I've emailed someone...

... Emailed an adoptions specialist here in Utah about the feasibility of being single and adopting here. Technically, from what I've read in the laws, it appears POSSIBLE although I would have to be living in a home without any other unmarried individuals. Once the adoption was finalized completely, then I could have roommates again if necessary.

I want to know what the logistics would be.

I've actually kind of fallen in love with the idea of adopting from the Congo. The country has millions upon millions of orphans. Some babies are found abandoned in garbage dumps, others turned over to orphanages by living parents who cannot afford them, and others are left orphaned by wars and battles killing entire villages. The place seems very dangerous.

And so I've kind of decided to make it a mission to change one child's life by adopting from there if I can. It costs about 20,000 to adopt a child from the Congo. There is a tax credit which is allowed which would help cover potentially a little over half of that amount---But I think the knowledge that I'd probably be saving a child's life would make it well worth the expense.

Some of the babies I was reading about have had to sleep in cardboard boxes.

If I am ever able to adopt a baby from there, I will do so. And I will try to better the lives of other orphans there.

In order to adopt, one would need to go to the Congo to bring the baby or child home. What if there was a way to bring supplies into the orphanage at the same time? Even a suitcase full of vitamins would probably end up saving lives. Or baby blankets and clothes. I'd probably bring a full suitcase and leave with an empty one. Along with a baby of my own. Formula is one of the hardest things for them to get a hold of, from what I hear.

I wonder if there's something I could do. I really don't know...

Celebrities haven't begun making it popular to adopt from the Congo. So there's not been a big kick in the popularity of the country.

I spoke with an agency in Colorado who would help me adopt from the Congo if I had an approved homestudy. So if I get a homestudy done in Utah, by overcoming the challenges of being a single male here, then I can adopt from there.

Oddly enough, the Congo has a rule about adoptions: Although they don't have post-placement interviews, they keep track of the adoptees for two years in order for the orphanages and agencies to show the government the need to make adoptions of babies and children more prominent. With about 5 million orphans, it is a real need.

So now besides the surrogacy, I have another plan in mind.