Dear Family and Friends,
As most of you have probably heard by now, we have been given an incredible opportunity to adopt the biological brother of our first adopted son, Cameron. Since last November we have been working tirelessly to complete an adoption process that normally takes 3 to 4 years. There have been many hurdles, but God has guided us through and we are now only a few short months from uniting Cameron and his baby brother, David Garcia Morales, whose new name will be Cooper David Mulvehill. There is still much to be done and we believe that God has a part for our family and friends to play in this special event. There are two ways that we are asking for your help.
First, and most important, please pray. Here are a few of the things that we would ask everyone to lift up to the Lord during these final months:
- Pray for Cooper’s health and well being.
We know that he is in a foster home right now and is being well cared for, but we would just ask you to pray that God would place a special hedge of protection around him in these final months.
- Pray for the last few items of paperwork to be completed quickly.
We are still waiting on a few documents from our government/state and the approval of our I-800 allowing us to take custody of Cooper. Pray that all of these documents arrive quickly so that we can travel to Colombia as soon as possible.
- Pray for our trip to Colombia.
We may have to be in country for as many as 8 weeks. Though we where only gone about four weeks last time, there have been a number of changes in the process that could keep us there longer. Please pray that God will prepare the way.
- Pray for God to provide the financial means to complete the adoption.
The estimated cost for completing an adoption from any international country can range from $24,000 to $40,000 dollars. Though there are still some unknowns regarding our length of stay in country, we are estimating our total cost for adoption fees, document preparation, home study, airfare, lodging, attorney fees, etc. to be around $28,000 dollars. Through several God ordained opportunities we have been able to raise $19,000 dollars toward these expenses! We are asking that you pray for God to provide the remaining funds needed. We would like to ask that you pray about what part God might have you play in the provision of these funds.
That brings us to the second way that we would ask you to consider helping. We know that many of you were so gracious to help us only a few short years ago with Cameron, and it is a bit humbling to be asking for your help again. However, I know that I can’t allow my pride to get in the way of what God wants to do in Cooper’s life through you. We have prayed and worked for the past year for God to provided as only He can. As we approach the travel date, we find ourselves relying completely on His provision for the final finances needed to complete the journey. Will you please pray about making a tax-deductible donation to help raise the remaining $9,000 dollars? We are reaching out to as many of our friends and family as possible because we know that even the smallest gift, given by many, can accomplish much.
We have partnered with a wonderful ministry called Lifesong, a trusted Christian organization that will be administering the funds on Cooper’s behalf. All of the funds received (100%) will go toward the payment of our adoption expenses and will be completely tax-deductible for you. If you would like to be a part of uniting these two brothers and seeing God bring Cooper to Himself through our family, please send your gift between now and December 5th to the address below. Though we do not have a travel date yet, we hope to go before the end of the year.
Please make checks payable to “Lifesong†and send your donation to:
Lifesong for Orphans
Attention: Mulvehill #2857 Adoption
PO Box 40
Gridley, IL 61744
Make sure that you preference how the donation should be designated by writing “Preference: Mulvehill #2857 Adoption†in the memo section of your check.*
You can also give online by visiting www.lifesongfororphans.org/donation.html and clicking the “Donate†button in the “Give By Credit Card†section of the page. Again, be sure to designate your gift by writing “Preference: Mulvehill #2857†in the purpose field of the processing page.**
Thank you for considering an investment in Cooper and Cameron’s lives through prayer and your financial gift – it will be an investment with an eternal return! “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.†(Matthew 6:20) If you would like a complete breakdown of the expenses related to our adoption of Cooper, see the cost breakdown listed below.
We know that God has a special plan for our family and want to thank you in advance for your prayers and financial support. Our prayer is that God will bless each of you in more ways than any of us can even imagine.
Awaiting His Coming,
Patrick, Mary Ann, Cameron, and soon to be, Cooper
*Note: In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to the named non-profit organization. This organization retains full discretion over its use, but intends to honor the donor’s suggested use.
**Please note that PayPal does charge an administrative fee (1.9% to 2.9% + $0.30 USD per transaction). The donation to us will be decreased by the amount of this fee.
Below we have listed the fees related to a typical adoption from Colombia. Not all of these fees apply to our adoption, but it will give you an idea about how we came to the $28,000 total listed in our donation letter. The reality is, there have been a number of fees that we have paid that are not on this list. That is the nature of the process, every case is a little different. There is also a lot of money that goes into the creation of the dossier that aren’t necessarily listed below. However, it is a good guide. We have been blessed to have a lot of people in the process looking out for us and that has helped to keep our cost down.
Summary of Fees
Bethany Fees: $9,050-$15,350
Country and Shipping Fees: $3,465-$5,365
Attorney Fees: $3,000-$3,500
Humanitarian Aid Fee: $0-$11,000
Process and Immigration Fees: $1,499
Travel Fees: $7,470-$11,480
Total: $24,848-$48,194
Below is a break of the different fees listed above:
Bethany Fees (Varies by Branch): $9,050-$15,350
- Application Services $550
- Home Study Services $1,700-$3,000
- Program Fee I $3,350-$5,600
- Program Fee II $1,650-$3,200
- Post Placement/Post Adoption Report Fee (six reports required) $1,800-$3,000
U.S./Colombian families will receive a discount of $1,000 from their Bethany fees
Country and Shipping Fees (cost of services for the adoption of one child): $3,465-$5,365
Cost varies by program
- First payment due to Bethany at Dossier submission $2,065-$3,965
- Second payment due to Bethany at referral acceptance $1,000
- The Country Fee may be refundable commensurate to the amount of work completed and as determined by the Country Partner. After the placement of the child occurs, this fee in non-refundable
- Country Fee includes but is not limited to the following:
- Coordination of case in Colombia ($1,500)
- Adoption House Administration Fee ($1,000-$1,500)
- Legalization Fee for Embassy Letter ($40)
- Translation of dossier ($525)
- Translation of referral documents with legalizations ($650*)
- Translation of future post-adoption reports ($350*)
- Shipping Fee Due to Bethany at Dossier submission $400
- *Translation for second child/sibling is additional $850
- There is no additional processing fee for an additional sibling
Humanitarian Aid Fee: $0-$11,000
- Paid only if the family adopts through an Adoption House
Attorney Fees in Colombia: $3,000-$3,500
- These fees include the management of your case as the attorney guides the family and paperwork through the judicial system in Colombia. May also include guidance with documents and forms the family will need to sign.
- Paid in cash direct to attorney (USD or Colombian per attorney’s request)
Process and Immigration Fees (Third Party Fees): $1,499
- USCIS Filing of Orphan Petition (I 800A) $720
- Fingerprinting ($85/person for every person 18+ in the home) $170 (for 2 adults)ï‚· US Embassy required medical exam $185/child
- US Embassy – Child’s Visa $230/child’s case
- Adult Passport Fee (for 2 adults) $194
Travel Fees (Estimated costs for two adults, one trip and travel for 1 child) $7,470-$11,480
One trip of 7-10 weeks. Costs are approximated and subject to change.
- Airfare $2,000-$3,000
- Airfare for Adopted Child (estimated): $800-$1,200
- In-country Lodging and Transportation $4,620-$6,930
- Colombia Visa’s for two adults $50-$350
- Meals and Incidental Expenses Varies by family
