When Bill and I started this adoption journey, we were both employed full time. I knew at some point I wanted to stay at home full time to be with our child and to homeschool, but we had no definite plans for that at the time. As we neared the completion of all our paperwork, we decided to take a step of faith by turning in my resignation. You can read more about that here.
In the last 11 months, we've managed to accomplish a lot, but right around Christmas we realized that I needed to work at least part time to make sure we could pay our bills. We were still fine-tuning our new budget, and we got hit with a couple of HUGE expenses (replaced our boiler and had to pay the adoption agency roughly half of our total bill). Even though I didn't think I'd be back in schools so soon (if ever), I started subbing.
Once we are matched with a birthmother, we will have some more huge bills to pay. So we have decided that we will have a fundraiser and apply for adoption grants to help close the gap between our earnings and what we know will be coming.
Yesterday, I sent out emails and Facebook Event notifications to our fundraiser and already have one supporter! I tried to be thorough and invited everyone we knew, but I'm sure I missed some people. If you were one that we missed, just email me and I'll include you!
The Lord knows exactly what we need, when we need it, and how great our need will be. We are trusting that whatever we raise from our fundraiser will be sufficient. But just as it is with anything unknown, our faith will be stretched. Asking for help is rarely easy, and often harder in the case of money.
My mom gave me a wonderful nugget of encouragement when I expressed my concerns about our finances on one income. She told me that although we were uncertain one income would be enough, we would learn to live within our means. We would be surprised by the "hidden" things on which we spent our money. She was right! And although we are again at a bend in the road and can't see how it will work out, we are trusting that it WILL work out!
"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."
Philippians 4:18-20
~Edited to add~
Since I wrote this post, we've had donations/purchases made to our fundraiser. NEVER in my wildest imagination did I think we would already be at this point less than 2 days into the fundraiser! Here is our progress so far, and there's a new tab above for a separate page showing just our fundraising progress. We are so blessed and humbled that people would join us in our journey to adopt! Thank you!
Since I wrote this post, we've had donations/purchases made to our fundraiser. NEVER in my wildest imagination did I think we would already be at this point less than 2 days into the fundraiser! Here is our progress so far, and there's a new tab above for a separate page showing just our fundraising progress. We are so blessed and humbled that people would join us in our journey to adopt! Thank you!
