Surprised yesterday

We received a God-timed envelop in the mail yesterday. It was a very generous, anonymous donation to our adoption fund. To the friend(s) who sent us this gift: thank you does not begin to express our gratitude and thankfulness. We have both been experiencing spiritual warfare ever since we began pursuing this adoption, and this gift has encouraged us in much needed ways.

Each and every gift, however big or small, helps us move closer to our goal, but each gift is also more to us than that. It is also an exclamation mark from God saying, "Keep going!" Not everyone is in a position to adopt a child, but everyone can have a part in a family's adoption: whether that means giving to the adoption costs, donating an item that can be sold for adoption costs, becoming a prayer warrior for an adopting family, or simply sending a text or email with encouraging words or scripture.

Our calling to adopt hinges on the gift of salvation we have received in Christ, and we pray we will be living that out to all who hear our story. We are so humbled and privileged for the opportunity to live out the gospel in adoption. Thank you for being a part of this journey!

Shop Amazon = adoption funds

When you shop amazon using this link: http://tinyurl.com/9zlemwl, Amazon gives us a percentage to our adoption fund. For September, we earned ~$10. For October (as of the 17th), we've earned ~$20!

Another HUGE way you can help is sending/reposting this blog post. The more people who use our link, the more adoption money we can raise.

77 Puzzle Pieces

A HUGE thank you to the friends who have already purchased puzzle pieces! We've already gotten 77 puzzle pieces "sold"! (Those who donated before we announced the puzzle fundraiser: we've put your name on pieces, too!)

This total doesn't reflect the entire amount of adoption money we have, because Daniel and I aren't counting the money we've put into our adoption fund (you know...since we won't be giving the prize to ourselves.)  :)

Praise God for His faithfulness!

Here's an idea

I know for many of our friends, it is hard to give anything extra from your budget right now. One idea a very dear friend of ours had was to donate some items that were just taking up space in her attic. We are going to list them for sale on Craigslist and be able to use that money for our adoption.

I know how much of a sacrifice giving is, and Daniel and I are so very grateful for everyone's donations. We try to be very careful to spend our income wisely, and are blessed by the many contributions to bringing home the child God has chosen for us.

3 quick and easy ways you can help

1. Pray. When Christians pursue God's calling, spiritual warfare is inevitable. And believe me, we've not been exempt! Please lift our family up in prayer after reading this blog post.

2. Promote. If you have a blog, Facebook, or Twitter, please tell your family, friends, and coworkers about our blog. Repost. Remind everyone about our amazon.com link. When using our link, amazon gives us a percentage of all profits. Here's our unique link: http://tinyurl.com/9zlemwl

3. Purchase. You can "purchase" a puzzle piece for $10. We will write your name on the back of each piece that you purchase, and you will be entered for a chance to win a $50 gift card to Cheddars Restaurant, 2 movie tickets, and babysitting included. We will draw the winning puzzle piece on December 1, 2012. You can donate online using the "ChipIn" link to the left or by clicking here.

We've reached our first adoption goal!

Because of the very generous donations from our family, friends, and even complete strangers, we are so excited to announce that we have reached our goal of $900!!!!!!!!

Thank you all for helping us reach this first major goal! We know how much of a sacrifice it is to give. We have been working very hard to make certain we are spending our income wisely, and we are so grateful for the sacrifice you have made for our adoption. We have also recently found an old stock in Daniel's name that is worth around $500. We are so thankful to be able to use this for adoption! This came out of nowhere, because we had no idea we even had it! Praise God!

The next step is the home study. This is a somewhat lengthy process, but when it is completed, we will owe $2,000. Once our home study is complete, we will be able to apply for grants. We will fill out every grant application we can get our hands on!

After the home study, there is a $3,000 fee that every family pays. This goes to help the birthmothers' medical expenses. Once this fee is paid in full, we will complete our family profile and go into Bethany Christian Service's database. Our family profile would include a letter written by us, describing what life will be like for this child. Birthmothers choose their baby's new family from this database. From this point, it can be as soon as 3 months or a matter of years. We would just wait and pray to be chosen.

I cannot express the gratefulness and appreciation we feel! Daniel and I are very humbled and blessed by you all! One of the many things we pray and hope for is that we will live out and share the gospel in every step of the process. We want to remind everyone that you are God's treasured possession. We are so overwhelmed! Glory to God!

A Greater Adoption

I was thinking about how God's adoption of his children compares to human adoption.  There are parallels for sure, but I was struck by one significant difference in particular.  A human adoption can potentially be an alternative to abortion.  As such, it serves to prevent death by extending life to the living.  Divine adoption, on the other hand, does the exact opposite: it gives life to the dead.  Ephesians 2:1 says that, before Christ, we were "dead in our trespasses and sins."  But when God adopted us, we were "made alive together in Christ (v. 5).  It is in awe of my own miraculous adoption that I seek to adopt my own child.

Date Night

If you're like me, you LOVE to eat out! But, if you're like me, you don't get to do it very often. And I don't know when the last time was that I went to a movie theater! Here's your chance to win a date night, valuing at $100.

Not only can you be a part of our adoption, but you can enter to win a $50 gift certificate to Cheddars Restaurant, two movie tickets, plus babysitting!

We've found that the adoption process is a lot like a puzzle: a thousand pieces that need to come together in order to make a beautiful picture. We have purchased a puzzle that represents the purpose of our adoption. When you "purchase" a puzzle piece for $10, we will write your name on the back of the piece. On December 1, 2012, we will draw one puzzle piece to receive the date night prize. The more puzzle pieces you purchase, the more you help our adoption and the more your chances increase to win the date night.

When the puzzle is complete, we will frame it and hang it in our child's room. With your gift, you will forever be a piece of the puzzle that brought our child home.

You can purchase your puzzle pieces by clicking on  the "Chip In" link to the left or you can click here.

Become a piece of our adoption puzzle

Bad Experience Turned Good

About a month ago, the night of our adoption meeting at our agency, we stopped for some dinner before picking up our kids. We very rarely eat out, but it was late and we were starving. We decided to share something at Cheddars. After a bad experience, we left and went somewhere else for dinner. I emailed the company about our experience, not expecting to hear from them.

Well, I received a phone call today from Cheddars. Even though I told them I wasn't interested in receiving anything, she insisted. I told her about our adoption and our plans for a silent auction, so she is mailing us 5 $10 gift certificates. Thank you, Cheddars!

This was a huge encouragement! Every gift, no matter the size, is a huge encouragement! Our friends have given nearly $200 towards our adoption. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!