Dear friends and family,
Many of you know that we added to our family through adoption in 2010. The blessing of being Mommy and Daddy to our twin daughters, Macy and Gaby, continues to reward us to this day. You can read about that entire adoption story, including the story of Gaby’s short life that brought God glory, at our family blog, www.brownstreeintheforest.blogspot.com. We feel that God is asking us to grow our family again through adoption.
Some of you are probably wondering what has prompted us to adopt. Well, primarily, we’ve felt so clearly directed by God to adopt that we want to obey Him. We desire to give an orphaned child a family that he probably wouldn’t otherwise have. We believe that God desires for orphans of all nations to be loved, cared for and adopted into Christian families – ultimately so they can become saved, and adopted into His eternal family through Jesus Christ!
God has chosen to bless us with a son, Noah. He is 4 years old and lives in Ghana, in West Africa, right now. While the timeline of adoptions is very much in God’s hands, we estimate that he will be able to come home sometime this fall.
Saying yes to God in obedience isn’t the challenge this time. Continuing to lean on Him for provision and trust in His faithfulness is the hard part of this step. Even though He has proven faithful in the past, the thought of another $24,000-$30,000 adoption ransom is scary.
By God’s grace, and with help from many of you, we have been able to pay each adoption fee in the past and each one so far set in front of us. We trust that will continue as we walk forward in God’s timing.
Honestly, it’s a little difficult for us to make our needs known, but we also know it is part of allowing you to join in the story and celebration of Noah and giving him a family. We appreciate your friendship very much and would like you to pray and consider helping us in our adoption. There are two ways you can help:
1. Prayer – The most important gift you can give. Please pray that God would protect Noah in Ghana until we are able to bring him home, that God will prepare his heart and mind for joining our family. Pray for our 4 kids here as they wait to meet their brother. That they (and their parents!) will have patience, and be filled with kindness and understanding as our family grows. And pray that God will give us wisdom, discernment, and insight as we raise all of His children that He entrusts to us to know Jesus Christ.
2. Financial support - Will you please consider making a tax-deductible donation to help us pay the remaining $15,000 in adoption expenses, to bring Noah home?
Lifesong (www.lifesongfororphans.org) has graciously set up a fundraising account for us to raise funds to bring Noah home. You can send your tax-deductible gift between now and April 24th to the address below. Lifesong is a trusted organization administering the funds on Noah’s behalf, and will pay adoption expenses out of funds received.
1. Please make checks payable to: Lifesong. You may preference how the donation might be used by writing “Preference: Brown#2595 Adoption” in the memo section of your check.
(*Note: In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to Lifesong which retains full discretion and control over its use.)
2. Mail checks to:
Lifesong for Orphans
PO Box 40 / 202 N. Ford St
Gridley, IL 61744
or donate online http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/donation.html
3. Email us, and let us know what message you’d like to be on your puzzle piece for Noah. Check out what that is all about here http://brownstreeintheforest.blogspot.com/2012/01/piece-of-noahs-story.html.
We also have a variety of fundraisers for apparel, accessories, and other fun stuff on our family blog if you are interested. Thank you for supporting our family through prayer and encouragement. We are blessed.
Gabe, Shelley, Keaton, Kayden, Laney, Macy, and Noah
Letter from lifesong
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