Adoption through fundraising!

Photo credit: Shannon Kirsten shannonkirstenphoto.com

I have had a lot of people contact me with questions on fundraising for our adoption. We want to be a resource to other families who are considering adoption. To be honest, we are taking a huge leap of faith with this adoption. We are doing exactly what we feel that we have been called to do. Whenever the weight of raising $17,000 feels like too much to bare, I simply look at Easton and I am reminded that he was worth it. When I feel defeated, I think of the orphanages in Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda that I have visited over the last 3 years. I am quickly reminded that children belong in families and that our fundraising efforts will be worth it. Our daughter will be worth it. She will be worth the judgement, the questions from those who do not understand, and the uncomfortableness of asking  people for money. We have supported other families who have made the decision to adopt time and time again. We simply know that this adoption is not about us but about God's calling in our lives. We are a family who are willing to love a child as our own. Nothing should stand in the way of that beautiful calling. With 153 million orphans in our world, why would we not act on our calling to adoption?

Photo credit: Shannon Kirsten shannonkirstenphoto.com

Psalm 68:5-6a "A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families..."

This week I read a great post on the Give One, Save One blog that addressed adoption without debt. We are doing everything that the post suggested and we are excited to see how our adoption is funded through generous supporters, building our daughter's puzzle ($20 to sponsor a piece), my photography business and t-shirt sales. (Stay tuned for t-shirt sales, they are still in the making).

We outlined our calling and our beliefs about adoption in our adoption announcement post.  We want to be transparent about this process and are happy to share how our family is answering the calling to adoption. We have definitely accepted the fact that our adoption could take a LONG time because we are fundraising. With that, we are at peace knowing that she will come home exactly when she is suppose to. I'm not saying that part is easy. Adoption is hard. It is a journey that requires prayer, patience and relinquishment of control. We are learning all of these things on our journey to our daughter.

A little about Pure Charity:

Shannon Kirsten shannonkirstenphoto.com

Pure Charity allows donors to give a tax deductible gift and online payment. This is a resource that we could not have provided without Pure Charity's help. Another bonus of Pure Charity is that ALL of the donations go directly to our adoption agency. Meaning no monies go through our hands. Our adoption agency, International Family Services, has graciously agreed to help us manage the money coming in by paying for our adoption expenses. Our home study agency, Sunshine Adoption and Home Study Services simply sent me an invoice and our adoption agency was able to pay them. This does take a few emails and management but basically it is simple.

The next steps:
At this time we have been able to pay for our adoption home study ($1,400) and our IFS application fee ($400). We are now waiting and praying about the next 2 steps. We would like to pay for the IFS Coordination Fee, which is $4550. Next, the US Immigration Application with Biometrics for Ryan and I (fingerprints) will be $920.  We will accomplish this as soon as we have raised enough funds. It could be within a few days, weeks or months...

So there is this weeks update on our daughter's adoption and why we are fundraising. I hope to be able to share throughout this process to encourage other families.

If you would like to be apart of our adoption journey we would be grateful for your support:
www.purecharity.com/fulmeradoption

Photo credit: Shannon Kirsten shannonkirstenphoto.com