In the black PART 3

I’m writing this in shock, a good shock!  Late last night we finally sold our motorcycle and this morning when I went to enter it in to our finances page and we are once again in the black!  I never would have dreamed we would be at this point again.  I wrote a blog post here the first time it happen and then here the second time and every time I just couldn’t believe it but today, when we are into this so deep and the expenses section being so high, I am humbled to tears.

We have had so many people be so generous to us and I just don’t even know how to say Thank You enough.  I’m also so incredibly honored to be able to be partnered with organizations like Show Hope, Brittany’s Hope and Holt International through their grant programs.  These outlets will give us so much more opportunity to share the way God has provided for us abundantly.

We started our finances page from the beginning of this process because I think the #1 reason people don’t adopt is because of the cost and we wanted people to walk step by step with us through this process to see how God would make this possible for a family with no extra money to spend.  We definitely would not have been able to do this so far without being able to take out our home equity loan to cover the costs up front but that was just another gift from God and another way we saw Him working on this adoption for years before it was ever in our minds.  Since we have taken out the loan, we have never been short on money to make the payments.  Honestly just having God provide a loan to us would have been miracle enough for us.

I’d like to make a little clarification in this post.  We went into this wiling to pay every bit ourselves, I feel you have to or you may get yourself into a bad position.  We had the loan and if we were paying on it for 15 years, then that’s what it would have to be.  I’m so grateful that’s not the case for the total amount (we still have more expenses, especially travel, coming).  I’ve been hinted to that we are asking for a  lot of handouts and asking a lot of people to participate in a lot of fundraising for us and I truly hope no one has felt pressured.  Most every fundraiser was brought to us by someone else who asked if they could set it up for us and we prayed and felt if someone wanted to, then we would let them.  We tried not to bombard people with a ton at once.

Also, I’d like to let prospective adoptive families know that this takes sacrifice.  We cancelled a trip to Disney, cut our wardrobes and “things” in our house in half to sell at the garage sale, sold our motorcycle, took up odd jobs and spent hours researching and working on grant applications.  Most of all, it takes faith and leading from God.  Not everyone is called to adopt and it is something that has to be completely directed by God.  This difficult paperwork process and the financial aspect are only the tip of the iceberg for the struggles that come with a grieving, scared child (and yes that includes infants!).  I don’t say those things to discourage in the least but to educate for the process and to know you need a HUGE faith to make it.  Who knew God would find that in us ? ;)

Anyway, back to the main point of this rambling post, our God is so amazingly good to us and so many of you have been His hands and feet here on Earth to us over the past 9 months.  Would you please take a look at our finances page today and praise the One who it all belongs to with us today!  Thank you Lord!