Posted on November 9, 2010 - by Megan

Help us Bring our Baby Home!

It’s no accident that God places us in families and in communities. None of us can accomplish the things He has called us to do alone. We lack the resources, expertise, and perseverance to go the distance. We need each other.

One of the things God calls us to do is care for orphans (James 1:27). It’s a daunting task; there are 147 million orphans worldwide by most estimates. For some people, responding means adoption. For others, it means finically supporting families who feel called to adopt. Together we can place the fatherless in families.

Ten years ago God planted the seed of adoption in my heart during a missions trip to Uganda. It is only the size of Oregon, but Uganda currently has about 2 million orphans living there. Most are orphaned due to HIV or other deadly diseases, or abandoned by parents who are unable to care for them due to debilitating poverty. These children are often found in pit latrines or on roadsides, left for dead. I felt a powerful tug to get involved.

When Joel and I met I was overjoyed to discover that he shared my desire to adopt. Our family is now pursuing adoption and, by God’s grace, looking forward to the day we welcome our Ugandan baby home.

We need your help to make this happen. On December 18, 2011, I am participating in a 10K trail race in Chattanooga, Tennessee, to raise funds to bring our baby home. It’s typically expensive to complete an adoption—nearly $23,000 in our case. Joel and I have already contributed over $3,000, so we have about $20,000 to go. We are asking you to partner with us to close this gap, to bring our baby home, and ensure that there is one less orphan who does not know what it means to be loved forever. Sponsoring me in the 10K run is one great way to do that.

We expect to receive a referral (adoption-speak for “matched with a child”) for our baby—probably a boy—any day. Our names are first on the agency’s list right now. Being prepared financially to respond when the referral comes is crucial. We need to be ready to complete our paperwork with the Ugandan government and make travel plans.

While we can’t help every child who is orphaned, we can all do something. Would you help us by giving a 100% tax-deductible gift toward our adoption? All of our donations will be accepted through Lifesong for Orphans, a nonprofit ministry that helps families fund their adoptions. Please keep this in mind as you consider making year-end contributions to offset your tax liability. (Click here to donate.)

Thank you for your willingness to respond to the orphan crisis and help bring our baby home. We couldn’t do it without you.

Not sure what to give? You can make an a big impact, regardless of the size of your gift.

We need approximately:

800 people to donate $25 = $20,000
400 people to donate $50 = $20,000
200 people to donate $100 = $20,000
100 people to donate $200 = $20,000
50 people to donate $400 = $20,000
20 people to donate $1000 = $20,000
10 people to donate $2000 = $20,000

For a detailed explanation of our adoption expenses, please click here. For more on Lifesong for Orphans, click here.