Thankful

I have a praise report! Thanks to some very sweet and generous friends, we reached last week's goal of $500! It's so amazing to me how God works these things out and always provides for our needs. We are blessed beyond measure!

We have a YouCaring Fundraiser

Some of you may have heard of YouCaring - it's "Compassionate Crowdfunding" (similar to the popular GoFundMe links we've all seen lately). YouCaring offers free fundraising pages for various humanitarian efforts - including adoption. It'll be a way for people that don't have paypal to easily give online. And it's also an easy link to share on social media. I'm so excited to add this option.

Visit our YouCaring Adoption Fundraiser HERE

Stepping Out on Faith

My family hasn't taken the decision to adopt lightly. We have felt a deep calling to help children. We began by sponsoring a child through Compassion International and then several years later, we prayerfully decided to adopt a child into our home to become part of our own family. This may sound like an easy decision - but trust me, it wasn't. My husband can tell you that I wasn't so sure at first. We lead busy lives and most days I worry that I'm getting it all done while still trying to balance being a wife and mom. And quite honestly, my biggest hesitation was is that I know how expensive adoption is and that we cannot afford it.

I'd love to be able to write a check and pay for the adoption without batting an eye. Honestly, if that were the case we'd be adopting more that one child! Unfortunately, that just isn't going to happen on a teacher's salary. The good news is that I know my God is AWESOME God and as long as His hands are on this process, things will be fine. We are truly stepping out on faith - because I assure you - we cannot do this on our own. 

The most uncomfortable part of the whole thing for me has been asking for money fundraising. I know there are people who think to themselves that if we don't have the money we shouldn't do it. But it is heartbreaking to me to know that money is the only thing that keeps people (not just us) from adopting. And through our journey so far I have learned that there are so many people who don't necessarily feel called to adopt, but want to help. We are so thankful for these people!

So friends and family, once again I'm asking for prayers. We are currently at a standstill until we can pay the next fee of $3500. It is so important that we get this fee paid asap because we cannot apply for adoption grants and loans until then. And sadly, until that financial aid is processed, if we were to get a match we would have to turn that baby down. I cannot even write that sentence without getting teary! Please understand that it isn't so much an issue of patience (although I admit I sometimes struggle with that too). We know that a perfect match will come with His timing and not ours. However, it IS an issue of our own convictions to DO SOMETHING.

Thank you for you continued prayers.

Scripture Memory #8

Home Study Update

All home study paperwork has been turned in and we awaiting finalization!

2nd Home Study Visit

We had a 2nd home study visit yesterday. We met our social worker for coffee and she walked us through the last few steps to get this thing finalized. We have a small amount of paper work to turn in this week and it will be complete! So exciting!

A completed home study means that we are eligible to be matched. So now all we have to do is pay the initial application fee of $3500 (that's what our current fundraisers are for) and then we can apply for adoption grants and loans to help cover the rest (which can be up to $40k) while we wait for our new baby!

Keep those prayers coming!

Overwhelmed

Feeling a bit overwhelmed lately. Our 2nd (and hopefully final) home study visit is on Sunday morning. We still have a few loose ends to tie up (I can't seem to locate our birth certificates!) but we are really working hard to get the home study finalized...

...which would be much easier if we could "pause" everything else going on right now in our lives. The world doesn't stop for our adoption process. This is a busy season for us, and to be honest, I'm struggling to fit it all in.

Not to mention the worries I have about finances. Adoption is so expensive and we still have a long way to go.

Prayers appreciated.

What's Happening This Week

A few updates:

• We made $355 from our Tupperware fundraiser
• The Perfectly Posh fundraiser has begun.
• Puzzle Piece fundraiser is on-going.
• We're planning another Yard Sale fundraiser.
• I started a Bless This Nest facebook group.
• Our 2nd Home Study meeting will be this Sunday!
• We still have quite a way to go to reach our next fundraising goal. This fee will help us to become "active." We can't move forward without this.

Thank you for your continued prayers!

Newboys

My mom and sister gave the little prince tickets to a Newsboys concert for his birthday. The concert was last night and it was awesome! We got to hear some great Christian bands (Ryan Stevenson, OBB, Audio Adrenaline, and Newsboys) and we even got to meet Newsboys and get autographs after the show. Pretty great birthday gift! Thanks RhaRha and Aunt Jess!

Scripture Memory #7