This week, a friend I haven't seen in years heard about our adoption and decided that he wanted to help us financially. So we received a donation from him that, together with what everyone has donated and the wonderful support we have received through our t-shirt sales, has made it where we won't have to apply for loans, and we won't have to apply for grants. The reality has not quite sunk in yet!!
We truly trusted that God was calling us to adopt and would provide what we needed to do that...but I think we trusted that He would do that through our efforts. He completely blew me away when He provided this before all of the complicated processes of grants and big fundraisers and loans. I believe God put adoption on the heart of this person and on the hearts of each person who donated, leading each of you to be so generous in blessing our family - and through you He provided what we need in such an incredible way that has changed the game for us and changed our lives! Thank you!!!!!
We want to thank this sweet man who was willing to give so generously to help us get to our goal. What an incredible gift. We are overwhelmed by your willingness, when no one would have thought anything of you not getting involved, to give so freely. Thank you. And thank you to each person who donated. We were blown away by so many people's generosity. The young families with young children who don't have extra money to be buying t-shirts or making donations, but gave generously anyway. The grandparents who bought shirts for 1 or 5 or even 10 grandchildren to help support us. Friends who shared our story with their family and friends who decided to support our adoption. People who donated and said to just give a t-shirt to someone who wouldn't be able to buy one. A friend who offered a free personal training session to her existing clients if they would buy our adoption shirts. Even strangers who just heard about us through the grapevine and sent donations or ordered t-shirts, including some who are adopted themselves or who want to adopt in the future. Our family members who bought shirts, told everyone they knew about our story and our fundraising efforts, delivered shirts, spent lots of time thinking of ways to fund-raise and making detailed plans, spent time researching issues in China, offered all of the proceeds from art sales, spent tons of time designing t-shirts for us to sell without charging us a dime, and offered tons of prayer and support. Families who are fundraising for their own adoption process who donated or bought shirts to support our adoption. Friends we haven't seen in years who heard about our adoption through facebook and wanted to contribute. Thinking about each person who has given to help us bring a little girl home to be a part of our family is bringing me to tears again as I write! We are just so touched and thankful for every one of you, and thankful that God has given you a heart for adoption.
Your generosity has blessed me hugely in the obvious way - helping us financially to bring our baby out of an orphanage in China and into our home. But it has blessed me in many more ways as well. I am challenged by it. I have been thinking a lot over the past few weeks about wanting to be characterized by the type of generosity that Jesus calls us to. I am far from there. But I want to be. I want to be sacrificial in my giving--of finances, of my time, of my energy, of my love toward others. For those of you who know me and love me, I ask that you challenge me in this!! If you see me missing an opportunity to be generous...if you see me ignoring a need...if you see me being selfish with the gifts that I have been given...I ask for confrontation. I am convicted of not looking out for others before myself, and I want to prefer others. I want to be generous as you have been generous to us and to our little girl who we don't even know yet.
We can't say enough to thank you...but THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts.
Wonderful news!!! Thank you for sharing.
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