Below is the letter I typed up according to the needs of the Lifesong organization. I changed the areas where you put in our last name to (our Last Name) because of privacy reasons on my blog. Make sure you put our last name and not "our last name". :o) Apparently my blog is a big hit in a couple foreign countries according to the blog traffic tracker.
I also have a letter from Lifesong to explain their non-profit group and purpose. I can send that to you if you wish to see it, but for space and time reasons, I am not putting it here.
Dear Family and Friends,
I am writing to you today to ask for your help. As you know, we have been seeking to increase
our family through adoption. Since God
has blessed us with an abundance of love we wish to share that love with children
in need of a blessed family. The latest
numbers estimate there are 153 million orphans in the world and every year
millions of those children are aged out of the system. Usually between the ages of 15-18, the
children are required to leave the orphanage to attempt to live as an adult
without the safety net of a family to help them get started. As James states in the Bible, we “must help needy orphans and widows and not let this world make you
evil.” (James 1:27 CEV). For some, help
is in the form of adoption; others feel called to help by missionary work or
donations. We felt the call to adopt.
As you have been made aware, the choice to
adopt is a difficult one which is then followed by much discernment into how,
where, and why. After comparing the
requirements of in-country verses over-seas adoptions, we chose over-seas
adoption. We have been in close contact
with other adoptive families in the area who have adopted from other countries. Through their experiences, we chose to use
Catholic Charities as our adoption agency.
We knew we had the ability to adopt a sibling group and asked at our
informational meeting about those options.
We were given two country options, Ethiopia and the Philippines. Immediately we felt drawn to the Philippines
through our knowledge of the culture and how it closely matched our
family. After a year of paperwork and
inspections, last July we were matched with two beautiful girls in need
of a family from the Philippines.
Criselda is 11 years old and Christine is eight. The girls have been with the Rehoboth
Children’s Home for almost two years.
Rehoboth is an American Christian orphanage that focuses on trying to
place children in adoptive homes. Their profiles
actually make them a surprising close match to our family. Criselda has similar likes and personality to
Isabella while Christine is nearly identical to Anton. Recent Google Chats have solidified this
initial impression, while creating more excitement to unite us all under one
roof.
After recovering from the shock of being matched so quickly,
as our social worker thought it could be years before it would happen, we got
to work on the next steps to bring our girls home. While quick fixes like rearranging bedrooms
were more exciting, finding the funds to cover each set of fees has been more
concerning. We have been fortunate
enough to cover all the fees as they came due over the past year. However as it comes close to the travel time,
the expenses are coming in quicker than we can save. As it stands, we have roughly $10,000 left in
program fees and travel expenses. We are
trying to not create debt but will resort to this if necessary. Many of you have asked for ways in which you
can assist our family in our journey.
Here are two ways you can help:
1.
Prayer – Please pray for our family as we
continue to work through the paperwork and details to be able to bring Criselda
and Christine home. Pray for our family
as we prepare to make this big change in our lives, our travel, and our
adjustment period.
2.
Financial support – Will you consider making a
tax-deductible donation to help us pay the remaining $10,000 in adoption
expenses we need to bring Criselda and Christine home.
If you are able and feel called to
help us with this final stretch of our journey, you can send your
tax-deductible gift between now and February 1, 2013 to the address below. Lifesong for Orphans is a non-profit
organization that collects funds and will pay adoption expenses out of those
funds received.
1.
Please make checks payable to “Lifesong”. In the memo section of the check, write
“(Our Last Name)#3182 adoption”; this is our family’s account. (*Note: In following IRS
guidelines, your donation is to Lifesong which retains full discretion and
control over its use. If our generous
friends and family give more funds than we need to complete our adoption, the
remaining funds would be distributed to other families seeking assistance for
their adoptions.)
2.
Mail checks to:
Lifesong for Orphans
Att: (Our Last Name) #3182
P.O. Box 40
Gridley,
IL 61744
If you wish to make a donation on-line, please note that PayPal
will charge an administrative fee (2.9% + $0.30 per transaction), thus
decreasing the amount being donated to our account. However, this might be the most expedient
form for some of you.
2.
Click on the “Make a one-time donation” button
under the “Donate by Credit Card” section.
3.
At the Gift Preference pull down menu, select
Adoption Funding
4.
A new button will appear, Adoption Gift
Preference. Select Family Specific.
5.
A section to type in Family ID Number and Name
will appear. Our Family ID Number is “3182”
and Family Name is “Our Last Name”.
We thank you for your time and prayers during this new
chapter in our lives! May God bless you
as you prepare for Christmas and the New Year.
Love and Blessings,
Karl, Karissa, Anton, and Isabella
