Katelyn's Fund Grant

Last week we were interviewed by phone by the board of Katelyn's Fund.  Only four of the board members were able to make it (so they said we had an easy night), but we shared our story and answered their questions.  At the end of interview, they each prayed for us and our adoption journey.  It was wonderful to have them take time to pray over us.  What a privilege and a blessing.  We knew they were interviewing others and would then be praying over applications and we should hear from them in around three weeks.

This week has been a little difficult as we've been waiting to hear about our no-interest loan for which we applied.  We were told the review usually takes 4 to 6 weeks and then we'd be notified by e-mail or phone.  Monday marked 7 weeks since they received our application.  If we are approved, we should be able to tell our agency that we're ready to be matched.  I know I need to remember that I'm waiting on the LORD, not a loan.  I also know that He is using each detail to help bring us the son He wants to be part of our family.  Knowing these things helps, but it doesn't take away the anticipation or the emotions that go with the process.

I was encouraged yesterday by the following passage.  "...waiting does not diminish us, any more than waiting diminishes a pregnant mother. We are enlarged in the waiting. We, of course, don't see what is enlarging us. But, the longer we wait, the larger we become, and the more joyful our expectancy. Meanwhile, the moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along." ~ taken from Romans 8 (The Message)

We received a call today from Sheila at Katelyn's Fund.  She said we've been approved for a full grant - $3000.  Praise the LORD!!!  I was so surprised to hear from them already.  It was such an encouragement in the waiting.  We can't tell our agency that we're ready to be matched yet, but evidently God is not ready for us to be matched.  And, as a framed quote in our first agency said, "Faith in God includes faith in His timing."

$1000 More!!!

We found out tonight that $500 more was given to our matching grant than we were originally told.  That's another $1000 for our adoption!  Praise the Lord!!!  Thank you again to the generous donors!

This week I've spent several hours working on applications for grants, a no-interest loan, and a fundraiser.
Although we prefer not to take a loan, we are willing to take a no-interest loan because we should be able to pay it back with the adoption tax credit we should receive.  We'd appreciate your prayers for the organizations we're applying to - that God would direct in each decision made.  Also, please continue to pray for us as we continue on this jouney.  Please keep Graceful Adoptions and Karen in your prayers as she will begin to show our profile to birthparents.  We want the child(ren) that God wants us to have.

I am very excited about the fundraiser we're applying for.  It's based on James 1:27 and and is called "Both Hands" because it helps both the widow and the orphan.  This works kind of like a Walk-A-Thon or a 5K race.  We find 10 people who are willing to work at a widow's home for a day (landscaping, home improvement, however they can help).  Those 10 people get sponsors (sponsors donate toward a cause if the people work at the widow's home).  Our adoption fund is the cause that receives the financial donations.  So, while we work to help a widow, money is raised to give an orphan a home.  We are applying to work through LifeSong for Orphans so that donors can receive a tax-deductible receipt.

If you want to read more about it, you can follow this link.
http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/bothHands.html

If you're interested in joining our Both Hands team (if we are approved) please e-mail me at marieangus@excite.com.


"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."  James 1:27

So glad we waited on God!

God has been working behind the scenes as we've been waiting on Him.  It has been amazing to sit back and let Him work.  Now I don't mean we've been completely idle.  We felt clear to do our homestudy with Adoption Assistance, Inc so we filled out paperwork and had a homestudy visit.  We've looked at some placing agencies, but just haven't felt clear for one reason or another.  The ones we've leaned toward either wouldn't work with us for some reason (like we already have children or we don't make enough money) or had a very negative evaluation from someone we trust.  So, we've just waited.  We are so glad we did.

As we shared in our last blog, God's Grace Adoption Ministries gave us a matching grant of up to $2500.  Generous friends donated $1129.85 so it will become $2259.70.  PRAISE THE LORD and THANK YOU to the friends who gave!!!  Unfortunately, GGAM cannot tell us who gave.  They will only tell us the total given.  This is frustrating because we cannot thank individuals.  So, if you gave and you're reading this, thank you.  We deeply appreciate your gift!!!  One group that gave was the Pro-Life Ministry from Kentucky Mountain Bible College.  It was so encouraging to be supported by college students (who don't have much money) and to be reminded that God will provide in ways we don't expect.

Sunday I (Marie) was called and asked to participate in a ministry opportunity in October.  I said I'd pray about it and I was to give an answer by Wednesday.  I prayed and talked it over with Brad and planned to call between 4 and 6 to say "Yes!" because I could see no good reason to say "No!"  Brad told me that if God wanted to close the door, He could make it clear.  Well, at 4 o'clock the phone rang. It was a lady from an adoption agency that wouldn't typically work with us because we don't make enough money.  They have a required gross income that we don't meet and then they want you to make $10,000 more per child.  I had e-mailed the agency briefly explaining our situation and asked if they made any exceptions.  Instead of simply replying to my e-mail, she called.  We talked for quite some time and she said that Adoption Assistance does such a good job with home studies that if they approve us, she doesn't care how much we make.  WOW!!  The agency also had been refusing to work with most families who can have biological children, but she told me they changed that policy this week.  God is into details!!!!  It sounds very hopeful that we may have a baby much sooner than we were expecting.  Brad & I felt that the possibility of having a baby by the time of the ministry opportunity and the fact that I received the call at 4 PM (the time I had planned to call to accept the opportunity) was God's way of closing the door and I called to say, "No!"

That night we began filling our paperwork for Graceful Adoptions.  We still have some more to do, but it's not too much considering what we've filled out previously.  Much of it is similar to what we've done before, so it's not difficult, it just takes time to put it in the format this agency wants.  It will cost over $20,000 to work with this agency and we will still have some other expenses.  We cannot use the two grants we've been given until we are almost finished with the adoption process.  (This is to guarantee the grants given support adoptions that are completed.)  We know that God is leading and as someone said, "Where God guides, He provides."

I continue to be encouraged by the quote from George Müller, "The greatness of the sum required affords me a kind of secret joy; for the greater the difficulty to be overcome, the more will it be seen to the glory of God how much can be done by prayer and faith."

God Is Providing

We received a notification from God's Grace Adoption Ministry today that says we've been approved for a $2,500 matching grant. Praise the Lord!!!  This is definitely an encouraging word for a somewhat discouraging week.  Actually, the week isn't discouraging on the whole - we just don't know what God has in store for us in relation to adoption.  I've had a lot of questions and doubts about what His will truly is!

Please continue to pray for God to guide us clearly!  We want His will and we want Him to bring glory to His name through this entire journey!

Here are some verses that have encouraged me this week.

Therefore I will look unto the LORD; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me. ~ Micah 7:7 (KJV)

"Then you will know that I am the LORD; those who wait for me shall not be put to shame." ~ Isaiah 50:23b (ESV)

"In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength," ~ Isaiah 30:15b (NIV)

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." ~ Psalm 46:10 (NIV)

Thank you so much for your prayers and encouraging words!!!

Applying for financial help

Today we sent in our application for a matching grant from God's Grace Adoption Ministry.  Please pray that God will provide in His way (whether it involves this ministry or not).  If they approve us for a grant, it will be set up so that people can send in funds and the ministry will match them.  We have some other organizations we plan to apply to, but we have to wait until we receive our home study.

Please pray that God will work out His will in this entire process - the financial provision, the timing, right baby, etc.