Funding An Adoption

You might know I blog over at Give1Save1 Asia. I just wrote a post over there about Funding an Adoption and I think it was really helpful to people who are considering adoption, but aren't sure how they're going to afford it. Also, I know a lot of people who are currently in the adoption process, but are frustrated at their fundraising efforts right now.

I thought it might be helpful to post it over here on my blog, too. So if you're paper-chasing or considering starting: I hope this post is helpful for you.

Let's face it: adoptions cost money! Lawyers, home-studies, background checks, social workers, dossiers, fingerprinting, immigration papers (and a lot more): it all comes with a price that needs to be paid. But on the other side of those fees is your child; the mountain you are standing in front of looks impossible and you need that thing to crumble! Ask any adoptive family how they could afford that $30,000 adoption and they'll tell you that God shows up big on adoptions. A phrase that we adopted (pun intended) around here is: "God funds what He favors and we know He favors adoption!" And He really does! After all, it was His plan for us to be adopted into His family - what a beautiful reflection of our salvation. Praise Him.

I will never say that 'everybody should adopt', but I do think more people should. It's a beautiful thing and a great way to grow your family! Many people have a heart for adoption and say they wish they could adopt - I hear it all the time. They are scared that they can't afford adoption and put adoption in that "one day we'll do that" file. But many people never move past that 'one day' and move it into the now. Finances are one of the reasons that people think they can't adopt.

I wanted to share some ways to afford adoption. As you pursue adoption or consider an adoption, I hope you find this post helpful!

Trim the Fat!

How can you make that paycheck S - T - R- E- T - C - H just a little more? What are some things that you can cut back on at home?

• Goodbye 700 channels! We cut the cable a little over 3 years ago. We still have TiVo to record our shows and we have Netflix to do instant streaming. Honestly, we haven't missed it much. We can find most of what we want online or on Netflix and we really don't need to spend much time watching TV anyway. This saves us $70 a month. 

• Eat at home more! Grab a newspaper, cut some coupons, and plan a week's worth of meals based on what is on sale in the grocery store this week. You'll save a ton of money by eating at home. Eating out is expensive - limit eating out to once per week and make that one affordable - use a coupon, drink water in restaurants, and even choose a place that has a Kids Eat Free night. We usually eat out on Tuesdays. There are several local restaurants that offer Kids Eat Free on Tuesdays and our family of 5 can eat for around $15! 

• It's spring right now and it's gorgeous outside. We have the air turned off and the windows open to let in light and a cool breeze. Save running that air in the summer when it's too hot to open the windows. 

• Think of other ways you can cut back on your monthly expenses. Cut your internet speed back just a tad, shop around for your house and car insurance and make sure you're getting the best rates. Maybe you don't need the latest and greatest gadgets as soon as they hit the shelves. The sacrifices are worth it! 

Put the FUN in Fundraising! 

This one can be a lot of WORK, but a lot of FUN too. God could just drop $30K from the sky if He wanted to, but He doesn't usually operate that way. God has a plan to bring your child home. You just have to find it and obey. Pray for creative ideas, ask for His guidance and jump in and do it! I'm going to give SOME fundraising ideas. This is by no means an all-inclusive list. I am going to share some things that I have done and some friends of ours have done that worked well. Get creative and have FUN fundraising to bring your kiddo(s) home! 

• YARD SALE! What a great way to make room for your new child! Clean out those closets, playroom toy boxes, and the garage. Ask your friends and family for donations and put some signs in the yard. My friend Wendy had a sale about 3 years ago that topped $12,000. Just this past weekend, she did it again! Her family paired with two other couples and they went BIG! They asked a church on a main road if they could hold their sale on their lawn for four days. They secured storage units with 1 month rent free and asked everybody they know for donations of their junk! They ended up filling up FIVE large storage units, a carport, a garage, and an extra bedroom full of donated stuff. Over the four days, they made a whopping $16,000!!!! They'll split that among the 3 families, but that is a substantial amount of money! 

• T-Shirts - I have to admit that about 90% of my t-shirts are adoption fundraiser shirts. Contact a printing company to create a custom design for your adoption - take pre-orders for shirts from your friends and family. Typically, you can get shirts for about $5 - $6 each when you buy 25+ and you sell them for around $20 each. It's also a great way to spread the word about your adoption! Actually, I have a t-shirt fundraiser going on right now! Go check outSummer's Coming and You're Going to Want a Really Cool T-Shirt! to see how I set mine up and feel free to grab a shirt or two while you're there! You can also sell shirts that are already designed and made specifically for fundraisers.  147 Million Orphans, Chrome Buffalo,Adoption Bug, Wild Olive Tees, and Ordinary Hero all offer t-shirts that you can sell as adoption fundraisers. I'm sure there are many more, but these are a few of the bigger and more well-known ones. 

• Adoption Benefit Dinner (or Breakfast) - Pancake Breakfast or Spaghetti Supper - or whatever you want to serve. Get a location, arrange your food - you might cook it, you might have it catered, maybe you have some awesome friends and family who want to cook for it. Sell tickets and people can come EAT and help you bring your kiddo home. I've seen some that even had silent auctions and cake-walks. The possibilities are endless and it's so much fun to celebrate with family and friends the anticipating arrival of your child. It's a date-night with a purpose - getting your kiddo home! 

• Online Auction - These have become really popular on Facebook! Create a page on Facebook for your auction and post photos of your items. I'm sure you are friends with a crafty mama who makes things and would be glad to donate an item or two. Maybe your sister is a consultant for Pampered Chef or Thirty-One bags and they'd donate something. Maybe you paint - get creative and gather donations for your auction. Start bids low and people can comment on the items they want to bid on. I've seen some items get into a bidding war and go much higher than the item was actually even worth. In the caption on the photo, make sure to include who donated it and a link to their website. I've seen these auctions bring anywhere from $500 to $5,000 in a matter of days. The key here is to get some GREAT items! 

•  Sell Coffee - I know I run on coffee - especially when I'm in the throws of an adoption. This staying up late to do paperwork wears this mama out! There are a couple companies that will let you sell their coffee as an adoption fundraiser. The two that I know of are Just Love Coffeeand Coffee for Hope. I think you can usually make about $5 a bag on this coffee.

• What can YOU do? - Tutor kids in the afternoons, teach an art class or private music lessons, babysit for a friend, mow lawns (husbands - listen up!), do some fix-it-up jobs for people: think painting, landscaping, cleaning, etc. Make yourself useful to others and take the money you earn and put it aside for your adoption. 

• Puzzle Fundraiser - get a 500 piece puzzle and sell the pieces. I've seen pieces sold for $5 and for $10 and both seem to go over well. We did one of these to finish paying for our son's hosting fees for this summer. We had the puzzle made with a picture of him and sold the pieces for $5. Our puzzle was only 252 pieces, so we made $1,260 in 10 days to finish up his hosting fees. 

• Cookbooks - gather recipes from friends and family and create a cookbook and sell them for your adoption. My sweet friend Elissa recently did this one and sold 100 cookbooks pretty quickly. The cookbooks cost them about $6 each and they sold them for $20 - that's a pretty great profit. And she even included their adoption story in the book. I love it! I've cooked several things from it and prayed specifically for her Ethiopia child while I was cooking. 

• Host a Raffle - I actually just launched one of these this week. We asked a friends for donations to raffle off. We actually had a 1 week vacation at a 5 bedroom beach house donated by our awesome friends! We also have an iPad, and 2 pieces of custom artwork. We're selling tickets and set a date for our drawing. I posted it on our blog and on Facebook and we're praying this is our biggest fundraiser! Go check out our Adoption Raffle Fundraiser over on our blog and feel free to buy some tickets while you're there! 

Apply for Grants!

