One Less

Happy World Down Syndrome Day!!! 
I know the date published says 3/19- but we are just leaking this info today :)

We thought World Down Syndrome Day was the perfect day to make such a special announcement...

(Wear your crazy socks today to support World Down Syndrome Day!)

We are in the process of adopting a sweet baby boy with Down syndrome from Eastern Europe! There is going to be one less orphan in the world! Lots of you know that this has been a dream of ours since before we were even married. Why don't you just grab a cup of coffee, and I'll fill you in on our journey :)

PRESIDENT'S DAY WEEKEND 2015:
Michael and I boarded one of 7 charter busses, filled with amazing high schoolers, for the Grace Merge Winter Retreat in Pennsylvania. We were looking forward to time with our small groups, fellowship, lots of laughs, and amazing worship. Little did we know, the Lord would speak so clearly to both of us over this weekend. 

During session one, Barry R. spoke about our calling in life. He shared vulnerably about his past and how God transformed a lazy, comfort craving, couch potato into a journalist who travels the world and spreads God's word. Near the end of his sermon, he told the story of Peter. Peter was a little boy in Ukraine who was placed into an orphanage due to his special needs. Barry wrote an article about Peter, and long story short, people in America were donating funds to help Peter be adopted in the Ukraine. At the same time, a volunteer began to fall in love with Peter, but he knew he would never be able to adopt him due to finances. Barry was able to connect the dots, and Peter was adopted. He spent the last four years of his life in a home filled with love and laughter. During this part of the sermon, with tears streaming down my face, I clearly heard the Lord speak to me saying, "Maggie, this is your time. You and Michael need to adopt NOW." I quickly found Michael in the back of the room and told him about what God had laid upon my heart. Right away, Michael told me that he, too, felt God telling him that this is our time. 

Throughout the day, I chewed on what the Lord was telling us, and I prayed fervently that he would continue to direct us if this is what he wants for us now. That evening, during session two, Barry told the story of Gideon. Gideon was pretty much a nobody, yet God told him that he was a mighty warrior. Though Gideon did not see himself this way, God did and He had a specific mission that he needed Gideon to fulfill. At the end of the session, the students were able to spend some time in prayer, worship, and reflection. There were words posted all around the room, and the students were directed to find the word that they felt God was impressing upon their hearts. The words ranged from inspiration, advocate, relentless, etc. Right away, the word advocate was staring me in the face and heart. Adopting IS what God wants us to do right now. In the quietness of my soul, I could sense the Holy Spirit telling me, "Maggie, you will be an advocate for these unwanted children."  I was led to tears and humility as this is has always been my passion. Many people don't realize the need for adoption, let alone special needs adoption. These sweet children need families to love on them and provide them with the services and care needed to help them thrive. I told Michael and again he, too, felt the Lord leading him this way. 

Later in the evening, as I was praying, I felt the strongest nudge to open my Bible and soak in the Lord's word. Here are the two verses I opened right up to:

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy." - Proverbs 31:8-9

"She opens her arms to the poor and extends her hands to the needy."- Proverbs 31:20

Ummmm... "Advocate"..."Adoption"... my mind was blown. I knew from the core of my being that God wanted us to start this process that we have always longed to start NOW. 

The next day, Michael and I confronted the big question staring us in the face all weekend, "How will we raise the money?" Michael and I knew for sure that this is what God wanted, but we were not prepared financially to begin now. Yes, we will be able to raise the child and provide financially in that way. But, we do not have all of the upfront costs for the actual adoption process. 

