"Affording" Adoption

This post has been brewing for quite some time, and I'm trying to hammer it out and get it posted before we leave and I become a total pile of mush when I get our boy :) After that point, there may not be any logical thoughts for some time so here ya go.

I can't tell you HOW MANY times a week I have this conversation with someone.

"Is she yours?" yes "Oh, we have always wanted to adopt but it's so expensive!"

My response at this point totally depends on how much time I have and my assessment of whether or not I believe they are really serious or just being nice.

If you've read Ashley's blog, you know that when we began the paperwork to adopt the first time, we started out with zero. And I mean zero. The Lord provided the application fee to the agency. That's how zero.

However, as the process went along, we continued to see time and time and time again, the Lord provide. That year, Jay was offered a coaching position at our school for the season....I got more requests for monogramnig and sewing than I ever had gotten, or have gotten, since. We got the largest tax return that year we'd ever gotten. We got the Bush tax rebate....the list goes on and on. The Lord also provided us with several thousand dollars in grant money. All the while we held tight to the Word He had given us in the very beginning...

"Now the God of Peace, who raised Jesus from the dead, will equip you in every good thing to do His will, working in us that which is pleasing in His sight, and HE will get the glory." Heb. 13:21


We knew if we just let Him, he'd give us the equipment to do exactly what He had called us to accomplish. As long as we gave Him the glory.


In the end, God provided every dime we needed to bring Ashley home, start to finish....debt free.


I know this is not the way a lot of families go about this process. There is no shame in taking out loans or using home equity to bring a child home and I really believe that. Seriously, many of these people who say they could never afford adoption have 20,000.00 vehicles that they had no problem whatsoever "borrowing" the money for....and it's a piece of metal that will rust and has no eternal value!!! For us, it was being obedient to what the Lord had called us to, and we knew from day one we were supposed to do this debt free. 


Fast forward to Jan 2010. God calls again. This time, we are not afraid of finances. We know. We have "tasted and seen that that Lord is good" and there is not a doubt in our minds God will provide. And less we have any doubt...

We have a living, breathing reminder that loves peanut butter and gives the sweetest kisses you ever got!!


Again the Lord gave us a verse:
"To Him who is able to do far more abundantly than you could ever ask or imagine, to Him be the glory!" Ephesians 3:20


Catch the similarities in the two verses we got for our children? 


"HE will get the glory.." 


I recently got to make contact with an adoptive mom here is GA who is where we were in January of this year.
God's calling. 
No money. 
Seems impossible. 
Are you SURE Lord?? 
Is this foolish??


She sent a txt to some God loving friends...."Is it foolish to begin an adoption journey with no money to do it with???"


The response of one of her friends....

" For the foolishness of God is wiser than mans wisdom.." (1 Corinthians 1:25)

When I read that I immediatley txted her in tears...YES YES YES!!! Does God call us to do things that seem "foolish" to the world???

Noah, build an ark. Even though it's never rained

Abraham, sacrifice your son. Even though it's your only one.

Moses, take the people out of Egypt. Even though you feel so inadequate.

David, you are the next King. Even though your father has rejected you.

Ester, speak to the King. Even though he could kill you for even approaching him.

Paul, preach to the thousands. Even though it will cost you your life.

Adopt these children. Go overseas to tell people about Me. Quit your job and let me take your passion to glorify Me. Plant a church. Share the gospel with your neighbor. 

In the end, it's all about obedience. If you think you can't "afford" to do something God calls you to do, just try Him. I can promise you that He will not disappoint. He has always come through, and when we get home with Asher in 2 weeks, God will have given us a total of $50,000 in just 2 years to get this babies home. Gone are the days when I thought God couldn't be trusted to follow through on His promises! I believe it with every fiber of my being. 

Psalm 34:8

"Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the one who takes refuge in Him."

I dare ya!