There are a TON of grants available out there to help adoptive families. Your agency might have a grant for waiting  or special needs children. There are really too many to list, but your agency might have a list for you or you can do some searching online. Some of the popular grants are Brittany's Hope, Show Hope, A Child Waits, One Less, Lifesong for Orphans, and JSC Foundation. I recently learned about Both Hands and I think this one is really cool. They serve both the widow and the orphan and I love the idea of doing a work day at a widow's house to raise money for your adoption! 

It's hard work to raise money for an adoption, but it's so incredible to watch friends, family, and complete strangers rally around you to support you on your adoption journey. It's really amazing to watch God show up big time and provide time and time again. When we were bringing Zoe home, my hubby got an unexpected bonus that was EXACTLY how much we needed to pay for her immigration papers. I remember laughing and saying I knew exactly what God wanted us to do with that! Maybe you've tried something and it didn't go as well as you'd hoped or perhaps you applied for a grant and were denied: don't lose hope! He's got this. He sees you and He sees your child and He has a plan. Keep it covered in prayer and get to work! 

"Now to Him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we can ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us." Ephesians 3:20

~ Paula

Never Once Did We Ever Walk Alone

God is using this song to really speak some truth into my life. While our lives don't always make sense to us, or especially to the world around us. He has a calling on our lives and when He says GO, we can't say NO, so we step out of the boat and say YES to the ones He puts in front of us daily... knowing that HE is with us.





As we step out in obedience, Lord, we are asking you to be with us. You are Faithful, God. You are Faithful.

Lyrics to Matt Redman's Never Once

Standing on this mountaintop
Looking just how far we've come
Knowing that for every step
You were with us


Kneeling on this battle ground
Seeing just how much You've done
Knowing every victory
Is Your power in us


Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Yes, our hearts can say


Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

[ Lyrics from: http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/m/matt_redman/never_once.html
Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful


Scars and struggles on the way
But with joy our hearts can say
Never once did we ever walk alone
Carried by Your constant grace
Held within Your perfect peace
Never once, no, we never walk alone


Never once did we ever walk alone
Never once did You leave us on our own
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Every step we are breathing in Your grace
Evermore we'll be breathing out Your praise
You are faithful, God, You are faithful
You are faithful, God, You are faithful

Satan is a punk!

I believe strongly that Satan does not want us advocating for the orphan. He doesn't want us doing God's work. He doesn't want children coming home to Christian families. I believe Satan will attack a family who is adopting. I believe that he will throw every obstacle in our way to keep from making a major impact for the Kingdom of God. Satan is a punk.

The Holy Spirit wasn't something we talked about all that much growing up in a traditional Southern Baptist background. I think the Holy Spirit kinda freaks some people out. I grew up mainly skimming over the verses regarding the Holy Spirit. Not really talking in depth about His power. God promised the gift of the Holy Spirit to every believer. In Acts 2:38 Peter says, "And Peter said to them, 'Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'" I need Him living inside of me to help me through my day to day life. I feel His promptings. I hear Him speaking. The more I listen and stay tuned-in to Him, the more clearly I hear him. When I choose not to listen to Him, it becomes more difficult to sense Him and hear what He's saying.

God has been showing us that He wanted us to do something big regarding the orphan and that He wanted us to be willing to say YES. The Holy Spirit was revealing to me that Satan could/would try to stop us. I think that is why He wanted that YES before we started to dive in and begin putting our feet to the pavement.

This week, I have felt like we were under spiritual attack and that Satan was throwing out a few of his nasty tricks to keep me from meeting with 2 local adoptive mamas who have a heart for the orphan regarding a local adoption/orphan ministry. When you get 3 mamas (we have 12 kids between the 3 of us) to nail down a date/time that we can all meet, the only thing left is an 8:30 at night meeting at a Starbucks on a Wednesday night - after we've schooled all day and once we all get home from piano lessons, church, Bible study and get those kiddos headed to bed. So the time was set. We're gonna chat about a local adoption/foster-care ministry and orphan advocacy.

