Dear friends and family,
Hello from Bobby and Tiffany Ray. We write with great joy and big news to share… We're adopting!! About 2 months ago we began a journey of faith to bring a child into our family through adoption. The possibility of adopting had been on our minds for years but even more in the past several months. About a year ago, I asked Bobby how does someone know if they are being called by God to do something. He said "well it would be something that you had on your mind all the time and couldn't get away from it no matter how hard you tried." I immediately began to cry and knew from that moment on that God was calling our family to adoption.
I can honestly say for a full year, it was in my thoughts constantly I tried hard to run from the idea. While we were filled with excitement, at the same time we were filled with fear. We felt comfortable with our life now and wondered how would this change our lives as a whole. What about our plan for our life? Our kids are 10 and 7. They are both in the "easier" stage of life and we all know each others routine. This seemed so much out of MY comfort zone! We also wondered.. could we afford another child? Better yet, how could we afford adoption at all? As the year passed, I still had it on my mind a lot, although it wasn't something that we discussed often at all. As a matter of fact, NOT at all. One day I had been overwhelmed with the feeling and had prayed and cried about adoption all day. When Bobby got home that day, I told him that later I had something I needed to talk to him about. He immediately walked over to me, hugged me and said "It's about adoption isn't it? I asked him how in the world he knew that and he let me know that it had been on his mind as well and he would LOVE to pursue it!! I am typically not a person of change and we realized this would be a HUGE change! We realized then that God was calling us out of our comfort zone. I read somewhere that God doesn't call the qualified, he qualifies the called!!!
Through all of our fears, we felt God graciously guiding the way. All in his perfect timing, he led us to the right articles and books, allowed us to speak with others who have recently been down this road, and to spend time in heartfelt prayer, seeking his perfect will. In September of this year, we filled out an application and were approved with an adoption agency. The adoption process is completed at different stages. First we are required to have a home study. The home study is tons of paperwork and 3 visits done by a social worker that will determine if we are suitable to be parents. At this time, we are in the middle of doing our homestudy. During this time we are required to prepare a "Dear Birthmother" letter and a profile book with photos and captions that tell all about our family. When our home study is complete, our profile book will be sent to the agency and at that time we will be put out there to be "matched" with a birthmom. The process could take up to a year or more but we are praying for less time than that. Isn't it awesome that God already knows who, and when:) Bobby and I feel so honored that God has chosen our family to raise a child that otherwise may not have a loving, Christian home.
This is the reason we are writing this letter: would you pray about how you can help bring this little one home to join our family? The domestic adoption process is very expensive and we knew from the beginning that we couldn't do it on our own. We also know that If God calls us to do something, he will provide!! Between the home study, agency fees, travel, hotel expenses and attorney fees, the cost will be about $25,000.
We plan to cover the cost in a few ways: first we are living frugally and plan to save as much of our income as we possibly can for the adoption. Second, after our home study is complete, we can apply for adoption grants, Also after the adoption is complete we will apply for a federal tax credit which will equal about $12,000. And finally, we will be fundraising and asking for donations.
Would you be willing to help us bring our child home? We are asking for any donation that you may be able to give. No amount is too small. We are humbled and appreciative of your gifts in any amount. Also, donations are tax deductible. You can also find out about upcoming fundraisers and follow our adoption journey at our website www.fourwantingmore.blogspot.com
Most importantly we are asking you pray for us and our child. The adoption process is filled with both joy and anxiety. Our ultimate prayer is that through our adoption, God's glory will be made known. Please pray that we will trust and obey God through every step of this journey.
Thank you in advance for your love and support,
Bobby and Tiffany Ray
No comments:
Post a Comment