Of course, session three was all about obstacles. Barry spoke about the fact that if God calls us to something, most of us will feel that we have obstacles in the way. Many obstacles fall into the categories of weakness, money, and fear. Barry reminded us that when God asks us to do something, HE will foot the bill. Again, in the stillness of my soul, I felt the Holy Spirit saying, "See, I've got this. Just move forward and let me provide." During the session, Michael continued to get the name and face of "Royce" in his mind. We spotted him on Reece's Rainbow (a site we frequent often) a day earlier. "Royce" is his name from Reece's Rainbow. We are not allowed to give out his real name. However, we will be changing it and announcing his new name later on in the process! Michael told me that evening that he was confident that "Royce" was the boy God wanted us to adopt. Here is what is CRAZY... Many of you know that I have had a passion for adopting, especially kids with special needs, since I was very young. Michael shares the same passion (I'm so glad the Lord led us to one another!). We've always talked about adopting, and I've prayed that when it's our time God would tell Michael WHO we need to adopt. So you can imagine my shock when Michael told me that he knew who our child was. I never told him that I had been praying for him to be the one to get the clear direction about who we should adopt. I was led to my knees for the remainder of worship that evening, in awe of God's leading. Michael and I were so excited to just START and see what happened. So, during our trip home and the next week, that is exactly what we did. 

Let's just say that God wasn't kidding when he told us he would provide.  We knew that to get this process started right away, we were going to need a certain amount of money within the first month to pay for our home study and the adoption agency commitment fees. We sent out an e-mail to a few family and friends, asking for prayer and financial support if they felt led. Michael and I were praying to get the start up funds within a month.  You can imagine our surprise when we were given the start up funds within FOUR days. What?! We have been so humbled by people's generosity, encouragement, and support. 

WHY ADOPTION?
Michael and I both have talked about adopting since before we were even married. We have shared passions for kiddos with special needs and adoption. We are not adopting due to an inability to have children (at least that we know of). We are adopting because we want to provide a home for a child who is considered "unwanted." We believe that adoption mirrors God's love for us, as we have been adopted into his kingdom as his sons and daughters. We both feel specifically led to international adoption. Typically, children with special needs are completely looked down upon in other countries. They are not provided with many of the services and supports that we have for kids with special needs in the United States. 

WHERE ARE WE NOW?
It has been a little over a month since we have jumped into this adoption journey. We sent in commitment paperwork for "Royce" three weeks ago and received a commitment approval on Friday (check out our timeline for more details). This basically means that he is "on hold" for us. In addition, we have already had all three of our home study meetings. We are trying to quickly finish the final paperwork so that our home study can be written and finalized! As we work on finishing the paperwork for our home study, we are also putting together paperwork for our Dossier. (Did you know that this process is referred to as the paper pregnancy?! Sure feels like it!) Basically any free minute of the day has been spent filling out papers, running to the post office, getting finger prints, etc. We are trying to have a sense of urgency with everything so that we can bring home our baby boy as soon as possible! 

HOW CAN YOU HELP?
Prayer- Michael and I so appreciate any prayers for this process. We are asking people to pray specifically for the process to go smoothly. In addition, we ask for continual prayers for "Royce." To our knowledge, he is in a very good orphanage. However, no orphanage can replace a loving home. We pray daily that "Royce" is getting attention by being held and loved on. 

Funding- In addition to prayer, we are asking people to partner with us in fundraising for the adoption. We anticipate the entire adoption to cost around $28,000 - $30,000 (including the upfront costs that we were able to raise). Michael and I are working hard to finance as much as we can. We are possibly going to be selling some things through Etsy, having garage sales, etc. (More on that to come later). We will also be applying for grants. However, we need your help to bring "Royce" home. Our goal is to raise $20,000 by July 20, 2015.

If you feel led to support us financially, you can either:
 1. Click the Donate button on the top right side of our blog
2. Send a check to: (In the memo note Perry #5251 to assure it goes to the correct account)

Lifesong for Orphans, 

PO Box 40, 

Gridley, IL 61744

Lifesong has been blessed with a partner that underwrites all U.S. administrative and fund-

raising costs (TMG Foundation and other partners). That means 100% of your donation will go directly to the adoption. If paying via Paypal, there is an administrative fee. 

In honor of World Down Syndrome Day, will you make a donation that includes the number 21?

We will do updates on how much we have raised. We can't thank you enough for partnering with us to bring our baby home!