A Note From Dad: Answering a few questions we have had.
Hello and thanks so much to everyone that has been supporting us as we move along our journey deeper into the adoption process. We have had so much, and I must stress so much support from many loving people supporting our decision to adopt. Some questions have come up so far that I would like to briefly address; perhaps they have even crossed your mind while reading our blog. It may even surprise you these are questions that we have had too. Questions like, “Isn’t it irresponsible to move forward without having all the funds in place?” Or, “if you can’t afford the price of the adoption on your own should you really be considering adopting?” Or lastly, “Isn’t it more important to adopt locally than internationally?”
First I would like to say I, we HATE asking people for money or really even letting people know when we are in need. I am sure you can relate we are all born with pride rooted in our hearts, we all want to be independent and self reliant (A little throw back to the garden perhaps). Even our little daughter Eva would rather go without if she isn’t allowed to do it herself. So that being said please understand us opening up and asking our friends, family, and community for help hasn’t been easy. As Ash has said we believe the root of the idea for us to adopt was placed in our hearts by God. We had planned originally to have multiple children but as we thought about moving forward after Eva Ash was continually burdened with thoughts of children in need of a loving home. As we decided to pursue local avenues for adoption it seemed the doors were continually being closed. That is when Ash began to look into International Adoption. I have always been of the train of thought, ‘you should take care of your own first’ but the more I thought about it I wondered, why? Why if God does not show partiality to us should I be showing partiality when looking for a child to adopt?
Acts 10:34-35 “So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand
that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation anyone who fears him
and does what is right is acceptable to him.”
God’s salvation is available to all so shouldn’t I learn from him and shed my partiality? Of course. Jesus came to offer salvation to the Gentile as well as the Jew; to the oppressed, the poor, the widowed and the orphan he was an advocate. In Psalms 68 God is described as a father to the fatherless, a defender of widows. Our response is often, great God can take care of the Children. But aren’t we called as the body of Christ to be the outworking of his love; the action in the words of the Bible?
So here we are, if you have read Ash’s blogs you can see God has led us to the
1. Should we have raised the funds prior to starting the process?
I would say no and for a few reasons. First, we believe that God has called us to act on this, there are over 5 million children in the DR Congo that need care, and the need is imminent. Second we do not view this as a financial investment that one would typically save up for. We could have had another child naturally and had insurance to cover the costs of birth but this isn’t about money, it’s about helping that one child that we can help. Lastly we could have pursued fund raising prior to the process but it probably wouldn’t have gone well. If we had not started the process people would not have been assured that we were 100% committed and wouldn’t have wanted to join us emotionally and financially on our journey.
2.If you can’t afford the price of the adoption on your own should you really be considering adopting?
For us this is an easy question. We believe God has put a calling on our heart to bring a child in need into our home. We also knew when starting this process that we couldn’t do it on our own. Sure maybe we could have saved up $22,000 over the course of the next 10 years but as I have said earlier we believe God is calling us now, the child he has for us needs us now. This is where the support from our friends and family comes in. As the famous saying goes it takes a village to raise a child, maybe it also say, it takes a village to bring one home too. You may or may not be called to adoption yourself but you may be called to help us with ours. This is where our faith that God is going to provide comes in and so far he has been providing mightily. We have had some huge donations from people we barely even know and many, many have committed to pray for us through this process. Thank you all!
Lastly I would like to close with a bit about our personal finances. In the past we have given to people in need and perhaps wrongly questioned if they were as responsible with their money as they should be. I feel if we are going to accept your generosity I would like to be as open with you all as possible. We live as frugal as we can rarely eating out or spending money on other extras. Ashleigh has already applied her revenues from Scrunch nose sews ($3,650) to the first portion of the application process. We are also prepared as needed to use the remainder of our personal savings ($4000) toward the process however once the baby arrives we will need to have some money for medical bills baby supplies and misc. other costs. Also we have a boat that was given to us by our parents as a wedding present and are going to attempt to sell it this summer to put toward the adoption. (This is something that is near and dear to me as it has been in the family for quite some time and is something that we really enjoy. It will be a sacrifice but one we are willing to make.) We are not asking for others to pay for our adoption we are fully committed but can’t do it on our own. We thank you all again for your prayer and support. We hope before supporting us you too examine whether this is something God is calling you to do. Thanks again, and remember, “whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.” Colossians 3:17
OTHER NEWS
The lovely Miss Scrunch turns TWO TOMORROW! I can hardly believe that two years ago I was living my life without her smiles. It seems nearly impossible that two years ago I had never heard her say "wub you" or "cuddle mommy!" I would never in a millions years go back to life without her in it, and I long for the days when I can say the same with our other child. When I can look back and say "I hardly seems real they have been home for two years."
Again, thank you to ALL OF OUR SUPPORTERS. We literally couldn't do it without you. Here is a quick shout out to some of our supporters. If I missed you PLEASE don't take it personally, I tried to get everyone but sometimes things happen.
MUCH LOVE <3
Thyll Resident Artist M & K Treats CloseTMheart Mossy Rock Designs Dragonfly Trasure Bugaboo Embroidery Pats Design Adoption Knits Miss P’s Bowtique Be-hoot-iful Creations My Place In The World TheWaymanFamilynest.blogspot.com Little Leelas Boutique Dandi Andis Delites BrimmingGrace.com It’s A Chick Thing Rosie’s Tutu TJ Martini Amanda Scrunch Nose Fans and bidders Katie Jeanne Jeff Amber Teresa Benny Ben Joyce Stephanie Lemaire Photography Edyns Garden Sealed With A Kiss Mamas Felt Café ClaireBlossoms Zoey’s Attic Handmade Laine Purple Fairy Creations Sand Maiden Sleepwear Skintypesoap Parley Ray Boutique Wear Love Thyll Resident Artist M & K Treats CloseTMheart Mossy Rock Designs Dragonfly Trasure Bugaboo Embroidery Pats Design Adoption Knits Miss P’s Bowtique Be-hoot-iful Creations My Place In The World TheWaymanFamilynest.blogspot.comLittle Leelas Boutique
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