I told myself that when we hit 5,000 views on our blog, that I wanted to do a post about the play that my daughter was in at church right after school was out. (We hit 5,000 views this morning!!!) She was cast as Mary in the play Table of 5000. She was in this play at the end of May, just a few months back....
We had JUST started thinking seriously about adoption, researching countries and praying where God was going to lead us. My husband had agreed that we could add to our family by adopting, but we didn't know where we were going to adopt from. (We were NOT looking in Africa yet at this point).
My husband was still hyperventilating (ok, I was too a little) on where the money to do this would come from. The price tag of $30K just seemed so BIG! Not impossible, BUT BIG!
I watched the sweet play my daughter was in and I was reminded the bible story that I learned in Sunday School so many years ago of how Jesus fed the hungry when the people had nothing to offer. A small boy had 2 fishes and 5 loaves of bread; the crowd laughed at the boy. How would this small amount feed 5,000? And then Jesus smiled at those who didn't believe and he MULTIPLIED the loaves and fishes in abundance! After everyone was fed there was still more food than the hungry people could eat! I was reminded THIS day, that we would NOT be alone on this journey. I began to hear him say to me "More than enough". I had peace wash over me as I watched my daughter portray Mary, and as she handed out the food to the crowd that HE multiplied. I was reminded right then and there to be obedient and to be faithful in what he was telling us to do. We began to say to each other in our home that he has told us "More than enough", each time we got overwhelmed by that daunting number.... This was our PEACE, and when we realized that we had to put the fear of that number in HIS hands. He had told us to do so; so we did.
We had already watched our $35 Living a Better Story gift turn into $563.... so I knew it WAS possible. Now we have had people say to us, get a loan, or refinance your home to get your 30K, but this is NOT how he was telling us to fund this journey. You see, I believe this journey is more than just adopting, but I believe we are to advocate for the orphan children here and around the world. In order to do this, we have to SHARE our story. THAT is why we have sold Uganda beads, why we are having an adoption fundraiser yard sale, and why we are selling T-shirts, why we are blogging our story. We are trying to show other people that may have considered or are considering adoption that HE FUNDS WHAT HE FAVORS, and we KNOW he FAVORS adoption! He tells us in scripture that over, and over again! There are a lot of ways to become a family and to love your family, and they can LOOK different from what you THINK your family SHOULD look like. We have been stretched.... and are still being stretched....
We want to say Thank you to EVERYONE who has supported us on this journey! Many of you have blessed us with your prayers, your gifts, and your presence on this journey with us! We wanted to give everyone an update on where we are today on our fundraising...
We have been able to pay for our home study, pay for all the fees associated with our Dossier filing, pay for our I600a fees, and we have paid our application fee with CCI. We have paid our CCI Agency fee and our Home study review fee. This week, we sent the check for our Humanitarian Aid fee. Next week we pay the first half of our In-Country fee. All that leaves us with is the second half of the In Country fee, which will be due when we travel to ET (prayfully Nov/Dec), and our Travel expenses. We BELIEVE we have MOST of our travel expenses covered. With that being said, we are ALMOST there! We have been able to PROVIDE ALL the fees needed when they came due.... he has provided MORE THAN ENOUGH....and he is definitely funding what he favors, just like he told us. He told us he would do it, and HE has been faithful!
We only need about $7,000 of the $30,000 we were initially hyperventilating about!!! Can you believe it??? Keep in mind we started this in August! Thanks to everyone who has supported us! We were humbled to ask for your support and we want to say THANK you from the bottom of our hearts. We are not done; but we are CLOSE!!!!We realize that not everyone is not called to adopt, so we appreciate your support of our calling to adopt!
Here is a question we get a lot!!!!***UPDATE on our bead fundraising*** How much of what we raised came from bead sales???
We have raised $5,000 for OUR adoption by selling UGANDA beads and the cow horn earrings!!! By selling these necklaces, we raise money for other causes at the same time!! (Each bead purchase touches 3 groups- One is our son, one is 147 Million Orphans and the other is Amazima Ministries!) We have raised $3162 FOR 147 Million Orphans who is a local group here that ADVOCATES for the ORPHAN through creating orphan awareness. We have also raised another $3162 FOR Katie/Amazima Ministries (via 147 Million Orphans)which employs the women who make those GORGEOUS UGANDA beads and Katie's feeding program that feeds 1200 kids a day!
We are still selling beads and they make GREAT Christmas gifts!!!!!!!!!!!! :)
Again, we believe this journey is so much more than about us adopting ONE orphan from Africa. We believe we are supposed to SHARE how we got here.....
We have heard all kinds of things like, " I would like to adopt but, my husband says no because of finances", or "he doesn't think he can love a child that is not his biological child", to "I really want to look at this but my husband just says NO". Well, guess what? My husband wasn't jumping up and down when I first brought this idea to him! He wasn't like, yes, let's fill out our paperwork and get it done! I remember talking to other women in our adoption community, and guess what? Their husbands didn't just JUMP IN at that moment they brought it up either. It starts with prayer, and ALOT of it. And you have to PUSH them out of their comfort zone. And PRAY! I had one mom tell me that it took her husband 2 years to say YES! I was so scared that was going to be my husband, but luckily God moved in his heart pretty darn fast! :) If you have heard the calling to seek adoption PLEASE talk to some of us that are going through it or have gone through it to help provide answers. As most of you know I am in SALES, and so when my husband said NO WAY, I just smiled at him and said Ok, He just doesn't have enough information YET to say YES! :) And I have talked with many people that this role was REVERSED! Sometimes the husband is LED first to this calling.... and the ladies are the one's left to "catch up!"
There are 147 Million Orphans out there that need a forever home! If you could please open your hearts to the possibility that it could be YOU and your family. At the very least, please support someone, anyone who IS adopting. You can call your local church and ask them who in your congregation is adopting and SUPPORT them with a gift of any size.... You can google adoption blogs and support someone by donating on their paypal link! 34% of Christian families consider adoption, but only 1% actually do it. I pray that 1% grows.... there are sooo many kids out there and that NEED a FOREVER family.
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