We are calling on you.
Yes, you. If you are reading this, you are either a frequent visitor here at this blog, or you have stumbled upon it via shared links on Facebook, recommendations from someone, or maybe even a Google search for something random or not so random...I don't know what reason has brought you here, but I am glad you are, nonetheless. Especially today.
You may or may not know us, my husband and I, and you may or may not know our story. We are on a journey and have been for a while. We've probably been on this journey far longer than our minds may want to wrap around, but we count it as "going on 3 years now". It's a bittersweet journey, hence the name of this blog, but it's one that has taught us about God, about who we are, and about the strength of our relationship with one another, more than words can ever describe. I'm talking about our journey to parenthood.
I'll refer you back to
this post if you would like to know all the details, but basically, our image of parenthood looks much different to us now than it did in the beginning. What we once perceived as crushed dreams of becoming parents, we now know as the rebuilding of our faith in God and the birth of a brand new passion within our hearts. Although we are not giving up our dreams of someday conceiving naturally, we know without a doubt that no matter how different it looks to us now, this is where God is leading us.
ADOPTIONCurrently, we are working with
Bethany Christian Services and we are pursuing a domestic infant adoption. Basically, what this means is that we will be adopting within the United States. Soon there will be a woman, if not already, who will find out she is pregnant, yet selflessly decides that it is in the best interest for her baby to be raised and cared for by someone else. Once she comes to that conclusion, she will begin searching for that adoptive family for her child. She will scour pages and pages of biographies, photos, and stories until she is confident in her heart of hearts who she will choose. Our hope and prayer is that we are those parents. Once we are "selected", we will wait out the duration of the pregnancy, and once the baby is born, God willing, he or she will go home with us.
And this is where you come in. We need your help. Desperately. Fortunately, and unfortunately, adoption costs money. A lot of money.
$21,000.00 to be exact in our case. Looking at that number terrifies me and inspires me all at the same time. It terrifies me because obviously it's a huge number for any one family to come up with in a short amount of time. I am convinced that numbers like these are often times what turn many families away from adopting. For Jeremy and I, the "how's", as in "how is this gonna happen", or "how are we gonna come up with that much money" go unanswered. But consistently, God has challenged our faith. He has challenged our trust. "How?" God asks. "Me." He answers. However, this number inspires me...because
I know its the only thing standing in the way of us going from just "Jessica & Jeremy", to "Mommy & Daddy".We have to believe that God is so much bigger than this mountain of money we currently face. We have to press on, and trust that where God leads, He will also provide. So we're going for it, and we are excited to see what God is about to do!!
“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible." Matthew 17:20You faithfully answer our prayers with awesome deeds, O God our savior. You are the hope of everyone on earth, even those who sail on distant seas. Psalm 65:5So here I am, asking for your help. Whether your help comes in the form of financial donation, or in the form of praying for and encouraging us through this process, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts! Please understand, that this is not for us. Of course we desire to have a baby, but above that, we desire to provide a life, a home, and a lot of love to a baby who might not have these things if not for adoption. Above all, we desire to be obedient to the calling that has been placed on our lives to adopt whatever child God has planned for us, no matter the gender, race, or ethnicity.
We cannot do this without you.We want to be very transparent about where the money is going, so below you will see how it is broken down.
*Application fee......$550.00 (we already paid)
*Home Study fees...$1,000.00
*Support Services fee (Case management, education, marketing/networking, profile presentation, birth parent expenses, etc.)......................$6,000.00
*Placement fees (Counseling, adoption consents, legal fees including finalization, post placement supervision, etc.)........................$14,000.00
There it is. I know it's a lot, but I also know that it is completely possible. Obviously finances are the biggest obstacle right now. However, we also understand that not everyone can give monetarily. What is not so obvious is the emotional roller coaster that we are about to experience. Adoption can be such a long and trying process. That is why it is so important to us to have people praying for peace, strength, patience, and so much more, not only for us, but for the birth parents as well. If you have children, I'm sure you can imagine how difficult it would be for you to choose an adoption plan for your child. Imagine the strength it takes preparing for the day to hand over your child, sign away your rights, and live the rest of your life knowing that someone else is raising your baby. Your prayers throughout have just as much impact and are just as important and needed as the money. I hope you will prayerfully consider helping in whatever way you are led to. We are forever grateful for your loving heart!!
So let's do this!!
There is a grey box in the right margin where you can donate your money. As people donate, that box will continually update so that we can track the progress. Please feel free to pass this along and share with others who may want to help. If you would like to contact me,
visit this link to send me an email, or you can leave your questions, words of encouragement, or comments below. I will continue to update as the process changes and as we get closer to our goal.
In advance, your generosity means more than I will ever be able to express here. I cannot adequately describe what this adoption means for myself, and for my husband. We have prayed and waited for so long for a child, and we are so grateful for your willingness to help us. Your act of generosity is two-fold, you see. Some day we will have the privilege of looking into the eyes of our child and telling them of how many wonderful people were faithful in seeing this miracle through. Not only are you giving a child a home, but you are helping to fill a very empty space in our hearts. My heart swells with gratitude and love for every soul who has invested in our story.
Much love, blessings, and thanks to you!!
From the bottom of our hearts!!
