One hundred thirty five days from now Nathan will age out. One hundred thirty five days from today Nathan will loose the chance to have a family. One hundred thirty five days from today Nathan will resign to living the rest of his life without someone to lean on. Nowhere to go for holidays. No one to ask for advice or help in desperate times. No one to love him when he is at his lowest. No one to celebrate with him during his highs. One hundred thirty five days from today could be a very sad milestone.
We want to change that milestone to one of hope. One hundred thirty five days from now Nathan can have a family. One hundred thirty five days from now he can have a future. One hundred thirty five days from now Nathan can be surrounded by a family who will support him, cheer for him, comfort him, support him and teach him for the rest of his life.
The only thing standing in the way is money.
Our paper work is complete and on it's way to China. We already have our pre approval for both boys. At this point it is only a matter of time before we receive our Letter Of Approval (LOA). It will likely come next month (everything is expedited for Nathan, we've been told to expect 3-5 weeks).
We are now about $14,000 into the process of getting Nathan and Aiden home. The fact that we have made it this far in 5 months is a miracle in itself. This is the third time in 2 and a half years we have started an international adoption with $0 set aside on day one. But, there is approximately $26,000 to go to get these two boys home. And we have 135 days to find it.
Every time Heavenly Father has brought us to adoption He has brought us through it. We have seen many financial miracles over the past 4 years. We believe a way has already been prepared. We know what it is like to only be able to see the step in front of us. And we have even had short experiences with not seeing the next step at all. We know all is well. We know a way is prepared. We know the next step is coming.
It is time to ask for help. We need ideas. We need cheer leading. And, yes, as uncomfortable as it is to say directly: we need donations. We cannot currently see a way to generate $26,000 in 3 months on our own. We have applied for grants. We have looked into loans. We have considered Brad's side business Honey Do Helpers. We have brainstormed fundraisers. We keep looking at our budget. But there is just not enough time.
So, my friends, it has come to this: we are asking for your help. Here are the things we are looking for:
1. Airline miles: they are hard to transfer, we know. But if anyone out there has airline miles or knows someone with an abundance of airline miles, please help us find a donation of miles. We will have 4 international tickets to purchase (one way tickets for the boys are actually more expensive than our round trip tickets) and a donation of miles could take care of up to $4,500 of our projected needs.
2. Hotel points: A friend of ours recommended we look for Marriott points to offset the cost of our hotels in China. With enough points we can cover all of our hotel expenses and even cover 2 meals a day between the buffet breakfast and access to an evening lounge through our points. These points are incredibly easy to transfer and could cover up to $3,750 of our projected needs.
3. Prayer for compassion of Aiden's orphanage regarding his orphanage donation: One of the suggestions from other adoptive parents has been to ask the orphanage to waive their required donation fee. At first glance, requiring an orphanage donation seems absurd. This is $5,888 dollars for each child. That means almost half of our remaining expense will be orphanage donations ($11,776). But it is important to realize there is no medical insurance in China. When the orphanage begins the process to make a child 'paper ready' for international adoption it comes with a large price tag to the orphanage. For example: Nathan has received multiple ultrasounds, an MRI, 2 surgeries, hospital time, and additional testing. His file has been updated at least 5 times over the years and each time new exams are done to monitor his progress. Some orphanages rely on this $5,888 and are offended by families who ask to waive the fee. We are aware Nathan's orphanage falls into this category. But Aiden's orphanage may be open to the idea. We are hesitant to ask as they have paid for Aiden to have a Cochlear Implant and even listed the cost of the surgery in his file. But this is something we can ask that could make the difference in getting there in time for Nathan. Please pray that the orphanage director will be sympathetic to our request.
4. Share: Put this blog post in your Facebook feed. Share our YouTube video (below) on Facebook. Put the link to our donation page (also below) in you own blog post or Facebook page. Tell you friends and family about the family in California you know who is trying to get two boys home from China. Heavenly Father has prepared the hearts of people who only need to hear about the need. He will move those to action that He has called.
5. Donate: This one is hard for us. We are very independent people. When we commit to something we do everything in our power to make it happen. We have tried to never claim any glory in these adoption processes. I will be the first to tell you "It is not us. We are not doing this." We have always been content to put in the effort and give tall glory to The Father. But we have never had to ask directly for donations before. We want there to be a "just work harder" answer like there has been in the past. But there just aren't enough days left this time. The number feels too big for patience. Faith for us has always been an action word. Faith in the past has required movement and labor. And we have always been richly blessed for our efforts. We are learning a new lesson this time. It is time to let go. Asking for direct donations is our way of letting go. Even if donations do not come, we want to be obedient in this request too.
Please visit and share our fundraiser page: www.liftinghandsproject.org/krinke.html
Please also share the video of our service project:
3 comments:
I'm praying for you. Although I live in Brazil and do not have the money to donate, your family will be in my prayers.
I grew up in Granite Bay and happened upon your blog a few years ago. Your journey has inspired me to one day adopt. My husband and I are just starting our lives but we hope our small donation will help bring your son home! Our hearts and prayers are with you.
I love watching your family grow and have left comments before . I hope and pray that the boys will be able to come and be apart of such an amazing family. You and the boys are in my prayers
Andrea Cozaya
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