James 1:27 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world”
We have BIG news…..we are adopting a child!
Over the past year we’ve talked, dreamed, and prayed about the possibility of adoption. As Canaan grows, we’ve often wondered what the future of our little family holds, and we have truly received the calling to welcome a sweet brother or sister into our home and into our hearts. For us, adoption is truly our first choice way to expand our family.
In our call to adopt, we’ve been lead to Malawi, a small and friendly country in Africa. Malawi is home to 18.6 million people, and is one of the poorest countries in the world. Roughly 17% of children under 18 years old are orphans and vulnerable children. Extreme levels of poverty and excessive deaths caused by the HIV/AIDS and Covid-19 pandemics have left many children without parents or caretakers. Children in Malawi may be abandoned due to parental hardship or brought to an orphanage due to parent/guardian deaths. While orphanages do all they can to provide for their children, the lack of resources and medical care available prevents children from thriving without a permanent, loving home.
We are beyond excited and are doing everything we can to be prepared to welcome a beautiful new life into our home. We are going through extensive training to be equipped to navigate the unique blessings and challenges adoption will bring. The adoption process is long and tumultuous, and we ask for your prayer and support as you link shields with us. While parenthood is not new to Seth and I, adoption is, for us, uncharted.
As part of our adoption process, we have started a crowdfunding campaign. It may surprise you to hear that adoption related costs can easily total up to $35,000 or more. The non-profit adoption agency we have partnered with is a registered and Hague Accredited agency to ensure ethical adoption processes. Most of the fees associated with adoption go towards the in depth legal processes and reviews that happen both in the US and in Malawi. Remaining costs go towards supporting the Malawi orphanages so they can continue operating, a home study completion, travel costs associated with finalizing the adoption in country, and other expenses.
We hope that by inviting you into this process, you will see yourself as part of the community we hope to build around our child as he/she grows up. Your love, generosity, prayers, and support are appreciated more than you know.
Love,
Lauren and Seth
Matthew 18:12 “If a man has a hundred sheep and one of them wanders away, what will he do? Won’t he leave the ninety-nine others on the hills and go out to search for the one that is lost? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice over it more than over the ninety-nine that didn’t wander away! In the same way, it is not my heavenly Father’s will that even one of these little ones should perish”
**Disclaimer**Adopt Together is a registered 501c3 organization which means all donations are tax deductible. Additionally, Corporate Matching Gift programs can have their donation matched since we are an IRS approved 501c3 organization.
