A Little Help from a Lot of People

UPDATE: Thanks to the prayers and gifts of so many, we are excited to say we have met our first goal of $900! Please click here to read about our next steps. (updated 10.12.12)

We are asking for help reaching our need of $900. This is the application fee to Bethany Christian Services. If 260 friends and family give just $3, we will be able to finalize our application to adoption.

One of the many things we love about this adoption agency is its ministry to birth mothers. Bethany Christian Services provides free life-long Christian counseling to birth mothers. Also, Bethany requires every adopting family to meet the birth mother at least once. After studying each family's profile (which includes a letter explaining what life will be like in the new home) each birth mother will choose the family for her baby. Here, we will be able to share our testimonies and how Christ has changed our lives. We can't wait!

We pray many will consider giving. Adoption is our family's response to orphans, abortion, and the gospel. Your gift can be your response to those things, as well.

Let's Play!

If you have friends and like to have fun, you can be a part of our adoption!

Help support adoption by hosting a game night with your friends. Ask each player to donate an entry fee that will support our adoption.

By planning a game night with your friends, co-workers, or small group from church, you can be a part of our adoption! You can designate an "entry fee" of any amount and ask game goers to bring some food to share.

 

Click here to send your group's donation via PayPal.

 

Let us know the date of your group’s game night in the comments below. If you would like to give your group business cards with our adoption information, please let us know and we will mail them to you.

Adoption Is Our Christian Heritage

Adoption is nothing new for Christians. In the Roman Empire, home of the early church, child abandonment was quite common.  Infants might be abandoned because their parents were too poor to care for them, because they were illegitimate, because they had birth defects, or simply because their parents didn't want them.  The babies were left in certain areas of town in hope that someone would take them in.  Many of our spiritual ancestors felt compassion for these abandoned babies, took them in, and raised them as their own.

Our society isn't much different than Ancient Rome.  Instead of exposing our unwanted newborns to the elements, we ease our consciences by eliminating the inconvenience a few months (or weeks) earlier.  In fact, one can argue that our society's attitude is much worse than that of Rome's.  In the case of Rome, there at least was an expectation that someone would rescue the abandoned babies (if not a Christian, it was usually those who planned to make them into slaves or prostitutes).  Our unwanted infants don't stand a chance.

I admire those women who reject our society's easy solution to the challenge presented by a child whom they are unable to take care of.  Such babies aren't unwanted. No, they are wanted very much.  Their mothers want them to have a chance; their mothers want them to live.  What should our response as Christ-followers be?  I think our Christians forefathers had it right: Christ's love compels us to care for the least of these, including babies who need a home.  Opposition to abortion rings hollow if we are not willing to help those who need our help the most.

Why Adopt?

Many people think a couple decides to adopt because they are not able to have biological children.  That may be true from some, but that is not true for us nor for many adopting families.  Our decision to adopt is based on biblical conviction and divine calling.  In both the Old and New Testaments, the Bible commands believers to care for orphans and widows.  One such example is James 1:27: "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world."  Orphans and widows represent those among us who are least able to take care of themselves and represent the least of these whom our Lord commanded us to care for.  The least of these include many more than orphans and widows, but they do not include any less.  While many adoptable children may not be orphans in the strictest sense, they are functionally orphans if their birth parents are unable to care for them.  When many in our society advocate the termination of unwanted pregnancies, these orphans are as vulnerable as ever.

And that brings me to another biblical conviction concerning adoption.  I am pro-life because I believe God is (Ex. 20:13; Eze. 18:23; Mat. 18:14; Jn. 10:10).  I oppose abortion like most pro-lifers do, but I do not believe merely opposing abortion is enough.  Telling a woman in a difficult and perhaps frightening situation "you shouldn't have an abortion" falls short of the compassion we as followers of Christ are to display.  I feel that if I am going to tell a woman she shouldn't have an abortion, then I need to be involved in providing an alternative.  This is what God did for me.  Instead of just saying, "I don't want you to die" (Eze. 18:23), he said, "I am going to give you life" (Jn. 10:10).

So my third biblical conviction concerning adoption is that adoption is at the heart of the gospel.  It amazes me all that Christ has secured for me by his blood and resurrection.  Of course, I deserve nothing that Christ has won for me, and God's grace would have been amazing if "all" he did was pardon my sin and keep me from hell.  But God has done so much more.  In addition to forgiving me of my sin, he has adopted me into his family.  I am his son, and I share in the same inheritance as Christ (Rom. 8:15-17).  Since I have been adopted, I want to extend the grace I have received to others.

Earlier I mentioned that Lara's and my decision to adoption is based on biblical conviction and a divine calling.  The calling is important because others may share my convictions but are unable to adopt.  I can't say that adoption is God's calling for everyone, but Lara and I are convinced it is for us.  If you share our convictions, I hope you will consider helping us with our adoption.

What You Can Do for the Price of a Chick-fil-a Milkshake

UPDATE: Thanks to the prayers and gifts of so many, we are excited to say we have met our first goal of $900! Please click here to read about our next steps. (updated 10.12.12)


You can help us jump start our adoption! If 300 friends each donate $3.00, we will be able to pay our application fee to Bethany Christian Services. You can donate via PayPal using the ChipIn link to the left. You can also click here to donate via PayPal.

Thank you, friends!

Inching Closer

Tuesday evening, September 18, we were able to attend an adoption information meeting at Bethany Christian Services. They have put a hold on their international adoptions, so the class was solely information about their domestic adoptions. This meeting was very informative and we now know what we are going to do. We have chosen to go with Bethany as our adoption agency, and we have decided to pursue a domestic adoption.

Bethany Chrstian Services works with expectant mothers who, for various reason, want to find a home for their babies. Once the preliminary work is completed, we will complete a family profile that will go into Bethany's system. Each expectant mother is able to choose the family for their baby, so we will have to wait and pray to be chosen.

One of the things I love about Bethany is that they are a ministry for birth mothers and their children. They require adopting families to meet with the birth mothers once before the adoption is complete. I love that we will have an opportunity to show the gospel to the mother of the child we will adopt. We  are already praying for this opportunity.

It is so exciting to finally know what we need to do. Now we will begin the paperwork and fundraising phase. We will soon post specifics about our timeline and goals. For now, we are working to raise the $900 application fee. We need 300 friends to donate $3.00. You can donate through PayPal by clicking here. Please continue to pray for us as we begin this journey.