Slice of Humble Pie

“But God doesn’t call us to be comfortable. He calls us to trust Him so completely that we are unafraid to put ourselves in situations where we will be in trouble if He doesn’t come through." -Francis Chan

Well, Friday we did something that was completely out of our comfort zone.  We sent out letters of support for our adoption.  Every time I even talk about it, it makes me a little sweaty.  See, I don't ask for money.  I have worked since I was 13 years old and started babysitting.  I paid for my first car, I paid for anything extra I wanted, I paid for my first apartment and the hubby and I have paid for everything since.  Of course there have been the occasional, "Mom, can you put $40 in my account so I don't have any bounced checks"?  It still makes me a little uneasy when my parents pick up the check at dinner.  I'm a grown up.  I work hard.  I pay all of my bills.  We are responsible with money, don't have much debt, we tithe and save.  However, we don't have $35,000 for our adoption.  Who does?  If adoption wasn't so stinkin' expensive, maybe more people would do it?  We are going to apply for grants and have a couple of fundraisers, but we need several thousand dollars in the next couple of months in order to mail our dossier, so letters of support seemed like the best option at this time.  I prayed over those letters before we mailed them and asked that each person that received one would at least stick it on their refrigerator and remember to pray for us as we continue on this journey.  Here is the letter, let me know what you think! 

Dear Friends and Family,

Isn’t it funny how God has different plans for our life than we do? When we got married Holly wanted 4 kids. After Sophia and Lola we felt complete and the big surprise we call Beckham about did us in. Three kids in 5 years definitely taught us the important lesson that we can in fact do all things through Christ who strengthens us! It also taught us that God’s plans are so much bigger and better than our own. As most of you know, we feel God is calling us to adopt and provide a good home for a child who otherwise wouldn’t have one. Clearly, (as many people have pointed out) we don’t “need” to adopt. We already have a bunch of children! We do, however, feel called to live out the gospel to the world around us by being obedient to God.

For those of you who haven’t heard this news, let us get you caught up. 

We began the adoption process in August with Children’s House International, and have enrolled in their Ethiopian adoption program. What this means is that in the end we will bring home a sweet, baby boy who doesn’t “match” the rest of our family. You may wonder why we have chosen this route. 

First of all, we would like to keep the birth order the same and would love to adopt a boy so Beckham and Silas (his potential name) can enjoy the special bond that Sophia and Lola have. Secondly, we have chosen Ethiopia, because we have always had a heart for Africa. We currently sponsor two boys through Compassion International in Kenya and cannot wait to take a family mission trip there to visit them. Did you know that...

• One in ten children die before their first birthday

• One in six children die before their fifth birthday

• Ethiopia is one of the poorest countries in the world

• Almost 82% of the population lives on less than $1 a day.

• Malnutrition levels are among the highest in the world.

• Ethiopia is home to 4-6 million orphans, or 12% of all children.

• Only 18 percent of children reach grade five. That means 82% of children don't.

• 44% of the population is under 15 years old

• Ethiopia's doctor to children ratio is 1 to 24,000

• Per capita, Ethiopia receives less aid than any country in Africa

Whatever the reasons for these statistics may be the reality is that Ethiopian children have the odds stacked against them. We feel called to do something about it by adopting one of these children into our home.

We are sending out this letter to ask you, our friends and family, for support in the mission that we are embarking on for the rest of our lives.

First of all, and most importantly, we ask for prayer. We need to be lifted up in prayer for wisdom in our decisions, and for God to make our paths clear. Pray that God will continually protect our sweet baby and that he will be healthy and loved until we are blessed to bring him home. Pray that God would give us safe travel, as we will have to go to Ethiopia for 2 short visits.

Secondly, and almost as important, we would humbly like to ask for financial support. This is very hard for us to do as we both believe in working hard for what we have. This is making us step way out of our comfort zone but the reality is that adoption is very expensive. It’s just the way it is. In total we will need to have approximately $35,000 for this adoption. Anyway you shake it, it’s a LOT of money.

In obedience to God’s call, we have drained all of our savings to begin the process. We could take a few years and save up the rest of this money on our own, but because this is a very long process, we feel it is important for us to move forward now. We know we are in God’s will and know that He would not call us to do this without providing for us. With that, 

we feel like we need to be bold and in 

faith ask for what we need. We still 

need $25,000 to bring our son 

home. How in the world can we raise so much money in so little time? We can’t do it alone. It’s a God-sized dream.

There are a few easy ways to help.

 

You can mail us a check written to Keith and/or Holly Green or use a credit or debit card by donating through our   Paypal link on our blog. 

You could also support us by attending one of our fundraisers in the next few months. Every little bit helps.

God already has a sweet, baby boy in mind for us. We don’t know what he looks like or how old he is, we just know that he belongs in our family. He is our son and 

we need help to bring him home.

“I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.” 

- John 14:18