UNBELIEVABLE!

 

Wow, we have been in a bit of a phase of amazement over the past couple of weeks with the ways that we are being financially supported on this journey.   We always believed that God would provide for all that we need, but honestly didn’t know what that would look like.  We thought possibly it could come through extra income through my job, or through many different fundraisers that we would take on.  We have been in awe at the ways that God has prompted people to support us … it is truly unbelievable. 

 

Through our first adoption journey, we were living on one income … a police officer’s income.  We are so blessed for Chris’ job and the stability and benefits it provides, but you all can probably understand that a police officer does not fall into the upper income echelons … we have lived life always having our needs met and for the first 10 years of having children we always needed to make decisions frugally so that we could live without debt, and have me be an at-home mom.  In our first adoption we were blessed to receive a three grants from wonderful organizations (Show Hope, Katelyn’s Fund and our Church adoption grand fund) totaling about $9,000 … in addition to that, we received money through a fundraiser and donations from family and friends … about $5,000 more.  We cashed out some small retirement accounts that had accumulated from year’s earlier and drained our savings (about $10,000) knowing that our adoption tax credit would offset any penalty that we would incur.  The remaining money came through loans … if you are doing the math with us, that was about $10,000.  So our total costs for our first adoption were around $34,000 … we had one adoption fall through in that process that caused us to lose $3,500 … another part of the domestic adoption process is that you can have “risk” money with matches.  What this means is that the birth mom is being supported and if she chooses to parent, there could be money lost due to support of her. 

 

We believe (and honestly still do) that if we are a family that is okay with carrying some type of debt/borrowed money for a mortgage, then we should be okay with borrowing money for bringing home a child.  Probably not within the “grand” ideas of Dave Ramsey or other financial freedom people (no disrespect intended), but honestly, that was and still is our take on it.  We wanted to continue to give to our church through the process and because we weren’t willing to compromise that, it was either borrow money or wait until we had that money saved up.  After Kylie was home a year God provided my current job.  With that job we were able to be ‘adoption debt free’ by the time Kylie was 15 months old.  That is our story from last time around. 

 

This time, I am working and we have been blessed tremendously with my job.  We were able to (a few years back) repay all $20,000+ of my school loans for my master’s degree because of my job, and have been blessed with many other opportunities through my working.  We also know that with the addition of another child, and an older child through adoption, my work load is going to need to scale back and I am going to need to return to being at home more.  Our income is going to be reducing again … this time returning primarily to a police officer’s income as a family of seven.  This is why we are so grateful for all of you joining with us in helping with the financial costs of this process.  I hope you know just how incredibly blessed we are from your support and understand deeply just how much we know that your sacrifice ultimately has helped our family.  Your willingness to give big has not gone unnoticed.  It is humbling to receive from others … we are accustomed to living a life where we haven’t had to rely on others to live … so it is humbling to be in a position where we are relying on others for this process.  THANK YOU! 

 

If you have glanced over to the thermometer on this page you have already realized why I am gushing so much in this post!   Look at that total … unbelievable!  We can finish this process not worrying or thinking about where the money is going to come from … it is ready and waiting for that next bill to arrive.  Please accept our heartfelt thank you for your wonderful support of our family.  It has been so much fun to share with the kids along the way and watch them see the ways God has provided.  It is a lesson so valuable for them as well. 

 
We hope you all have a wonderfully blessed Christmas and pray that you are taking in this Christmas knowing the Savior of the world and the miracle that occurred over two thousand years ago that created the celebration of this day.  We are thankful for the saving grace of knowing Christ and we want to continue to live for HIM in all the ways He asks!