I am so thrilled to announce the start of our Bulgarian adoption program! I just returned from Sofia and I am excited about the possibilities that I see for families! I found Bulgaria to be a beautiful country and the people there were so friendly, even trying to use English when they could. I found our staff there to be very professional, friendly, experienced, connected and knowledgeable!
Michele Jackson, the executive director of MLJ Adoptions, Inc. and I were able to visit three orphanages during our trip. The orphanages were well staffed and the children well cared for! We saw some incredibly beautiful kids – all anxious for families! We saw a baby as young as 10 days old at one orphanage and had the opportunity to meet a fun group of 3-6 year old children children!
The changes in the family code will have a great impact in the future of adoption from Bulgaria. In September, our staff is expecting things to really take off! An influx of new referrals will make Bulgaria a great option for many families! They are open to single men and women as well as married couples. There is a restriction that a parent has to be 15 years older than the child they are adopting, but otherwise it is a fairly flexible program.
I can not wait to be a part of this wonderful program and witness the plan that God has for these beautiful children! Soon we will be leaving for Haiti – and exploring the possibilities of helping children there find their forever families!