Money and Adoption

Since we announced that we are adopting, we've gotten quite a few comments and hands-down the one I hear the most is :

"We've thought about adopting someday, but we just can't afford it right now."

So if that's you- if you are at all interested in adoption and the thing that is stopping you is that big ol' dollar sign that pops into your head when you think about it, then I want to talk to you today. I have a feeling that someone, somewhere out there is needing some encouragement in this area today.

Our reasons for adopting are purely religious, if that's the right word. We are Christians and we believe what the Bible says about our faithful, providential, and loving God and how he cares for the children, the orphans and widows, and the outcasts.

When we asked God to show us what His plan for our family was, our actual question was 'should we have another baby or not?'

Adoption wasn't really on our radar. It was something we thought we wanted to do someday, when we had enough money saved up, but we definitely weren't considering it at the time.

That's why we were a little surprised when we figured out adoption was The Plan. After all, we are a one income family with 3 kids under 5. We live in a small house with one bathroom and we didn't have any money saved up for an adoption.

We prayed and questioned. We read what the Word said, and this is what we found:

"And my God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus. To our God and Father be the glory for ever and ever. Amen

Phillippians 4:19

"The Lord will guide you always, he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame. You will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail."

Isaiah 58:11

"Commit your way to the Lord; trust in Him and he will do this."

Psalm 37:5

"For nothing is impossible with God."

Luke 1:37

"What is impossible with men is possible with God."

Luke 18:27

"I have no need of a bull from your stall or of goats from your pens, for every animal of the forest is mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills. I know every bird in the mountains, and the creatures of the field are mine. If I were hungry I would not tell you, for the world is mine, and all that is in it."

Psalm 50:9-12

"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."
James 1:27

"In love, he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ."

Ephesians 1:5

"God sets the lonely in families."
Psalm 68:6

If you can't afford adoption, take heart- you are in good company, because neither can we.

"We" can't afford it, but God can.

God's checking account is never overdrawn. His banks never close. He ows no debts. He is rich beyond our wildest dreams. And he loves to use his storehouses to further his perfect plans.

I think He also loves it when we allow our lives to be used by Him to show the world just how supernaturally mind-blowing His ways are. Because the world says things like

take care of your own

it's not your problem

that's crazy

you can't afford it

you will fail

that's not normal

and

let someone else do it.

But God says

" So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against yuo will be as nothing at all. For I am the Lord your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear, I will help you."

Isaiah 41:10-13

We started a savings account 47 days ago that we designated solely for our adoption. We opened it with $50 and our current total is $1130.

$1080 in a month and a half.

$120 of that was all we personally put in from Jeremiah's paycheck.

Here's how the rest came to us:

We held a garage sale and made almost $700.

We saved all our change and cashed it in.

I sold my favorite cookbook on ebay ( The Pioneer Woman Cooks! But it was worth it.)

I sold a set of cloth diaper covers on ebay(yes we use cloth diapers sometimes)

The same week we decided to adopt, I started cleaning a bank with my sister in law.

I sold 8 of the dolls I make specifically for our adoption at church.

Jeremiah went to a golf tournament this weekend (someone had a free ticket and he ended up winning a brand new golf jacket in a raffle- how cool is that?!) So that jacket is currently on ebay. Also,we are going to have our second garage sale August 13 and 14.

These are just some ways so far how the Lord has provided. We are not rich and we had no money saved for this adoption, and yet we have come across over $1000 in such a short amount of time.

God is good.

I believe that if the Lord tells you to do something, He will make a way for you to be able to do it. Look at Moses, and Gideon, and Esther, and well, all those people. There was no way they could do on their own what God wanted. They had to trust God to do what he said He would do. And they had to be open to letting Him work in His way, and on His time.

And He was 100% faithful each and every time.

At the beginning, we couldn't seem to agree whether to go ahead on faith, or to save up as much as we could over a certain amount of time and then proceed. We prayed about it separately and together, and we both agree our answer is to "adopt immediately."

Right now we need a little bit more to be able to send in with our Agency Agreement and some other papers. Then comes the big hurdle of the Home Study and the bigger chunk of the program fees. But I know God will be faithful still then to provide.

How do I know? Because He keeps on doing it. , As I am in the middle of writing this, Jeremiah handed me an envelope from some friends at church. I stayed home with the kids today since they have been sick. But he went to Sunday School this morning.

Want to know what was in the envelope?

A check for $140.00 for our adoption!

How cool is that?

So whether you are interested in adoption, or you know that you know that you know that this is something the Lord wants you to do, but you are scared to step out there because you lack the funds, I just want to encourage you to GO FOR IT!

It may be scary (it is!) and it may look foolish to others (it will!) and it won't be easy, but I know from experience that God moves those mountains for us when we say "Yes, Lord" and submit to His will.

Try it out- ask Him to prove Himself faithful and see what happens.

If you are a competitive person, then I DARE YOU!

I've heard that if something like 2% of the world's Christians adopted one child, then there would be no more orphans. I'd bet that money is the #1 reason more Christians don't adopt. So what does that say about us? That we say we trust God in every aspect of our lives except for that? That because we work to earn money, that God isn't in control of our financial well-being? I think that was our perspective for a long time. But we are learning what it means to trust Him in what isn't easy and safe and normal.
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"Be strong and courageous and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged by the size of the task, for the Lord God, my God is with you. He will not fail or forsake you."

1 Chronicles 28:20

"Once our eyes are opened we cannot pretend we do not know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows we know, and holds us responsible to act."

Proverbs 24:12