Labor Pains
March 2, 2006
First of all, I want to thank each of you who have shown an interest in us by communicating your excitement for us. It is a huge encouragement and blessing to us. Thank you.
Our adoption journey has been a wonderful experience for Tricia and I, however, along the way, it has held some uncertainty as well. We weren’t completely sure what to expect when we actually saw Grace’s face, but, now that the dust has settled and I have had time to reflect, I can say that this has been one of the most profound events in our lives. The moment we received the photos and saw them on my computer screen at work, we were instantly bonded to this little girl who is on the other side of the earth.
All of the emotions we felt when we first saw our children after birth are the same emotions we experienced three days ago.
God was abundantly gracious in allowing the referral to come before I had to go to California so I could enjoy it with my family. I want to thank Him before those of you reading this for His kindness. He is GREAT!
The day after we received our referral, we also received some other emails that weren’t quite so thrilling. They too were from the adoption agency listing our upcoming financial responsibilities before we can travel. Alas, the labor pains begin.
Today I shared our burden with a pastor friend of mine, Bob Bixby from Rockford, Illinois and he encouraged me to share our burden with you, so if you wanted to help, you could. He has graciously offered to set up a fund for us through his church so if you want to give, you can, and receive the benefit of a tax deduction.
We have been currently financing our adoption through the liquidation of some of our assets, some outside jobs that I have been able to work on, and a home equity line on our house.
Our immediate financial responsibilities to the adoption agency add up to $5,000. After this we will have to come up with at least that much again, if not more.
God is gracious and I have less doubt than when we started our rescue mission, that He will provide.
This is the church that has set up a fund:
