We have BIG news!
We're adopting!!
We are beyond excited and are doing everything we can to be prepared to welcome a beautiful new life into our home. As part of our adoption process, we have started a crowdfunding campaign. We have set a fundraising goal of $12,000 for this adoption.
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.
Who We Are:
For those of you we haven't met yet, our names are Josh and Jessi Spencer. We live in Fort Wayne, Indiana. We have been married for eight years and have one biological daughter, Violet, who is four years old.
Jessi stays at home full time with Violet while Josh works for Brotherhood Mutual, an insurance company for churches and ministries. They all attend Pine Hills City Church- a church they helped launch in late 2016. At City Church, they are actively involved in several ministry areas including hospitality team, set up and tear down team, small groups, women's ministry, and the finance team.
Why We Are Adopting:
In college, Jessi visited South East Asia and spent a day visiting an orphanage. It was while there that she heard the voice of God telling her that motherhood and adoption would be a part of her journey. After getting married, we started dealing with infertility issues and took that as a sign to begin the adoption process. We were one month from getting on the waiting list when we found out we were pregnant with Violet. We put the adoption process on hold until we felt it was time to move forward again.
We decided to pursue a domestic adoption initially because the cost can be about half of what it costs for an international adoption, however, after doing more research into it both ways, we decided that it is important to try to maintain a relationship with the biological family if at all possible. Since that is not an option in international adoptions, domestic adoption was the way to go.
Our Adoption So Far:
We received our home study in 2017 through Gateway Woods, a Christian ministry located in Leo, Indiana. We are approved to adopt domestically. We are open to any race or background and are interested in either open or closed adoptions depending on the desires of the birth family and if the situation allows.
In addition to working with Gateway Woods, we recently began working with Christian Adoption Consultants who presents our profile to multiple agencies throughout the country.
Our Financing:
Our total adoption budget is $42,000. It's noteworthy that domestic adoption costs have increased significantly in recent years, in part due to an increase in birth mother support.
Here's a breakdown of the fees:
$3,000 Home Study
$3,000 fee for working with our consultants
$21,000 Matching fees
$10,000 Finalization fees
Through grants, gifts, and personal savings, we have already raised $30,300 for this adoption. We are grateful to you as you consider partnering with us as we move toward our goal.
