to wait long for a referral; actually we got an unofficial referral a few weeks before our home study was even completed. I think the wait was short for us because of 2 reasons: most people adopting internationally tend to prefer a more structured adoption process than the Marshall Islands, such as adoptions from China or Korea, even if the wait is longer; also, the Marshall Islands has just started again allowing international adoptions (they stopped for awile as they were re-evaluating their adoption laws), so not too many people right now are aware of the Marshall Islands program as a possibility. Having no gender preference will probably decrease your wait very significantly. If the 5 families before you all want girls but then a boy becomes available, you're essentially the next in line.By the way, I'm curious as to why you chose the Marshall Islands program. Best of luck to you.
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Originally Posted By tracyCongratulations on your referral. We picked the Marshall Islands because my husband works with someone that adopted from there. We met with her and discussed the many advantages of going through rmi. It is very nice to know someone that has also adopted from there. My husband also thinks her daughter is wonderful. He gets very excited whenever she brings her kids to work. We are hoping to have our homestudy done by Aug. and then hopefully wait for a referral. I wish we would get an early referral. How long have you had your referral? What made you pick the Marshall Islands program? Best of luck.
Originally Posted By EveWe chose the Marshall Islands program in a round-about sort of way. When we were first starting the adoption process in March, we were not sure yet whether to go for a domestic or international adoption. However, we were interested in using Journeys of the Heart because, beside their good reputation, they do both domestic and international adoptions. When we talked with them, we told them that we would like a child as soon as possible (every Adoptee parent's wish), but we also did not have any preference whatsoever about the race/ethnicity of the child. They concurrently enrolled us into two of their programs: their domestic African-American adoption program (based in Illinois) and the Marshall Islands international program, both which tend to have shorter waiting periods. It turns out that a referral came first for the Marshall Islands. At that time, we did not know much about the history and culture of RMI (sadly, we didn't even exactly know where they were located), but we have learned quite a bit since.I'll keep you posted as we learn more news. Let me know if you run into problems with RMI -- since I'm "one step ahead of you" in the adoption process, maybe I'll be able to offer some "words of wisdom".Best of Luck to you.
Originally Posted By Jo HannahI am just at the beginning stages of trying to adopt a child from the Marshall Islands.I have done my research regarding the Islands and the adopting process. I am currently trying to locate an agency that will handling the adoption. I have located a local lawyer to do the legal aspect. I have the social worker from here to do a homestudy in August. I know that I am not doing this the usual way. Any help that you can give me will be most help and I thank you. I am a single female going through this process.
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Originally Posted By EveThere are more than one good agencies that do Marshall Island adoptions, but the agency that I have been using and particularly recommend is Journeys of the Heart (www.journeysoftheheart.net). They are a medium-sized non-profit, non-denominational agency based in Oregon (although many of the parents come from other states). They are also very flexible and open-minded toward the needs of "non-traditional" families, such as single females. In fact, one of our acquaintances in the program (a single mom) is planning on going to the Marshall Islands soon to bring home her child.The director of the agency, Susan Tompkins, is in charge of their Marshall Islands program (the agency also has programs in other countries, and a domestic program as well) and is the appropriate person to contact.When we started the adoption process, we consulted with a social worker with a private practice, who listed Journeys of the Heart as having very ethical and competent reputation.Others using this board are using different adoption agencies, so they may tell you about their own experiences and recommendations.Good luck!