Overwhelmed With Gratitude

Had a pretty cool moment today that left me feeling humbled and overwhelmed with gratitude. It's hard to put such emotions into words. I went to deposit some checks generously given to us for our adoption over the past week or two, the total of which now basically allows us to be able to pay the next installment of our adoption and proceed to the next step of getting our home study taken care of!! This is very exciting for us and are so blessed by the gifts given! I have been absolutely amazed at how generous you all have been and the sacrifices you are making to help us. All of you are apart of this journey with us! Thank you so much for your love and support!! Please share with others who may want to help us get to the finish line. Whether it's $5 or $500, you are helping to bring our child home!

What Not to Say

Yep. I didn't read the whole article ("What Not to Say to Friends Without Kids"), but I've heard all these phrases and more. The ones that frustrate me most are the comments some parents give that make it sound so terrible being a parent, and "whoa is me" attitudes. It's not helpful or encouraging to hear and just makes you look ungrateful to someone who desperately wants the same opportunity as you to become a parent. At the opposite end of it, don't rub it in someone's face about how awesome parenting is. We get it. Some of us who don't have children can't change our situation and others may not want to. Don't keep reminding us of what we don't have thinking it will somehow make us feel better, because it usually doesn't. Whew! Ok, sorry! Thanks for letting me rant!

Upcoming Training

Hey everyone! Some of you have been asking for an update on where we are with our adoption process, so here it is...

We're currently 2 weeks away from having to go to a mandatory adoption training class with our agency, Bethany Christian Services. It will be a 2-day training that, as I understand it, will give us a lot of detailed training on parenting and what to expect (and how to overcome) situations that might be different when parenting an adopted child. It will also cover raising additional funds, give insight into what the birth parents are going through and what kind of relationship we'll have with them afterwards, how to build our adoption profile, and go over the remaining steps of adoption, including the next step, which will be the home study.

However, we will not be able to move forward with the home study without raising additional funds. Thanks to all of you who have shown your support, we have collected through GoFundMe or direct gifts, a total of $3780 in donations!!! We are so blessed by your giving and know that God will use those donations to help us reach our goal. 

We expect the total cost for this adoption to come to about $26k-$28k. In order for us to move forward with the next step and schedule our home study, we need to come up with an additional $7,000. So, if you feel compelled to help with that, or can spread the word and share our link, we would really appreciate it! Of course, we also covet your prayers for us in our journey! 

We continue to walk each day by faith, believing that God has a plan for us and will see it to the end. Thank you all for the many ways in which you have and continue to show your love for Rachael and me! 

God bless you all,

David & Rachael

Investing in His Kingdom

Last week in church, our Pastor shared a message about Jesus' parable of the talents. He talked about multiplying God's kingdom - using our time, talent, and treasure in order to make the biggest impact for the kingdom of God. The way we get the biggest return on our investment in the kingdom of God is by impacting the next generation. By impacting the life of a child, we change the trajectory of that child's life. God has called David and I to do just that - invest in His kingdom by adopting a child, and changing the course of that child's life. Would you prayerfully consider joining us in impacting God's kingdom by helping us raise the funds to bring our child home?

Mandatory Training for Adoption

4 Weeks from now in Orlando, on March 11-12, Rachael and I will be attending a mandatory 2 day training in order to adopt. Would you consider helping us to raise the funds necessary to bring home our future son or daughter?

Our First Adoption Payment

Yesterday Rachael and I received a bill for our first payment for our adoption. I'm so happy and grateful to share that because of the generous gifts of friends, family, and even some I've never met, we have enough to cover the cost of that payment!! We still have a ways to go in the grand scheme of things, but every gift big or small is helping us to reach our goal! We are so blessed because of you and are humbled by the generosity of others! Again, thank you all for your support!

Praying for Our Adoption

Thinking about our adoption this morning and praying for our future son or daughter. They may already be growing in the belly of their biological mommy. I'm also thinking about that expectant mother. People often don't think about the birth mom when it comes to adoption, but they need a lot of love and support and PRAYER in this process too! Whatever their reason for choosing adoption for their child, it cannot be easy on them, and it's perhaps the bravest and greatest thing they will ever do for their child. They choose to do this because they believe an adoptive family can give their child a better life than they can, but it may come at great personal cost to them, too. I'm trying to imagine what they must be going through both leading up to the decision and afterwards when their baby is now in the hands of someone else. I'm praying for their emotional state and a peace of mind that whatever decision they make is a good one. I'm praying that their own future will be a hopeful one and that God will bless them. I want to encourage you who may be reading this post and those of you who have been praying for Rachael and me during this time to please also pray for that expectant mother (and the expectant father). I'm sure they need all the prayer they can get and the love and support of friends, family, and even strangers around them.