From July 2009 - February 2010 our house was full of adoption agency information packets. I know there are many families in America looking at those same packets today. We would scan the list of countries and along the right hand side were the "average adoption costs." $25,000, $35,000, $60,000- it was completely overwhelming. Where would that money come from?
We had no idea. We hesitated and we waited and we wondered. And then I remember reading this...
"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now."
We had no idea. We hesitated and we waited and we wondered. And then I remember reading this...
"Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness. Concerning all acts of initiative and creation, there is one elementary truth, the ignorance of which kills countless ideas and splendid plans: that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred. A whole stream of events issues from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. Begin it now."
- German philosopher, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749 - 1832)
We began. And sure enough, almost immediately, things began to fall into place. Our own income and savings went much farther than we'd imagined and donations came from people and places we would have never guessed.
We remember every single donation we've received. Whether it was $2 at a yard sale, $10 from a waitress, $100 out of the blue or a $600 check in the mail, each and every one made our hearts feel the same way. More than the money... the feeling of being supported is the biggest blessing of all.
After our dossier was sent off, I made grant applications into a part-time job. We received rejection letters from most of them.
But Hand in Hand, gave us a $5,000 matching grant and suddenly there was our referral acceptance fee- covered.
We signed up for a Both Hands project and raised almost another $2,000 - one travel package covered.
So, where ever you are at in the process, whether you are considering adoption, getting ready to send off your dossier, or waiting on a referral. I want to encourage you to apply for grants. Yes, they take a lot of time, and yes you will probably be rejected by most of them. But it is so worth the shot.
And look into a Both Hands project, it is a lot of work, but if you're going to have to ask for donations, I've seen no better way.
Links to the two grants we received:
Hand in Hand
Both Hands
Links to a few other grants we did not receive:
Show Hope
Gift of Adoption
God's Grace - We're still waiting to hear about this one.
If you would like to know more about the grants we've applied for and our experiences we would love to talk to you! Just leave a comment, I read them before I publish them.
We remember every single donation we've received. Whether it was $2 at a yard sale, $10 from a waitress, $100 out of the blue or a $600 check in the mail, each and every one made our hearts feel the same way. More than the money... the feeling of being supported is the biggest blessing of all.
After our dossier was sent off, I made grant applications into a part-time job. We received rejection letters from most of them.
But Hand in Hand, gave us a $5,000 matching grant and suddenly there was our referral acceptance fee- covered.
We signed up for a Both Hands project and raised almost another $2,000 - one travel package covered.
So, where ever you are at in the process, whether you are considering adoption, getting ready to send off your dossier, or waiting on a referral. I want to encourage you to apply for grants. Yes, they take a lot of time, and yes you will probably be rejected by most of them. But it is so worth the shot.
And look into a Both Hands project, it is a lot of work, but if you're going to have to ask for donations, I've seen no better way.
Links to the two grants we received:
Hand in Hand
Both Hands
Links to a few other grants we did not receive:
Show Hope
Gift of Adoption
God's Grace - We're still waiting to hear about this one.
If you would like to know more about the grants we've applied for and our experiences we would love to talk to you! Just leave a comment, I read them before I publish them.
RSS Feed