Facing the Financial Giant

When we first felt called to adopt, we looked at the cost and were shocked. My husband is a self-employed artist (not much income) and at the time, I was making about $35,000 a year. The cost to adopt from Russia at the time was estimated around $35,000, so needless to say, it was daunting.

The whole thing was daunting to my husband, but I can still hear him say "if God wants us to do this, He's going to have to provide the money" and he said it with an "I dare God" kind of attitude.

Well... God did provide. Not just once - but 3 times (3 adoptions)!

Our first adoption took us over 2 years from application to bringing our son home. During that time, we saw so many miracles. We applied for every possible grant and received 2. We sent out letters to friends and family asking for help, etc.

Here are a few stories...

Old friends we rarely talked with called us. They took us out to dinner and gave us a check for $6500. We were shocked!! One other time we had a matching grant and were collecting money though our church. We attended a low-socioeconomic church, so had not shared our fundraising with the church itself. On the last Sunday that we could collect money a woman of our church comes up and hands me $40. This was a woman whose family had nothing (we're talking ratty clothes, a car that was falling apart, etc). She said God told her she needed to give us the $40. I started crying and explained that we had a matching grant and that this gift would be doubled. She cried with me, then pulled out another $20. Now $60 may not sound like a lot, but it was a beautiful example of how God was multiplying!

Prior to our adoption of our son we also had some significant credit card debt. Shortly after returning home with him we were able to pay off all of our credit card debt.

God definitely provides when you trust Him!

When we decided to return to Russia to adopt again, we did intentionally look for children with special needs. By requesting special needs we were eligble for more grants and also received discounts from the agency. We adopted one daughter with a limb difference and our other daughter, though labeled special needs, was perfectly healthy.

Again, God provided.

At one point, we needed to send the agency $10,000. We had $2500 in savings and just prayed that God would provide the rest. The day before we had to mail the money, our church board met and surprised us with a gift of $7500 towards our adoption. They did not know we had a payment due, nor did they know the amount, nor did they know how much we already had. But God did and He provided!

Our son's adoption cost us about $35,000 and the girls' adoptions (adopted together) cost about $50,000. That is travel, agency fees, hotel, food, everything. Over the four years and 3 adoptions, my salary tripled. At the time, I thought I must be a brilliant HR person, but that wasn't truly the case. God was providing for us. Shortly after we got our girls home and everything paid off, I lost my job. God moved me from a 6-figure salary to a fraction of that. But, my current employment allows me to be home with my kids and I am in full-time ministry, where God called me to be a long time ago.

Looking back, I am still amazed by how God provided for our adoptions and how He set everything up for me to be able to follow His call.

The financial part of our adoption sure seemed like a giant at the time. But God is bigger than anything we face - and with Him all things are possible. It sounds so cliche, but it is so true: Where God guides, He provides.

If you are being called to adopt, obey the call. Don't be afraid of the dollar signs. There are adoption grants available, you can have fund-raisers, and you can watch your household budget to save money for your adoption. All of these options are very practical financially.

But prepare yourself for the supernatural - God is going to knock your socks off when He shows you how He will provide for your adoption expenses!

Where God guides, He DEFINITELY provides.