The boys will pay.

Our adoption requires us to have two sets of fingerprints and background checks.  One set is for immigration that cost $830.00 (your donations paid for this - thank you).  The other set is for the state criminal background check and Feromsa says that this set of fingerprints cost $30.00.  I'm not sure if that's accurate but he seems pretty confident.  Anyway, this morning he told his mother that he and the other boys would pay for that.  His plan is that they would each give $10.00.  Not sure if he discussed this with his brothers but we certainly appreciate his willingness to give and to volunteer others to give. 

It's Urgent!

Earlier today I received an email asking me if receiving the money for the adoption was urgent or if we had some time before the money was needed.  My first reaction was to simply say, "No, it isn't urgent."  Then I began to think a little more.  You see, the reality is that, no, it isn't urgent and yet it is.  When you adopt, particularly when it is an international adoption, there are many fees that you have to pay.  There is the immigration/fingerprinting fees, the agency fees, the country's fees from where you are adopting, the shipping fees, the fees to have your paperwork authenticated, the fees to order the numerous certificates (birth, marriage, etc.), and so on and so forth.  These fees all come at different times and different stages of the adoption process.  This is why, in our latest fundraising efforts we focused on the $830.00 that was needed for the immigration paperwork and fingerprinting (which, by the way, we did receive).  Now we have to get ready to pay for our homestudy which will be $1800.00.  Plus there are physicals for everyone in the family, TB test, state authentication of paperwork, and so on.  As you can see it begins to add up.

The question remains, is there an urgent need?  Well again, adoption is a process of steps and they have to be done in order and they have to be paid for along the way.  This means that our son will continue to wait in an orphanage in Ethiopia until we have everything here done and paid for.  In addition there is the matter of his age and his limited time left in order to be eligible for adoption.  In realistic terms we have about a year to complete this.  In realistic terms it takes about a year to complete this - if you have the money to pay for everything to get it completed.

So is there an urgency to this?  Yes and no.  As a father who desires to bring his son home, it is the most urgent thing in my world.  As a often too proud man who hates asking for help, I'm begging for it now.  I wish I could tell you more of the young boy we long to adopt.  I wish I could show you a picture of his wonderful face with his bright eyes that reflect such hope and such joy.  Then you too would fall in love.  Thank you for your help and God bless.

Fundraising News

A friend of ours has made the following offer to help with our fundraising efforts for our adoption:

FOR ALL CONTRIBUTORS WHO DONATE- YOUR NAME WILL BE ENTERED INTO A RAFFLE FOR A $50 WALMART CARD! PLUS FOR LOCAL TAMPA FOLKS, YOU CAN WIN A FREE PHOTO SESSION A...T THE BEACH OR PARK! COME ON EVERYONE - NOT THAT FAR TO GO TO MEET THAT GOAL! IT IS AT 250 NOW BUT WE NEED 1000!!!! BUSINESSES AND SERVICE INDUSTRY (TAMPA) WHO DONATE CAN WIN FREE COMMERCIAL OR PROMOTIONAL PHOTOGRAPHY!!!!!!! 

Donate by clicking on the "ChipIn."  Thank you.

 

On our way...

I just saw that we got our first donation to help bring our son home.  I know that many people may look at say, "$20 isn't quite $25,000."  This may be true, but it is a start.  For now that puts us $20 closer to our first goal of $830 for the immigration paperwork and fingerprinting. 

For the person who gave, thank you.  For those who are thinking of giving, thank you.  For those who don't have a clue what I'm talking about read our previous post...oh, and thank you too.

God bless,
John

The Cost of Adoption

Well friends, as you all know we are adopting again.  As you may also know (or perhaps you don't), adoptions are expensive.  When it is all said and done the whole process cost around $25,000.00.  So, let me just come right out and say it, we need your help!  During the next few months we will be doing some fundraising through a yard sale, a benefit concert, and perhaps a raffle. Of course, we are also simply cutting back on our own expenses.  Obviously we are praying that this will all be helpful.  However, when it comes right down to it what we need is for people to simply give.

As I wrote in my previous post, we are trying to adopt an older child and time is of the essence.  We really don't have the time to try and get a little here and a little there.  The child we wish to adopt is hopeful he will be adopted.  At this time, because of legal reasons he can not be told that there is a family wanting to adopt him.   For now he is still simply hoping.  He has no idea that thousands of miles away, in a little town that he has never heard of, there is a family who loves him and longs to bring him home.  At this time, he simply is holding on to a fading hope - a hope that fades each day.  Like all the older children in an orphanage knows, his chances for adoption are slim and with each day, as he gets older, his chances become even more slim.   As his hope for adoption fades, so does the hope he has for his very future.  I wish I could tell you more of what this young man has already faced in his young life but legalities prevent me from doing so.  I can tell you that like every young man, he has dreams.  Dreams of a loving family.  Dreams of a better life.  Dreams of being able to serve others with the love and compassion that he has already proven to do.

Now I will tell you that we are applying for many, many grants.   However, we know from our previous adoption that you simply can not rely on getting these grants especially within the time frame that we are facing.  Our last adoption we did very little, if any, fundraising.  We simply paid as we went along and when there was nothing left we borrowed and used credit.  We are really hoping not to have to do this but are willing to do whatever it takes.