Wednesday morning at 1 am, Zoe is awake and crying. Her nose is running something awful. That's strange. She's never sick. No symptoms prior to that. She was up from 1 -3 am. I knew we had to be up at 5:30 AM for our field-trip. Whatever, we've got things to do, so off on a homeschool field-trip we head with a pack of tissues in hand and I popped her in the carrier for the day.

By the time we got home from our field-trip and got the boys off to TaeKwonDo, Zoe's nose was like a fountain. It was terrible and she was miserable. Then Tona sends me a text: "I have 2 kiddos who are acting pitiful. I think they're getting sick. I don't think I can leave hubby with this." I call Jewel to let her know and we decide to re-schedule. I text hubby (who has the boys at TaeKwonDo) that the meeting was off for tonight. This re-scheduling would have had to postpone this meeting by more than 3 weeks- the next available date for us all to meet. I prayed: "God, you've got to handle this. I feel your promptings to do this - show me what You want me to do". An hour later, Tona sends another message saying the kids perked up when they got home and she thinks Mo can handle it. I call Jewel back and told her that the meeting was back on if she can still make it. Move 'outta our way, Satan! We've got some babies and families who need us to stand in the gap for them.

I skipped Bible Study Wednesday night since Zoe was sick - figured the Children's Ministry would rather I kept my snotty baby at home. I decided to pray for the evening ahead and that my mind would be clear at this meeting. I expected Michael home with the boys soon and we'd have supper together before I had to head out.

Michael and the boys come home and we had an argument over something random and totally stupid. He said something snarky and I snapped at him. This was all over something totally stupid and insignificant. We rarely argue, so this really irritated me. I was tired (we had to be up at 5:30 that morning for our field-trip and I was going on just a few hours sleep since Zoe had been up in the middle of the night) and irritated. I KNOW this was Satan trying to keep me from going and if I did go, he didn't want my mind clear about what needed to be done for this ministry. I apologized to my husband and said "pray for us" as I walked out the door.

The whole drive to East Memphis, I was just asking for the Holy Spirit's protection. I was telling God that I knew we were under attack and that I know this wasn't the last of Satan's attempts to de-rail us. Wouldn't you know, I got little confused about which way to turn and I took a little detour - through an area that I am relatively familiar with. I needed to turn RIGHT on Poplar and I couldn't find the ramp that took me that way. This might not've been Satan. This might've been my lack of ability to navigate and my lack of all things directional. I am seriously directionally-impaired.

I made it to Starbucks that night and we had a great night of sharing our hearts with one another. We talked Adoption, Foster Care, Orphan Care, Advocacy, and LOTS more. I can't wait to share some of the BIG things that God is doing through His people right here in Memphis. He's calling up His Church to defend the fatherless. It's exciting stuff. It was amazing - it was like seeing a little peek of the Father's heart for these kiddos and their families. I am humbled to be a part of it.

I came home and plopped down on the couch next to my sweet hubby and just said "Satan is tricky and I hate him". We laughed about how he tried to throw off our night and my mind and how he really doesn't want us to make an eternal impact. He feels threatened - he should 'cause we're not stopping. And praise the Lord, we've got the Holy Spirit to help keep him off of us and to help us persevere through whatever he throws our way.

Satan is getting on my nerves, but he's not going to stop us! I think I need this shirt:

~Paula

The Orphan Crisis

There is an orphan crisis. Did you know? Have you heard? Crisis. A REAL Crisis. Not like a "there's no more cookies" kind of crisis. Not a "the power went out and the TiVo didn't catch my favorite show" kind of crisis. A crisis as in there are an estimated 147 million orphans on our planet today crisis - waiting for a forever family kind of crisis. Hungry children living on the streets. Some in institutions, orphanages with no one to love them, hug them, kiss their foreheads and tell them they are special. No one telling them they are precious, chosen children of the King. No mama to kiss their boo-boos, no daddy taking the training wheels off their bikes and chasing them down the sidewalk for the first time. No brother to crawl into the bed with them at night with a flashlight and wisper and giggle with under the covers. No sister to laugh with and braid their hair and dress like princesses. No grandparents (or Grandmoo and PawPaw like we say 'round here) to spoil 'em rotten with cheetos for breakfast and a trip to the department store for a new toy - not because it's their birthday or a major holiday, but because they love 'em like crazy. A few lucky ones in foster homes; never intended to be their forever home, but lovingly providing care to children who need it.

