Major Update!!

Wow, we have had a crazy twenty four hours!  Yesterday, we received an email full of pictures of the two little girls we are adopting.  Previously, we only had one small photo of each of them, a simple head shot that gave very little detail.  Seeing them clearly for the first time made it feel like Christmas!  Julie and I stared at computer screen, trying to memorize every detail of their faces, imagining bringing them home and giving them the life they deserve.  It felt like such a milestone in our journey of growing our family and rescuing these lives.  But it was only the first part of an impactful day.

Not long after we received the photos, we got another email from our adoption agency updating our status.  They told us that the final paperwork from India would be arriving next week and, with it, our final bill for adoption.  This was far more accelerated than we expected.  We had been fundraising in anticipation of this expense but things move very slowly in inter national adoption and we believed we had more time.  Still, we thought we were only off by two thousand dollars and that seemed possible with a fundraiser push in the next ten days.  But the numbers we received were different than what we expected.

We originally had been matched with two sisters who were ages eight and ten.  Due to a computer issue in India, we lost that referral and had to be rematched.  That is how we got connected with Abigail and Autumn.  But the difference in age was significant.  Abby and Autumn are two and five.  What we didn’t realize is that the difference in age would play a major part in determining the fee.  Because the original girls were older, there was a discount.  The cost of adopting each girl would have been around $10,000 a piece.  Because Abby and Autumn are younger, the price increased dramatically.  The cost for each of them is $14,000.  

That means instead of being off the mark by two thousand, we are short $10,000.  That’s a lot of money!  It seems almost impossible to raise that kind of cash in ten days.  But despite the shock, Julie and I are not discouraged.  We believe that God has led us to these girls, that He wants us to adopt them, and that they are our daughters.  We also believe that He specializes in the impossible.  And we believe that He uses people to accomplish His miracles.  So we are asking for help!  See that white square on the right side of your screen?  That number needs to be $10,000.  

If you can, please take a moment and donate to our account on Reece’s Rainbow, a tax deductible non profit organization that assists in special needs adoptions. (We qualify because Autumn is blind in one eye.)  In doing so, you are being a blessing to us as we look to bring our little girls home.  More importantly, you are literally helping to save a life.  There is no future for orphans in India, especially girls.  Most of them are eventually swept up into the sex trade or into slavery.  Together we can prevent that for these two girls and give them a family who will love and care for them.  

It’s going to take a miracle to hit this financial mark.  But it’s Christmas time. It’s a good time for miracles.  Please, please help us get one on behalf of Abigail and Autumn.  

PS- Donations to our Reece’s Rainbow account are anonymous (we can’t see who gave what).  We would love to shower you with our thanks, love, and appreciation, but unless you tell us, we won’t know.