Monday, December 21, 2009

Buy A T-Shirt, Help A Family

I have a long list of adoptive-mommy blogs that I read. I love reading about their back-stories - how they got to the path of adoption. I enjoy following the families as they travel to places all over the world to meet and bring home their precious children. I am regularly inspired by their faith in their calling, by their determination to build their families through the journey of adoption. I particularly enjoy the thrill of those families who are forced to rely upon the Lord for every step of their process. Whether it's asking God for wisdom to seek and advocate for proper care for a special needs child or laying it all out there and begging God to provide the finances for their adoption, I love reading about the miraculous things HE does for those who call on Him. It's so encouraging - and informative too. It gets my creative juices flowing for the next time we consider adding to The Gang through adoption.

I've been following this blogger's journey for over almost two years now. In the midst of what ended up being a four year wait for their little daughter in China, they were called by God to adopt a darling little boy from Ethiopia. As you can imagine, two adoptions in four years is extraordinarily difficult. Financially, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. My favorite thing about this blogger is the raw and real manner in which she journals their family story. They are weeks away from receiving Travel Approval for their sweet little Kiera. But they are in need.

You see, when you are caught up in a long wait, there are multiple additional financial burdens added JUST because legal and governmental documentation expires. It's a fact that all of us in the adoption community grumble about, but it is what it is. No one really understands how on earth "fingerprints" can expire, but the documentation must be renewed. To do that costs money. Home studies expire. But they must be renewed to be able to still wait for a referral. It's bureacratic, it's political, it's for the safety of the children, it's for homeland security, it's insane. We all know it, we all suffer through it, and we all come out the other side several hundred if not thousand dollars lighter in our checking accounts. But there is NO. WAY. AROUND. IT.

And that's not the only financial responsibility. There are agency fees, orphanage fees, medical documentation fees, immigration fees, and so on. No matter the length of the journey, international adoption is an expensive journey. See what I mean by saying that two adoptions in four years is difficult? And they have been BUSY doing their part: fundraisers, gargantuan yard sales, on-line stores, trimming their budget (in her archives, you can find a really neat 30-day challenge they did on learning how to live on less!), and working additional free-lance jobs from home.

I say all this NOT to invite judgment or criticism or even "how to fix the mess" type of conversations. I say all this NOT to allow questions of motives or questions about the merits of even choosing international adoption. I say all this to help you understand. The blogging community, particularly the adoptive-parents' blogging community is excellent at spreading the word. At sharing one another's burdens. At getting the word out and doing something about it. And at stepping up to pray and intercede for the life of a child. Those are things that YOU can do for this family. Now. No big effort on your part. You don't even have to leave your comfy computer chair. With a few clicks and links, you can help spread the word about a family who needs your support. If you have questions about their journey, I encourage you to skim through their archives and read more about them. I don't pretend to know them in person. But I have followed their story for a long time now and have had some personal correspondence with her that rings very true with me.

But if you want to do more. If you need to do more, you can go here. You can look over these adorable t-shirts and you can do some last minute Christmas shopping. You can cross some gifts off your list AND help this family bring home their little girl. Won't you just take a peek and see? I promise you, the blessing of doing something far outweighs the excitement of a new t-shirt coming in the mail. But the t-shirts are pretty darn cute, too.

4 comments:

Kateri said...

DONE! Two shirts on their way to Delaware!!

Christie said...

Thank you, sweet girl! I just blubbered in my soup...

And thank you Kateri!!

We are going to make this happen - God will handle all the details...I asked and He promised.

Thank you so writing such a lovely post for our little family - we are ever so humbled and blessed.

xoxo

Kateri said...

Christie....you are more than welcome! I wish we could do more...but I'm very happy to do what I can. A sweet friend of ours once helped my family out when we scampering to raise funds to bring our daughter home...she asked me to be sure to pass it on. I think I've done that a few times since then, but since our sweet friend asked so nicely, I'm extra happy to pass it on to you!!
Merry Christmas and God bless your family!!!

The Gang's Momma! said...

Christie, you are very welcome. We love sharing the word about families who are pursuing God's commission to care for the widows and orphans. It helps that your two little ones are scrumptiously cute. :)

Kateri, I've said it before, I'll say it again. You rock. Your momma's heart is a treasure and I'm so honored to be your friend. Thank you JESUS for sending my SIL to the golf course that day. Thanks to SIL for hooking us up.

THIS is the Body working together, my friends. In the most beautiful ways :)