Friday, December 12, 2014

Adoption Update: Presenting, Funding and Riding the Rollercoaster

So it's been a little while since we updated on the adoption so I thought I'd go ahead and post just where we are at in all of this.

We finished up our homestudy in mid-October.  So since that time, we've been "active" with our consultant, Faithful Adoption Consultants.  Immediately, she started sending us "situations" from all over the country.  Some were ones where, if our family is chosen by the birthmom, we'd have to travel immediately. Some were due in the months ahead and we'd have time to get to know the person on the other side of this triad before the birth.  We have no idea when it'll all happen. So we live expecting just about anything.  Once, we were out at a show with some friends and I received a text message saying there were 8 week old twins in AZ we'd have to pick up the next day if chosen. . . yeah. Stuff like that. (That birthmother did not return to the agency, we found out, so we assume she chose not to place).  So it's a pretty crazy rollercoaster, considering that each and every "situation" and birthmom is a different story, a different need and each one is full of heartbreak in one way or another.  You want to get emotionally involved but you don't want to since if we did with each and every one, it would be crazy BUT, like, our consultant said after a situation that seemed like it would be a good match for us didn't pan out, "So hard not to get too excited, but you almost have to put all your heart into it!  This process is so dang hard...but totally worth it :)"  

So that's about all we can give you on that.  We aren't sure where. We aren't sure when.  

We are continuing to do some fundraising.  Lawyers, agencies, travel, homestudies, state fees all add up.  In order to adopt we are saving, working to find ways to make extra money through organizations that help adopting families (if you like coffee, keep reading!) and, recently, we found out we got a matching grant! We are planning on coming up with creative ways to help fund the adoption as this continues as we wait and pray for the newest Herman, his/her first family and their situation and our hearts as we receive him/her into our home.

So if you are interested in helping us out with this, here are something we have going right now.  I will post more events and fundraisers as they come up! But here are the biggest.

Hand in Hand Christian Adoptions, Inc Matching Grant


We were recently awarded a matching funds grant to help with the expenses of our adoption through Hand in Hand Christian Adoption, Inc. a non-profit private operating foundation.  Hand in Hand will match any funds that are donated through our friends and family for the expenses of our adoption.  All funds received through our friends and family will be matched dollar for dollar by Hand in Hand up to our awarded grant amount!   AND all donations are tax-deductible (awesome, right?!).
You can find out more about Hand in Hand through their website at www.handinhandadopt.org.
All donations made payable to “Hand in Hand Christian Adoption” postmarked by January 22nd to: (for tax purposes please include our name on the outside of the envelope only…do not put our name on the check itself):                                                                                                                   
Hand in Hand Christian Adoption, Inc.  
Christian and Sarah Herman
18318 Mimosa Court 
Gardner, KS  66030



Just Love Coffee Roasters
Here's an easy one if you are buying coffee for yourself or friends anyway.  Check out our online coffee shop for Organic, Fair Trade Coffee.  From people who have ordered already, it ships fast and REALLY yummy stuff :-)  So, if you want to check it out and get coffee here rather than from Starbucks or the grocery store, that'd be great!  They have hot chocolate, too, for the non-coffee drinkers :-) 
Our link can be found here: https://justlovecoffee.com/about/beneficiary/hermanadoption/

The fundraising part of this is, certainly, the most awkward part of this for us but, because of the huge costs, we really wouldn't be able to consider it if organizations and supportive people didn't come alongside us and help!  If you cannot give, your prayers are SO, SO valuable to us.  Pray for everyone who will be involved in the process, our whole family, the consultant, the agency, the birthparents, the hospital staff. . . just all of it. I keep thinking about how this is all going to happen.   We will keep you updated as it does! 

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