Blessings

We continue to be so incredibly grateful for the financial support we've received towards our adoption. The financial assistance is amazing and lifts a huge burden from our shoulders… allowing us to focus thoughts and preparation on the actual children. But more than just the money, it feels like a tangible sign of the emotional support you all have consistently shown us. Mere “thank you’s” don’t feel like enough!

God continues to bless us in this area as we move forward with adoption expenses. It’s the big blessing that I’ve shared in past posts ("Uh, Isn't that Expensive?" and "Careless in the Care of God"), but it’s also the little day-to-day things that we can only explain as godsends … It’s the “deals” that frequently fall in our laps… like clothes ringing up to mere cents at the store… or finds on Christmas gifts that equate to significant discounts... It’s unexpected rewards. A recent example – we didn’t take the kids to amusement parks this summer. Things like that feel like unnecessary expenses right now and skipping them frees up a little extra $$ for the adoption fund… But after sticking to that “rule” this year, we won tickets to Christmastown at a church event. It was such a sweet little holiday blessing and the kids were so excited!

Christmastown 2015

We started this adoption process in 2013 with an unknown dollar figure for what was to come… we didn’t know how many children would be referred to us and how fees would change while we waited… Our goal was to raise at least one-third of the total expenses.

Two and a half years in, we’ve now walked through a change in country, a referral for TWO kids, and await two additional trips before the children come home with us. We now know that the total costs will exceed $50,000… And we are so happy to report that we have raised over $16,000 towards these expenses. That’s an accumulation of donations, grants, and “payments” for items we’ve made/sold and workshops I’ve held. We are so overwhelmed with gratitude.

So thank you to all of you who have participated in my workshops, bought items from BitsofFab and made donations this year… and an extra thank you to everyone who has been praying for us through this whole process. We have no doubt that the prayers are the foundation for the actual dollar amounts.

A reminder that all donations made directly to Lifesong for Orphans on our behalf are tax-deductible. Lifesong will automatically send you a 2015 receipt if your donations this year totaled $250 or more. If you want to request a receipt for an amount under $250, you can contact them directly at 309.747.4527 or PO Box 40 Gridley, IL 61744. Be sure to reference our account – Blalock/4230.