Junior High And Adoption Help

(Enter awkward junior high photo.  Don't you love my bangs?)

Yep.  I was always that junior high kid.  You know the one I'm talking about-the one who came home with a huge box full of candybars to sell for the band fundraiser but who never attempted to sell a single one to anyone...anyone except, of course, her parents.  Yep-that was me.  Asking someone for money just seemed awkward and rude and I didn't do it. Instead, my parents bailed me out and bought all my candybars.  (I don't think they ate them so I don't know what happened to all that chocolate...but I digress.)

Funding an adoption can feel like the band fundraiser to me...weird and embarrassing and sometimes I just wish I didn't have to ask anyone for help.

But asking for help in adoption shouldn't feel embarrassing; the truth is that very few people come with the $20,000-$60,000 they need to give a child a loving family.  Maybe it seems strange to hear someone ask for your financial help as they adopt.  But here's the deal: funding an adoption isn't like asking for help so my softball team could buy new uniforms or so my junior high marching band could take a trip.  This is something of eternal significance.  At a minimum, it will change at least one life and our family for good.

We have saved for years, applied for grants, run an Etsy store, had a garage sale, did photography fundraisers, and more.  And we have already been helped tremendously by extremely generous friends and family members (and even a few acquaintances and strangers along the way!) who have given given gifts ranging from $20 to thousands of dollars.  We are so blown away by the amazing generosity we've been shown!

Still, the reality is this: when we headed to Florida, we didn't know we'd be returning with our son.  With remaining costs for attorney's office fees, birthmother assistance, paying off travel expenses, and post-placement visits (for state requirements), we still need about $11,000.

I was thinking today how amazing it would be if the 400+ people who read Titus' story and were affected by it were to give even $20.  We'd be way over halfway funded!  You wouldn't get a yummy candybar to eat as a reward, but you would know that you got to partner with our family in the process of Titus becoming our son.  Pretty amazing to join God's work in something that important.

So here's my candybar schpeel with no arm twisting or hype:  Would you consider stopping by AdoptTogether where you can be a part of Titus' adoption by giving a tax deductible gift?  Thank you so much for considering!

Titus says, "Thank you for caring about me!  I'm way sweeter than a candybar, too."