I can’t quite believe these words, but I am adopting! 10 years ago, I heard pastor Kay Warren speak about orphan care. She taught about the orphan care crisis, how many children were surviving in orphanages when it was the heart of God that they would thrive in forever families. I felt my heart stirring and my pulse quicken. As I drove home that night, my eyes welled up with tears, and I sensed God speaking to me. I can still remember the very intersection I was in, late that night, when he said, “Sarah, this is for you.”
Adoption has been on my heart for quite some time, and now, I’m excited to share this journey with you! As I think of adoption, and adopting as a single parent, it’s scary and intimidating, but also exciting…holding the promise of fulfilling a dream that’s so close to my heart.
Adoption comes with a pretty big price tag, but the beautiful thing about fundraising is that you get to be part of bringing baby Cruz home! I am at the very beginning of the process, raising funds to work with a trusted adoption consultant, do a home study, and then wait to be matched with a birth mama.
There’s a great need for adoptive families and I want to be part of meeting that need, but studies show that cost is the number one factor that keeps people from pursuing adoption. You might be surprised to hear that adoption-related costs can easily total up to $35,000 or more. This is why I have set a goal of $25,000 to help ease the financial burden that often overwhelms adoptive parents. In the US, 33% of couples consider adoption; however, 79% of the families are deterred by the high costs, and in the end only 2% adopt.
I am thankful for you during this exciting time! Whether you’re part of my big messy family, a friend, a coworker, or just someone that has heard about my adoption story, I’m grateful for you. I hope that by inviting you into this process, you will see yourself as part of the community I hope to build around my child as he/she grows up.
"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11
