I'm sorry it's been so long since we updated you guys! A lot of people have asked about how things are going! The fundraiser event was 2 weeks ago and it was amazing! Attendance was a little lower than it would have been had we held the event on a weekend. Even though we missed some of you, we totally understand! We decided to have the event on a week day because we were able to rent the venue for an extremely generous discount thanks to Ms. Sharon Osbourne who was so sweet to help us make this night a success! We did have lots of family and friends attend and had a great night! I could never thank everyone enough; from Pam Simpson who prepared all of the delicious food and the group of women who helped her serve, to those who donated items for the auction and everyone who came to show support through prayers, words of encouragement, and monetary donations! Here are just a few pictures from the night!
Tyler and I were overwhelmed all through the night by the encouragement and support that was all around us! We were able to raise a substantial amount to put in our Baby King account! We have been blessed with so much that we don't deserve and are so thankful for everything!
Tyler and I both received 3 paychecks in 3 days right around the date of the event. (This is the way we receive payment through the summer months and for the first months once school starts back.) After our paychecks were deposited and we deposited the generous donations from the fundraising event, our account showed that we had enough money to show our "proof of funds" to our other agency so that they can begin to match us with a child! We are so excited to have reached this point! We are still unsure of what this means for the future... The agency will see our account balance and begin to match us because we have the amount they will require. However, they don't know that we do not get paid again until October! That being said, if we were to be placed with a child before that point and write a check for the fees, we don't necessarily have the funds at this time to purchase things the baby will need, pay fees for post-placement visitations, and pay bills. While we're unsure of how everything will work out depending on timing of paychecks and a possible placement, we aren't worried. I feel like we've been pretty open about the financial part of this journey, and I've done that on purpose. Some people we know and many we don't know have commented and gotten in touch with me and have said they've found our blog through a google search or heard from someone else. For those people and others who are interested in adoption, I want to share just one story of how it is working for us. When we began this journey, and still today, we've had lots of questions about the process. It helped so much to talk to people who had already gone through what we were beginning. I know every single family and situation is different, but God has provided so much throughout this whole process and we know that he has been in control of every step. While the financial aspect of adoption is one of the most uneasy parts, it might be encouraging for others to see how two teachers have been blessed by God and so many others who have made this possible. So, while we're still unsure of exactly how the finances will work out through the end of the adoption process and into the beginning of this new chapter in our lives as parents, we trust God and take comfort in knowing that He is leading this path for us to take.
So anyway, we were SO excited to fax our account statement to the other agency. I had called several times in the last month and a half to confirm that a "proof of funds" was all we needed to provide in order to become active with this agency as we are already with the other. I faxed this on Monday after the event. On Wednesday while at BFG, I was excited when the agency came up on the caller id. But I was very frustrated and discouraged when the lady I talked with informed me that they had received our account statement, and now they were waiting on one friend reference letter, medical references/physicals for both of us, certified and notarized copies of each of our birth certificates and our marriage license. What? Surely this was wrong. These are all pieces of information that had been handled months ago along with our home study and we'd already received confirmation that this agency had everything else they needed. Needless to say, something went wrong, as this lady couldn't find these documents in our file. The social worker who did our home study was quick to start working on sending over copies of the couple of documents that she had (and was diligent in tracking down a correct email address when the one I was given over the phone was wrong)! (By the way, she has been amazing throughout this process! She has answered so many questions and helped with so many things, including sending copies of documents quickly to our agencies on several occasions! Thank you SOO much Leigh! She is at Heart to Home Adoptions in Lexington, KY if anyone is looking for a great person to work with to complete an adoption!) And I sent our original certified copies of birth certificates and marriage license the next day (and still need to order more for our records)! That was one week ago tomorrow. I have called and left a message asking for confirmation ASAP that all documents have been received and am waiting to hear.
As funny as it sounds, we've been encouraged to hear about things that seem like set-backs from others who have adopted. A couple told us about confusions that happened when they spoke with someone in a foreign country when adopting their boys who were talking about the wrong children and flights that had to be booked and childcare arrangements that had to be made within 24 hrs! Even though it's frustrating to be taking care of things now that we thought were already taken care of, and things that could have easily been handled months ago, we know this is part of the plan.
Please pray that our documents arrive quickly and safely to our agency and that there are no more confusion or miscommunication issues. We are so ready to begin being matched by that agency, too, as we are getting very anxious at this point! Pray for our agencies as they work with birth mothers who are deciding they are unable to keep and raise the children they are carrying and match them with adoptive parents who are waiting. Pray for our child, wherever he or she may be. Continue to pray for our financial situation as we work to budget the money we have for the next several months. Pray for us as we anxiously wait for the call from an agency who has a child who needs a home!
And again, THANK YOU for coming along with us on this journey! We seriously can not wait to introduce you to Baby King who YOU helped to bring home with your prayers and support! We love each and every one of you!
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