Fish and Loaves

Adoption is expensive. Crazy expensive.

The high cost is actually pretty frustrating when you consider it has surely deterred many a willing family from pursuing adoption in the past. In truth, children without homes is more than frustrating– it’s heartbreaking.

There are countless expenses that multiply on top of each other, especially in an international adoption where two governments are involved. Agency fees, lawyer fees, social worker fees, notary fees, birth certificates, marriage certificates, government fees, visas, travel expenses… the list goes on.

We are thankful for how God has tangibly provided for the astronomical cost of the adoption we so strongly feel He’s called us to. From downsizing to a more modest home/lifestyle upon our recent move to Montana, to the extra income from my part-time job while our girls are in school during the week, we have been able to plan and save for these expenses incrementally.

Our t-shirt fundraiser  has been a fun way to rally support from our friends and family, and the profit we make on each shirt has certainly helped to fill in the gaps. We are thankful and excited to display a photo collage of these loved ones showcasing their love for our child in our home for years to come.

With every big payment installment that has arisen so far, we have miraculously had “just enough” without resorting to a college style diet of ramen noodles. God is good.

And then came the recent flood of unexpected expenses…

A new roof on the house we still own in Oregon: $4,000

Extensive repairs on Husband’s “retro” rig: $600

Furnace repair on Oregon house: $800

Ugh. While we are thankful to live below our means to the point where such expenses don’t fiscally destroy us, every penny that we spend these days is weighted against getting our child home. Snappy new boots just don’t hold a candle to bringing home our daughter. Weekly (okay, daily) Starbucks trips have lost their luster. Upgrading a house that we don’t even live in anymore is TOTALLY lame! Nothing compares.

God provided again this week in a big way when we found ourselves about $200 shy of our hefty Home Study payment. China requires two visits with our social worker, instead of the standard single visit, and we weren’t made aware of an extra fee for the additional visit until two days prior. We are both first-borns. We are type “A”; we are planners. We strategized. We did not go to God first.

And why wouldn’t we go to a God who effortlessly fed five thousand people {likely more as it’s now speculated that this figure didn’t even account for the women & children present!} from five loaves of bread and two fish? (Matthew 14:13-21) WE of little faith!

With the clock ticking, we had our own “fish and loaves” miracle with three very generous, unsolicited donations and 9 additional t-shirts sales. We were dumbstruck, and yet affirmed. It is humbling to be on the receiving end of such generosity, yet an amazing privilege to sit back and recognize God’s hand in the details of our very lives.