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From the beginning of this journey, we have received so much support from so many people. Some people we know, and others we do not. Some donations have been sent directly to us, and others have been given anonymously through Reece's Rainbow. We have been absolutely BLESSED by so many people, and I wanted to take a moment to THANK YOU...each and every one of you!
And let me share with you a story of faith. We stepped onto this road last October, as God led us to adopt Grace. We did not have a savings account specified for adoption, and yet we committed to adopt her. Some may call that irresponsible. We call it "crazy faith!" :) It was one of those moments when the "rubber meets the road" in our spiritual walk. We believed that God provides for those who love and obey Him...we could quote Scriptures about God's faithfulness...we could sing songs about how we will follow Jesus no matter what. But do we REALLY believe it? Do we walk it out? Those were very real questions for us, as we had never taken a step of faith quite so big. We had never before walked onto "nothingness." It was like stepping off the edge of a cliff in the dark. And yet somehow, someway when we stepped in full faith and had nothing at all to rely on but God, THAT is the moment He showed up in the most profound ways.
I could give you story after story of how at the exact moment we needed additional funds, the exact amount arrived. And if you've spent any time on adoption blogs, you will see a similar thread running through all our stories: We stepped out, and GOD did the rest! I think that part of the reason that adoption looks impossible because of financial barriers is so that it HAS to be a walk of faith. It makes it impossible in human terms so that God Himself has to deliver every dollar and every miracle along the journey...so that we can look back and say, "It was HIM, not me, who did this!" After all, it is God who is the One who places the lonely in families. It is all HIM.
I don't advocate for everyone to adopt. I think we all have our own roles to play in caring for God's children...some give money, some work in orphanages, some are foster parents, some send clothes to orphans, some work in crisis pregnancy centers, and some adopt. But if you are one of those people who has ever seen a child in need and said, "I would adopt them if I had the money," then please seek God...it may be HIM who is laying that burden on your heart. You may not have the money, but HE DOES! If He calls you, He will provide. As my sweet friend Joy always says, "God always pays for what He orders." :)
And now where are we in our journey? We started with $0 saved and a big "mountain" of $17,000 in expected fees and expenses for our adoption. But, what does God say about mountains? If we have faith as small as a mustard seed, we can say to this mountain, "Be removed," and it will be. We speak to our mountains! :) Somehow, someway...and we cannot even explain HOW it all came to be (MIRACLES!)...we are at the tail end of our journey and only lack $3436. Now, let me tell you...GOD DID THAT! And we have faith that He will bring in every single penny of the remaining fees. It is HIM who is placing Grace into our family! If that doesn't give you goose bumps, then you missed it (read it again!). :)
I will close with a THANK YOU to the Lupfer family who recently blessed us 3 times with donations. They worked to earn extra money for our adoption. God has blessed us with amazing friends and wonderful support! Here you can see the book sale they had to earn money to bring home Grace. May God bless each of you who has played an instrumental role in bringing His child home to us! Help us PRAY her home!
