A humble request

My eight year old cannot wrap her mind around the fact that we need money to adopt a child.  Her developing and inexperienced brain just cannot equate the two ideas.  Even my brother, an older and wiser and very learned man, questioned the money needed to adopt.  I don't think I was very good at explaining all of the aspects of it.  I did come across this great blog post that does an excellent job at explaining adoption costs.

Yes, we do know that there are ways to adopt without a large cost.  We know that fostering children and/or fostering to adopt brings with it much less need for finances.  We also know the need is great.  Because of the need, our first choice would be to foster again.  However, the state of Pennsylvania has this inconceivable notion that six children is enough and seven is too many so they make it very difficult to foster once you have six children in your home.  And so my heart breaks every time I hear an on-air plea for foster parents or drive by a billboard looking for families.  But we've already tried two different agencies who thought they could help us through the extra hoops placed in front of larger families, but to no avail.

So this is where we get creative.  We're making cookies like crazy, and selling CDs and nose flutes at our concerts.  People have been so supportive.  More than once we've received a widow's mite toward our adoption and my heart leaps at the love and support from those around us.  I can't wait to tell our child all of these stories someday; to tell our son or daughter about the God who loves each of us and who prompted so many people to give to provide a home to one who needs a loving place to belong.

Which brings us to our most recent fundraiser.  Friends on Facebook, don't get tired of hearing about it yet, we've got two full days to go.  Through our adoption Facebook group, we learned of 32Auctions, an online silent auction for fundraising efforts.  We put the word out to friends and family and have over 60 items on our auction.  Bidding began this morning and I'm finding it almost addicting to watch the numbers rise.  Each child in our family donated an item or a service to bring home their new sibling.  And some of those items are among the highest bid auctions on our site.  But we're not done yet.  The idea of this auction isn't just to get a bargain, or to win an auction, but to get us closer to bringing home our child.  God has a plan and you are part of it.  Take a look at our auction, bid if you feel led, and share the link with everyone in your email list and to your Facebook friends.  Help us get the word out!  Our auction ends Sunday evening, Nov. 18 at 10PM Eastern. Be a part of our journey!