It’s no secret that adoptions are expensive. It’s not something you go into lightly, shrugging off the costs, unless you’re fairly wealthy. For some, it’s a huge stumbling block; $40,000 seems insurmountable. For others, it’s a sacrifice, but not a dealbreaker. Some see fundraising as a great way to share the experience of their adoption journey and help curb (or eliminate) the financial dent, and others either don’t need it or feel awkward asking for others to help fund something they feel a great responsibility for. Everyone approaches it differently, and that’s cool.
In our first adoption, we had to weigh this out on our own. We’re not above asking for help when it’s needed. Heck, in the past we raised full support to be missionaries in the Philippines. But, we felt that we were choosing to adopt because we wanted a son, not out of some ministry goal or cause, and that choice was our responsibility to bear. Still, we wanted to be open to people who wanted to give. Plus, we won’t lie that the donations from people who were looking for ways to bless and be generous were a huge help. We were financially stable, and prepared to take on the full weight of the cost, but felt very loved by the generous support we received.
Now, in our second adoption, we have found ourselves in a similar mindset. I (Russell) recently took on a new job as a Foreign Service Officer with the State Department. It’s higher paying than when I was a teacher. But on the other hand, Jess isn’t working, and cannot teach for the next two years (international diplomatic spouse laws). All told, we’re now making less than we were as two working teachers. Still, we’re capable and fully ready to bear the full cost of this adoption. Full disclosure: If no one gives us a dime toward the adoption, we’ll lose a big chunk of our ability to save for a year or so, but we’ll manage. But we also want to be open to God’s leading people to give toward adoptions. We have found in the past that giving can be a big blessing, and we have had people asking how they can help with our adoption. It’s a wonderful feeling from our end, and we’re hoping that if people choose to be generous that they also are blessed by it.
We were also blessed to have been approved for a matching grant. So, every dollar someone gives toward our adoption will actually net us two (up to $3500 matched). We don’t feel the need to ask people to donate, but for those that choose to, we like the idea of making it count twice! That said, if you’d like to support our adoption and be a part of the journey, you can give at the link below. If not, hey, that’s cool – we’re just glad you’re on our team. If you’re the praying type, we promise we’ll match any prayer you give as well 😉
Too Much World 