I can't even wrap my mind around 147 million. That is a huge number. Unfortunately, it's just a number to many. Until you see their faces. Until you know their names. Until you know their stories. Why is it so easy to turn away and do nothing? Why is it so easy to ignore? How do we sleep at night knowing they are out there? How do we sit in our comfy homes in the suburbs with our 1.5 kids (nobody really has 1.5 kids, but you know what I mean) and our 2 or 3 cars, our boats, with our kids in every possible extra-curricular activity on the planet, our name-brand jeans and our hair done up, our nails done and fancy TVs and cell phones, yet we can't do anything to feed these kids? Find them forever homes?

Today my facebook status read: Today my heart is full as I celebrate a child uniting with her adoptive family for the first time in Korea. Today my heart aches as many friends wait longer & longer to hold their children for the first time, separated by oceans and miles apart. Today I feel the bitter sweet emotion of a friend who celebrates her daughter's 4th birthday while she waits in E. Europe; praying that someone gives her an extra hug today & tells that beautiful girl with Down's that she she's special. Today I question "Why God?" as I look on the faces of those who continue to wait for families. For many, that time may never come. Today I want to scream "Wake up Church!"... "who will speak up for these children?" I whisper, "Yes, Lord, here am I" through sobs I can not hold back. Let His name be written on the pages...

I mean it. I'm not joking. I've seen the face of Jesus through these kids. I've seen the GLORY of the RISEN KING in the face of this angel who sat on a Waiting Child photolisting of an international adoption agency.


That sweet face now looks me square in the face and smiles at me and says "MOMMY!" a million times a day.

That sweet baby was plucked out. She was spared. She is no longer one of the 147 million orphans. She is ours and boy can she rock a pair of striped leggins and a bow like no other.

She waited. We heard the call and we answered. We obeyed. We took that leap out in faith and said "Yes, Lord, here we are. Wherever, whatever the cost. Yes. Unashamedly - Yes. I don't know how You're going to work this out Lord, but we trust You." I sure am glad we did.

Through her story (In roughly 19 months), God has led 4 other families to their children. We've shared our hearts with many for the orphan praying that He speaks through us. Praying that we are a light in what seems to be an impenetrable darkness. We've advocated for children and raised funds to help children unite with their families.

Now, I feel a stirring in my spirit. I'm at a crossroad in my life. Something big is coming. I don't know what it is. I don't know what it looks like. All I know is God has opened my eyes to catch a glimpse of the Father's Heart; it is in these children. At some point, we will not be able to bring more children home, but until they put me in the ground, I will fight for the orphan. I will advocate for Christian families to step up and adopt them. I will send money to feeding and education programs. I will help build orphanages. I will help families raise funds for their adoption expenses. God has given me a passion for the orphan and has lit a fire in me that runs hot in my veins. Something is on the horizon. I don't know what it is, but whatever it is, my answer is YES! Yes, Lord, here am I!

You see, adoption isn't ideal. In a perfect world there would be no adoption. There would be no need. But we do not live in a perfect world. I recently read here that "Adoption is chemotherapy to the cancer of the orphan crisis." I agree. And as long as that cancer exists, I will be there helping one baby at a time find their family.

The Bible clearly commands over 50 times to care for the orphan. To speak up for those who can't speak up for themselves. It commands over 300 times to care for the needy. We need some more folks to step on up and say "Yes, Lord, here am I".

~Paula