guatemala | cromesburg19

Adoption can be a tedious process full of hold- ups and complications, but a family’s determination can be far greater. That can be said true about the Halvorson family.

Glen and Kristen Halvorson have seven biological children and four adopted. Their journey to love started in 2006 when Kristen felt God telling her to adopt. So after much persuasion, they started the process of their first adoption.

“The main reason was God, my dad didn’t want to do it at all for awhile. It basically took a brick from Heaven to get him to do it,” said Tj Halvorson, son of Glen and Kristen.

However, the family ran into problems when the U.S. required them to foster prior to adopting. According to Jeff Katz, founder of the Listening to Parents project, only 36 out of every 1,000 parents are able to adopt in the U.S. After a hassle with the red tape, they turned their search to overseas. In 2008, they adopted their daughter Blanca from Guatemala. The process for Guatemala was strenuous, due to the strict government. Recent laws enacted to help prevent child- trafficking created several roadblocks. As a result, Blanca was one of the last kids to get adopted. As their family grew, so did their love and determination to continue adopting.

After countless hours researching different countries’ requirements, they decided on Ethiopia. The family struck gold. They began the process in early 2009 and Ben, Asher, and Grace were home by Christmas. God had answered their prayers and sped up the process for their family’s final additions.

However, everything comes with a price and Ethiopia was no exception. Adoption. com reported that international agency fees can begin around $7,500 to $30,000 per child.

“It was very expensive, we had to pay to fly my mom, older brother and I out there, as well as the kids on the way back. Passports, visas, hotels, food, and other expenses added up quickly,” said Tj.

After meeting the children for first time, nothing else mattered. God had answered their prayers and blessed them throughout their journey of love. The family was completed when it grew to 11 people with Blanca, Ben, Grace, and Asher. They now live happily in Scottsdale, Ariz.