Story
Duncan & Jessica began their adoption journey in 2015, working towards an adoption from Ethiopia. When that door closed, they later began an adoption pursuit from Burundi. When that seemed to stall out as well, they decided to focus their time & energy to support a ministry near & dear to their hearts: Casa de Fe (lacasadefe.org). God had a specific child planned for the Olson family and He directed us to Jennifer. Jennifer has lived at Casa de Fe (CdF) since she was 18 months old. As the whole family was departing from a visit in Nov 2022, the founder of CdF, a friend, told Jessica that Jennifer needed a family. Duncan & Jessica prayed & even advocated for Jennifer, asking other families about the possibility of adopting her. A couple of weeks later, they realized that God was asking them to be her family! A l-o-n-g year and a half of education, seemingly unending paperwork & fees, many ups and downs, & TONS of waiting, they have now been assigned as Jennifer’s family by the Ecuadorian authorities. Awaiting final immigration approval from the US now, they are preparing for travel to Ecuador for the completion of the process (which means 2 months in Ecuador!). The Olsons are so grateful for each of you, for the encouragement, prayers and support while they’ve been on this journey and they want to celebrate the growth of their family with you!
Special Notes
Please feel no obligation to give a gift for this shower, but please do come celebrate! Please keep in mind, if you do want to give a gift, that Jennifer is coming from a children’s home in rural Ecuador to a modest-sized house in Boise — we don’t want to overwhelm her or the space that she’ll be sharing with Rae! It’s also difficult to shop for a 12 year old girl who isn’t here yet! So gift cards are a great option. We would like to be able to have the bedroom ready for Jennifer to come home to and have found that IKEA has some great space-saving options (& Rae’s 1st choice for bedding in the girls’ shared favorite color). However, their shipping costs aren’t great, so once again gift cards are probably the way to go. The family will also need support in other forms. Can you sign up to hamster-sit Rascal? For a week or 2 or even the full 2 months the Olsons will be in Ecuador? How about houseplant-sitting? Watch this site for meal-train sign-ups, which will be posted once the date of the Olsons’ return to Boise is known. Want to sponsor a housecleaning for about $80? Want to help with childcare so that each of the 3 children can have some 1-on-1 time with their parents to help with the big family transition and adjustment? The Olsons have LOVED how many of you have already mentioned that you have daughters about Jennifer’s age, and once she has had the chance to settle in the family would love to coordinate a time to get these girls together! There are also many who have offered Spanish-speaking and Latin American fellowship and friendship and the Olsons can’t wait to take you up on that too! The family is so grateful for all the offers of prayer and support — it is needed as we all embark on this journey to grow the family together.