Our Adoption Story
God places the lonely in families. And he’s placing two of those children in ours.
How did you decide to adopt? Why Uganda?
Ten years ago God planted the seed of adoption in my heart during a missions trip to Uganda. It is only the size of Oregon, but Uganda currently has about 2 million orphans living there. Most are orphaned due to HIV or other deadly diseases, or abandoned by parents who are unable to care for them due to debilitating poverty. These children are often found in pit latrines or on roadsides, left for dead. I felt a powerful tug to get involved.
When Joel and I met I was overjoyed to discover that he shared my desire to adopt. Initially, we began pursuing domestic/infant/transracial adoption (January 2010), but eventually decided the semi-open adoption our agency advocated for was not a good fit for us. By summer of 2010, we heard about Ugandan adoption, and felt it was a natural choice for us.
When will you bring your boys home?
Our family began pursuing Ugandan adoption in August of 2010 through Adoption Advocates International as a part of their pilot program. We have been very pleased with our experience so far.
We were matched with our beautiful boys, ages 3 and 1, late last winter. Our littlest one has Sickle Cell Anemia, a serious blood disorder.
All of our paperwork, called our dossier, is currently with our attorney in Uganda and we are in the process of filing for court. We hope to receive a court date soon and travel this summer to bring our boys home.
For more detail of our adoption timeline, click here.
After raising $20,000 last winter, why do you need another $10,000 to bring your boys home?
Like most families, we did not have the ability to personally fund our adoption. It will cost at least $33,000. After contributing more than $3,000 of our own money, we began fundraising to make up the difference. Last winter, we raised $20,000 thinking that would cover our costs. I have written about our fundraising journey here and here and here.
However, things have changed since then. We were able to be matched with two boys instead of just one, and our travel expenses have increased dramatically since we will travel to Uganda during high tourist season. As a result, we need to raise an additional $10,000. You can read more about that here.
If would like to make a contribution to our adoption fund, click HERE. Words cannot express our gratitude for your generosity.
We are thankful work again with Lifesong for Orphans to raise all of our funds, enabling those who give to us to make a tax deductible gift.
We pray that God would use our story to inspire other families to believe that adoption is financially possible for an ordinary family, committed to living without debt.
Our Adoption Story Archives
7/15/11—We Have Court Dates!
6/17/11—Happy Birthday Jonah
6/7/11—Get This Done
6/1/11— We’re Almost There
5/18/11—Our Dossier Is Off
5/11/11—It Takes a Village
4/27/11—The Adventure Continues: An Unexpected Chapter
2/28/11—Big News: We Are Matched
2/16/11—Stuck Between Where I am and Where I Want to Be
1/21/11—A Visit to the Honest Planet: Adoption is a Roller Coaster
1/05/11—We Crossed the Finish Line and Raised $20,000!
1/02/11—Steps Closer to Our Baby
12/17/10—I Loved You Before I Knew You
12/14/10—Jump and the Money Will Appear
11/09/10—Help Us Bring Home Our Baby
10/22/10—Adoption Update
9/16/11—Welcome to the Circus: Our Home Visit
9/03/10—The Scariest Part of Adoption: Faith
9/01/10—Passport to Adoption: A Dad’s Perspective
8/27/10—Adoption Update: Doors Open to Uganda After All
8/20/10—Adoption Update: Uganda a No-Go
8/12/10—Waiting: Spiritual Bootcamp
7/30/10—Adoption Journey: Chapter 1
Posted on January 25, 2012 - by Megan
And Finally, A Post
After an emergency departure in August, I returned from Uganda with our two new sons, Moses and Jonah nine weeks and countless miracles and trials later. We’ve been home for three months and this is the first blog post I’ve written. Until now, I had no idea what to say. I have been up to my [...]
Posted on September 10, 2011 - by Megan
Adoption Update: 4 Weeks In
First, let me apologize for disappearing from blogland without explanation. When I found out four weeks ago that Baby Jonah had been in the hospital for several days with a fever so high he was convulsing, I knew I had to leave for Uganda immediately. In less than 24 hours, I boarded a plane in [...]
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About Me
My name is Megan Hyatt Miller. I'm a little Emmilou Harris, a little Bonnie Rait, and a dash of Paula Dean—mostly because I identify with her unbridled use of butter and ample hips. I am passionate about living and telling a good story. I'm a wife, a stepmom and and an adoptive mom. I am passionate about adoption, racial reconciliation, and creating beauty and a sense belonging for those I love. To learn more, click here. Thanks for stopping by.
