ADOPT QUEST

A Forever Family for Baiba and Agnese

Welcome

Thank you for visiting Adopt Quest, which is all about the process we are in of working toward adoption of two orphaned Latvian teenage sisters. You're probably already wondering:  Why these teens, and why Latvia? We invite you to spend time reading our story and looking at the photos of these wonderful sisters. We are excited to watch God at work through prayers and financial support. We know these are tough times for most people, but as David’s brother says, “We just need a lot of people with a little money” in order to all work together to change the lives of these beautiful girls.

Our Story

In July of 2009 we traveled to Latvia on a church choir mission trip. We went there to sing, perform drama and speak. One of the places we visited and performed was an orphanage, where we were drawn to two teenage sisters, Baiba (14), and Agnese (16). Although we never before imagined that God would move us in this way, we started looking into the possibility of adoption and were advised to begin by hosting them through New Horizons for Children, a non-profit organization whose purpose is to bring orphans from Latvia, Ukraine and Russia for visits to the U.S.

We hosted the girls for one month over Christmas and quickly grew to love them. Our interaction as a family came easily and naturally to all of us.  We have never had children of our own, and the joy and energy they brought into our home was palpable.

We learned that Baiba and Agnese were both left in the orphanage in 1997 at ages two and four. We are aware of how unlikely it is for teenagers to be adopted and now feel stronger than ever that we want to make our home theirs.

How We’ll Get Them Here

Baiba

Baiba, age fourteen, is legally adoptable. The approximate expense for her adoption is over $38,000.00. (See Expense Detail) This amount includes fees for dossier preparation, a home study, and the adoption agency. There will also be three mandatory trips to Latvia including a two-week stay in an apartment during the first trip. 

Happily, after the first court date we will more than likely be able to bring Baiba back with us, then she is required to fly to Latvia with us for the two follow up court dates. Frequent flyer miles would be a very helpful form of donation. 

Agnese

The process to bring Agnese to America is a bit more complicated. Once the girls arrived for their visit, we discovered that Agnese is not adoptable because of the Hague Treaty. (See Orphans in No-Man’s Land) The Hague treaty, contrary to non-Hague countries, makes no provision for adopting a 16 year-old along with a younger sibling. We feel confident that God will not allow Baiba to end up here without the one family member she has had consistently in her life since 1997.

We are looking into a F1 Student Visa for Agnese. It’s not without its share of complications, but might ultimately be the best way for her to come at least temporarily. We’ll post updates as we know more.

From the research we’ve already done we do know that she is too young to come on a work visa and because she is an orphan she is not able to come on a vacation visa unless it is for a short-term visit through a hosting program.

Our goal is to keep these two sisters together, and to protect Agnese from the sad fate that many female orphans face once they are emancipated at eighteen. As you may be aware, quite often orphans fall victim to hasty marriages, prostitution and human trafficking.

It is our strong desire to officially adopt both sisters and to live together as a forever family. Therefore, we are looking into any possibility of an exception being made concerning the adoption of Agnese.

We were excited to have recently learned that a Federal bill already exists, S1376, which proposes amending the Hague Treaty so that 16 and 17 year olds with an adoptable younger sibling can be adopted. It is now lying dormant in the Senate.  We are looking into how to bring this bill back to life. If it passes, we are hopeful that we can adopt both Baiba and Agnese!