Thursday, June 30, 2011

Fundraising update

I haven't updated you all on the fundraising in about three months, so here it goes. :)

There are three stages to the adoption. We are in stage one - paperwork/homestudy (followed by stage two - wait list, and stage three - finalization/travel). For this stage of the adoption, we need approximately $9,300 to cover the agency fees and homestudy costs. This is such a huge and important hurdle to get over. After we pass this step, we will be able to begin applying for grants -- and trust me, we will be applying for EVERY grant we can find! The grants still won't cover the entire rest of the costs, but we will hopefully be a lot closer to our final goal.

Anyways, $9,300 is what we need for the first stage. Three months ago, I reported that Brandon and I were 20% of the way to our goal, and we would like to make it 100% by the end of the summer. We have really been working hard at making this happen. Brandon even was working a part time job for a while, on top of his full time job, until they were requiring him to work way more hours than manageable with his commitment to the church. We have been holding our "Hard ROC Cafes" to have opportunities for fundraising locally, and Brandon played a few times when we went to Texas earlier this month. We've also tapped into some funds that were set aside for other things. Since our first year of marriage, we have planned on going on a big cruise this year, for our fifth wedding anniversary. It was something that we talked about often and we got to the point where it was not just a wish, it was expected. However... how do you justify something as extravagant as that when our children are on the other side of the world, waiting on us? No cruise. I was definitely bummed, but it was an obvious sacrifice. We don't need a fancy lifestyle, new cars, or a flat screen tv. Brandon got our last tv at Goodwill for $30 and that bulky thing works great! And we will drive our cars until they explode... and maybe even after they explode. :) Point being, our priorities, and therefore our money, are focused on our children, and not on our own self-centered desires.

We've also had a handful of people send us donations, and WOW, we are blessed. Not because anyone handed us a check for thousands of dollars -- that definitely has not happened. Regular people who love God have decided to make their own sacrifices to care for the orphans in this world. Middle class families that don't have much to spare have decided to spare something in order to help those who are without homes and parents. It blows me away every time I open an envelope.

So where are we now? With our $9,300 goal in mind, we are at. . . . . . . . . . 88%! That is HUGE NEWS!!! We have almost met our first goal! Our God is always faithful and good, always.

Would you consider praying about making a donation to our adoption fund?

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