Note (3/4/12): Our adoption financial obligations have been met, but if you desire to further give toward their educations, you can still give.
JANUARY 2012 I want to tell you about a wonderful opportunity that God has presented to us. I’m hoping you will be able to have a part in it too. It’s about a little girl named Tanya. A sweet 13 year old girl from Eastern Europe. Before we ever met her, her picture grabbed our attention and hearts– and she has not let go of us since. Then we got a chance to meet Tanya in person.
This meeting has already changed our lives and it is clear the Lord has already given us special love for her! We have spent as much time as possible with her.
We feel confident the Lord is calling us to adopt her into our family. Our children agree, and our affection for Tanya is clearly mutual. She was here in the United States for a one-month visit through hosting program that allows orphans from Eastern Europe to travel to the United States - loving them, blessing them with amazing experiences, and living out the Good News of Christ. The statistics on E. European orphans are very sad. An overabundance of children who are never adopted, and 9 out of 10 of them wind up on the streets, on drugs, dead, or exploited by sex slave traffickers (waiting at the orphanage doors when the children age out). We know we can’t save the world. We do believe that God is leading us to save this one precious little girl. We hope that you help us do that!
We are not trying to fill a hole in our lives or family. We are simply trying to meet a need in Tanya’s life. She desperately needs a loving home. That she might have a real mother and father. We never imagined it would be this soon for us to begin the process of adoption. Yet we are seeking to be obedient to the Lord. We believe that He will provide everything that we need. And we are hoping that you will join us in this God-given opportunity.
We need your help in several ways.
HOW YOU CAN HELP 1) WE NEED YOUR PRAYERS DESPERATELY! We have entered into spiritual warfare and every day is a battle to trust the Lord. We know there will be many bumps that will come along the way. The paperwork, the stress, the impact on our other four children, our marriage, the finances……how we covet your prayers!
2) WE NEED FINANCIAL SUPPORT We need to raise about $8-10,000 (as of 1/26 - depending on travel costs) more! We had no immediate plans to adopt and have limited resources, but we have already started selling some of our possessions. Some that seemed to have value until we met Tanya. We are also cutting back on our spending as much as possible. We are confident that God will provide! And we are asking you to please prayerfully consider partnering with us to rescue her. Because the timing is so important, if you would like to be a part in helping us in the adoption of Tanya, the earlier the gift the better. We will be grateful for it and it will be a tremendous encouragement to us!