143 million. That is the number of orphans in this world. 1 million of those are in China.
As our family looks through the “Waiting Child” lists and prays for our future daughter, whoever she might be, it breaks my heart to see so many children on the lists who will never know a family, never know a home. Never will these children hear that they are someone’s favorite in the world, never will they be the apple of their daddy’s eye. It seems to me that there are two main reasons that people who are interested in adoption do not take the leap to make it happen. Reason number one is that there is an ominous cloud of mystery surrounding the process. It’s not as if we can enter the child shopping mart, choose the baby or child that fits every criteria we have, whose future is guaranteed to be healthy and bright. The second reason is that we all hear how cost prohibitive it is. This child who comes with no guarantee, return policy, or warranty will cost an exorbitant amount to bring home.
Y’all, I’m going to be honest. Adoption is scary. We don’t know who the Chinese government will decide is a suitable fit for our family. What we do know is that we are looking at $40,000 in fees… $40,000 IN FEES! Yikes. What I hope to do with this blog is to erase some of the mystery involved in the process and show many creative ways to raise funds. My desire is to make it easier for other families to say “Yes” when the Lord calls them to adopt.
So, when adopting from China through Lifeline, there are agency fees involved at the front end. These cover tons of paperwork, homestudy, translators, and the list goes on. Our plan is to secure a loan for the majority of our adoption costs. This, however, cannot be done until after our homestudy is complete. What this means is that we will need to be able to pay one and possibly two payments of almost $3,000 (it’s $2,900 plus some, I don’t remember the exact number) before we can apply for a loan. We are, of course, cutting corners in our home, and I am painting like crazy to get ready for local art shows. We also have to install a fence around our swimming pool before our home will be approved. This is where we are right now, and why if you are my facebook friend, you will soon be tired of seeing paintings clogging your news feed!
Now that you know what the beginning of an adoption looks like, please pray with us that the Lord will meet our financial needs. Please pray also that the Lord will protect our daughter until we can come for her.
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