Broken Expectations

We had a lot of expectations coming into our adoption journey. We expected to be exhausted. We expected heartbreaks. We expected confusion and impatience. We expected people to not understand. We expected negative comments from friends and strangers alike. We have been connected to enough people’s adoption journeys that we knew it wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies.

What we did not expect was to see our friends, family, neighbors, and community rise up to link arms with us and walk beside us down this road in such an incredible and humbling way. We have been absolutely blown away at the support we have received.

It’s truly overwhelming to look back at the last 10 months and see what God has accomplished through the people in our lives...

-Last summer, two dear sweet friends handed us a check for $1,000 to begin the raising of our funds. These friends are young and in ministry alongside us (a.k.a. they don’t make the big bucks). Their sacrifice for the sake of our family is something we will never forget.

-In November, we held the Caribaby Craft Sale in our home to raise adoption funds. 50 people from across the country made the most amazing handmade treasures you’ve ever seen. We had bags from Wyoming, bows from Georgia, ties from Ohio, prints, jewelry, and scarves from Texas, and an unending list of things from our amazing Missouri family and beyond. Every flat surface in our house was covered with something to be sold. Over 100 people packed into every square inch of our home one Friday night to help us meet our goal. Our neighbors made goodies for everyone to eat. Our best friends kept things organized and took the money. And I walked around in a daze crying every 5 minutes because our people are a-maz-ing. Also I didn’t realize until halfway through the night that I never changed out of my house shoes. Whatevs. That night we raised $4100. Say whaaaat??

-Over the last few months, it hasn’t been uncommon for people to slip a $100 bill in our hands as they walk past us at church on a Sunday morning. It isn't rare to open the mailbox and find a card with a check inside from family and friends all over the country who want to partner with us in following this call. Again, our people are a-maz-ing.

-About a month ago, we received a text from our pastor asking how much we still needed to meet our financial goal, which at that point was $11,000. A week or so after that, he called us into his office and handed us an envelope. Inside was an anonymous cashier’s check for $11,000.  He said it was from a family in our church who was thankful for our ministries and wanted us to not have to worry about the rest of the cost. 
Because of this gift, our adoption is completely funded. 
Is this real life?! 

God called us to something we were terrified to jump into. When we switched to working with an agency, our costs raised from $15,000 to $27,000. When we were debating whether or not to make the switch, my dad said this to me, “Maggie, you are not allowed to not follow this plan out of fear of finances. Money is an obstacle God can use his people to overcome in a matter of seconds. You can say no, but not because of money.” He was more than right. Our thankfulness for the people God has surrounded us with grows immensely every day.

We could not be more excited to raise our child in this community of people. 

It takes a village, and our village is simply the best.