The purpose of this post is to invite you to our adoption fundraiser on Nov. 11 from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at the Springlake Subdivision Clubhouse off of Thomas Street in Tupelo. Some very thoughtful friends of ours offered to organize a fundraiser for us to help with the cost of the adoption, and we are forever grateful for their kindness and generosity to help us bring baby Asher home! We will be selling hamburger plates, baked goods that you can buy and freeze for Thanksgiving, our adoption fundraising t-shirts that have scripture on them, marble scripture coasters, and the Ugandan paper magazine bead necklaces from the 147 Million Orphans organization. The great thing about these beads is that half of the money goes back to the orphans in Uganda for meals and provides the Ugandan women with a trade so that the cycle of poverty can be decreased. So many lives are blessed through this organization! We will also have some handmade
items that friends have made for sale. So come out and do some Christmas shopping for a great cause!
So many people wonder why families have fundraisers for adoption. It was mine and Chad's conviction that we would take a back seat on this and wait to see what God would do. We knew that if people wanted to help us bring Asher home that He would lay that on the hearts of the people. Many people are oblivious to the costs of adoption and often ask us how much it costs. Our adoption costs between $25,000 and $27,000, depending on travel costs. This is on top of the amount we were unable to have refunded by our last agency. And the hard cold truth is that we do not have $30,000 sitting in the bank. It has been our conviction all along that when we ran out of money we would just get a loan. This will likely still be a reality for us, but we are excited to see how God will provide.
He has already provided through sweet Monica in our church donating her airline miles to help out with adoption travel costs. This was our first adoption donation and we were blown away at the precious gift she gave. One of my sweet friends, Stephanie, donated 100 marble scripture coasters for us to sell. She makes them by hand. They are beautiful and we so appreciate her giving of her time and resources to help our family.
It has been a strong conviction of ours to not beg people for financial support for this adoption. We want people to give out of the over flow of their hearts IF God leads them to, not out of obligation. I can tell you that I know first hand that the cause is a need all around the world. And that only He can convict a person of their need to help...i am living proof :) There are hundreds of millions of children who will never have a chance to come to know the Lord unless adoption becomes a reality for them. And being a part of that to me is an amazing privilege. That He would call us to be a part of His sovereign plan. Not all people are called to adopt, but ALL Christians are called to defend the orphan by helping in some way.
There are so many examples in the Bible where Jesus commands us to care for the orphans.
"Learn to do right; seek justice.
Defend the oppressed.
Take up the cause of the fatherless;
plead the case of the widow."
Isaiah 1:17
"You are the helper of the fatherless. LORD, You have heard the desire of the humble; You will prepare their heart; You will cause Your ear to hear, To do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, That the man of the earth may oppress no more."
Psalms 10:14,17-18
"Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you."
James 1:27
"Father to the fatherless, defender of widows — this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families."
Psalms 68:5-6
"When you are harvesting your crops and forget to bring in a bundle of grain from your field, don’t go back to get it. Leave it for the foreigners, orphans, and widows. Then the LORD your God will bless you in all you do."
Deuteronomy 24:19
"Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows."
Isaiah 1:17
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice."
Proverbs 31:8-9
"I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!"
Matthew 25:40
So, if God is leading you help change a life forever, I hope you will come fellowship with us on Nov. 11 and do some Christmas shopping! We are so humbled to have friends who would be so kind to help ease the financial burden of this adoption. We can't wait to see what God does!
This is the t-shirt design. The shirt design will be on the front of the brown shirt and will be a tan color.
Praying the fundraiser goes well! I appreciate hearing your convictions on fundraising. We are in the process of adopting a child from Uganda as well. Our biggest hesitation to moving forward was the money. But we felt God strongly calling us to step out in faith and start the adoption process. We have no money for the adoption, but I know that the amount of money we need is nothing to God. And while theologically I know that, I still struggle with doubt on how He will provide. I struggle with the balance of "sitting back" and going out and fundraising. Any way, my friend Tish sent me a link to this and it is an encouragement to know I am not alone. May God's name be glorified in your adoption!
ReplyDelete