If you would like to help, you may do so by clicking on the "ChipIn" at the left of this blog.  Of course, you may also send a donation through mail.  Just email us if you need our address.

We want you to know that we greatly appreciate every donation made.  I'm sorry to say that with your donation you will  not be receiving a t-shirt, a tote bag, coffee or a cd.  What you will get is the knowledge that through your gift you will have a hand in forever changing the life of a child.  You will be helping to give this child not just a future that he would otherwise not have but you will be helping to give him hope.  You will be giving him a family who will forever love him.  You will be giving us the wonderful opportunity to share our love with another beautiful son.  For this we can never thank you enough.

God bless you,

John and Dottie

A Big Announcement Several Months in the Making

  Many of you may recall my blog post several months ago in which I discussed my disgust at the idea that because of the expense of adoption, a child faced the very real possibility of not only staying in an orphanage but, perhaps even worse, the child would soon age out of the orphanage and be released to fend for himself with little hope for his future. Of course, merely lamenting the problems of the world does not change anything. For things to change, people must be willing to act. To that end, after months of prayer (and a great deal of struggling with just how much I'm willing to live by the faith I preach), Dottie and I have decided to act on behalf of at least one orphan in the sea of orphans. We are going to adopt the child who I posted about earlier. 

  I realize that many may have questions about his decision so let me anticipate and to answer them now. Most likely the 2 most frequent questions will be along these lines: Do you really need another child? (For those who are counting this will make 5.) & How are you going to afford this?  

  I'd answer the first question just by simply saying that this is not about our "need" to have another child. This is about a child in need that we are called to help. We are not called to adopt every child in the world but we know that we are to follow through with this adoption. As with most any calling, we don't have all the answers. We simply have to be obedient to what we know that God has called us to do.

   To the second question: well, we don't know exactly. However, let me give you this analogy. Say that a child of yours finds themselves in the middle of an emergency. They are in desperate need of your help. What would you do? Would you sit around and simply say, "Well when we have all our finances together and we can help you with no sacrifice on our part, then we'll get back to you." Or would you do all that you can to help your child? I'm not suggesting that you would neglect your other responsibilities, but you would make it a priority to find a way to help your child. Right away I know there are those who would say, "But he isn't really your child. He is a child you are just wanting to adopt." Here is where I must vehemently disagree. Again, this is something we are called to do. God had placed it on our hearts that this is our son. Our son is facing an emergency. His life is facing a crisis and as responsible parents we must do all that we can to help him and bring him home. We are doing this by faith that our Father in heaven will provide by whatever means He chooses.  

   Finally, I would like to say that this has personally been a challenge to my faith. But as I have become obedient to His call I have found the peace that has come with every major life decision that I knew He was calling me to. We go into this journey admittedly with some, I wouldn't exactly say fear, but with wonder as to how it will all work out. We also go into this journey with great joy. It is an amazing blessing to follow the Lord in his command to care for the orphan. We are in love with our new child and long to bring him home.

Sometimes I forget but we must never do that.

Last night we received a picture that was taken in January, 2008 at the Kid's Care Orphanage in Ethiopia.  In the picture, sitting side by side, were 2 boys who in 6 months would become brothers and would become our sons.   Seeing the picture struck me with overwhelming force.  In January of 2008, I didn't know that these 2 boys were alive and they certainly had no idea about me or Dottie.  In January of 2008 they were just 2 more forgotten orphans in a sea of orphans.  In January of 2008 they were just 2 boys wondering what would happen next?  Would they be in the orphanage forever?  Would they have a family?  Is there any hope?  In July of 2008 everything changed for those 2 little boys.  They were no longer in the orphanage.  They now had a family.  They now had hope.

I sometimes forget that my 2 boys were ever in an orphanage facing a future of great uncertainty.  I often forget, except in a very abstract way, that there are still little boys and little girls who are sitting in orphanages today, just like my 2 boys were in January of 2008.  Sometimes I forget but I, make that we, must never do that.  But simply remembering does no good if it does not move us to act.  Let us not have a child waiting in the orphanage.

Dream Home

Some friends of ours just bought their "dream" home.  This got me to thinking about my dream home.  Over the years I've pictured different dream homes.  Often a room with a pool table was involved.  Often lots of land with the view of the mountains in Wyoming, Colorado, or Montana was an important part of the dream.  When I was much, much younger I often said that my dream home would have nice guest house that my parents would live in - this has not been part of the dream home scenario for a LONG time.  Today, my dream home would be very simple: one large room with one large kitchen, off this main room would be one hall way going in one direction and one hallway going in the other direction, down each hallway would be rooms - many rooms, obviously throw in a several bathrooms and a good size laundry room with 2 washers and 2 dryers (both of which would most likely always be going), and NO carpet to have stuff spilled on.

So, if you put just a little bit of thought into it you may understand why this is my dream home and why we would need so many bedrooms as well as such a large laundry room.  And if you understand why this is my dream home and if you know of one that is available (oh yea, available for virtually no cost) then just let me know.

Thanks - John.