2013 brings... our FIRST ADOPTION FUNDRAISER!!

Happy New Year!! I can't believe it is 2013!! I can't believe our little boy will be 4 in less than two weeks (and that his first season of t-ball is right around the corner!). *sigh* :) I can't beileve this month brings the beginning of our first homestudy (this is getting real)!  I can't believe that we could potentially know who our new little one will be by the end of 2013!! Wow! This could be a very big year for us folks! :)

So, with a new year comes our very first adoption fundraiser!! It is going to be a puzzle fundraiser and it will be ongoing throughout our adoption process or until the puzzle is completed. Here is how it will work:

Wes and I have chosen a beautiful 500 pc puzzle with a picture of Noah's Ark on it. For a $10.00 donation (all going to our adoption fees) we will write your name on the back of one puzzle piece. When we have the puzzle completed we will frame it in a double sided glass frame and it will hang in the room of our new little one to be! On the front will be the beautiful Noah's Ark picture and on the back will be the names of  all the people who have donated  to our puzzle fundraiser. I think this will be a wonderful way for our new little one to see how many people loved and prayed for him/her before we even brought our little one home. If you would like to be a "piece to our adoption" please see below for how to donate! :)

How to contribute to our adoption by sponsoring a puzzle piece:

Sponsor One Puzzle Piece for $10 donation 
Sponsor Mulitple Pieces for $10 each
Donate whatever amount you feel led to give ($10.00 is merely a suggestion. No amount is too small! )


You may choose to sponsor a single piece, or if you want to donate a larger amount, you may sponsor as many pieces as you desire.

How to Donate:
*All donations will be placed in a seperate savings account we have made, specifically for our adoption*

• Click on the Donate button on the right sidebar and pay securely through PayPal
• Write a check or donate cash and hand deliver to myself or Wes (Checks can be made payable to us)
• Mail a check to us (email me at htorode@yahoo.com  for our address)

                                             
                                              
                                             Here is the beautiful puzzle we have chosen!!

 

Please help spread the word by sharing this on facebook, email, twitter, or your own blog! The puzzle has 500 pieces, so it has the potential to raise $5000. That would greatly help our adoption fund!

So, this does feel a little strange. Seeking help, asking for contributions from others- it's a little unnatural, but I have been encouraged by others to go forward with and do some fundraising to help bring our little one home. We have and are doing things on our own as well to save for our adopiton including: saving, working overtime hours when available, not vacationing, planning a yardsale in the spring, etc., but the cost of adoption is great (for a China adoption the cost is right at $30,000) and I know we can't do this on our own and I'm beginning to realize that, that is ok. Some of you may ask: Well, why then are they adopting if they can't afford it?? First let me say, being able to "afford" to raise a child is completely different from being able to afford the $30,000 upfront fee it cost to bring that child home. My second answer to that question is: God told us to and we are choosing to obey. No, He didn't bellow down from the sky with audible words, but He did speak to our hearts. For a non-believer that might be hard to understand, but it's the truth. God works in amazing ways and there are times when those who know Christ as their Savior can be completely certain that God is speaking to their hearts. Through prayer, through His word, through simple tugging and nudging on one's heart through the Holy Spirit, God speaks. He placed adoption on our hearts and for that we are certain. :) So, like I've said before, our trust is not in our own finances, but in Him alone. Pursuing adoption may mean that we won't have fancy new cars, or a shiny new house, or an abundance of material things and that is ok with us. We are gaining something far better! Not only will we, Lord willing, bring our new little one home one day, but we are living for Christ and that is the best gain in life!

Wes, Ethan, and I have already been blessed tremendously by amazing friends, family, and community that have enouraged us and are continuously praying for us! It makes my heart happy knowing that our new little one will be welcomed and embraced by all of our friends and family!! Thank-you for sharing this journey with us!