If You'd Like to Help...

As many of you know, Ethipia recently passed a new requirement that adoptive families will now need to make 2 trips in order to complete their adoption. This is a long story which I'd be happy to share with any of you, but this was somewhat disheartening as we thought we were almost to the end of the road with our saving and fundraising--instead of being about $5,000 away from that goal, we are now approximately $10-12,000.00 farther away from that goal because of the huge cost of airfare. We will now need to purchase 2 pairs of airline tickets to Ethiopia probably within weeks of each other once we get that far in the process which we're praying (Lord willing) will be anytime from late fall to early winter. So...back to strategizing and coming up with creative ways to save pennies! We would covet your prayers that God would continue to provide in this journey--we know He will, but maybe even prayers that we would be continually reminded of that!

During this process, we've had some people ask us if there is any way they can donate towards our adoption fund but also get a tax credit at the same time. At first we thought no, but we have come to learn otherwise!! A small group of members from a local church, Heritage Christian Reformed Church (actually the church I grew up in), has started an orphan care/adoption ministry called Commission 127.
This ministry is named after the passage James 1:27 in the Bible which states: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

Commission 127, under the umbrella of Heritage CRC (as a non-profit organization) is able to accept donations on the behalf of adoptive families and provide tax write-offs in return. Their passion is to make adoption costs more affordable for families by providing this service. This is how it works if you would like to make a donation towards our adoption fund:

1. Write a check to Heritage CRC with it clearly designated to Commission 127--this designation can be done in writing as well as written in the "memo" section on the check. Do NOT however, write our family's name anywhere on the check itself.
Heritage's address is: 3089 - 84th St. SW Byron Center, MI 49315

2. In a separate note in writing to Commission 127, let them know that your desire is that the check benefit the Aaron and Susan Bailey Adoption Fund.
3. Commission 127 then will notify us that funds have been received for our fund and will write a check directly to our adoption agency on our behalf. They can also write a check to a travel agency as we get closer to our travel time to help with the cost of our flights.
Note: You may choose to remain anonymous or let us know if you provided this gift to our adoption fund--just clarify that in writing along with your other notes of designation.

If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at 616-877-3763 or email me at baileyplace1@charter.net.

GARAGE SALE COMING UP!!

I am planning another garage sale coming up next month on July 29 and 30 as part of our neighborhood sales. All of the proceeds of course will be going into our adoption fund. If you have any items that you would like to get rid of and that you think would sell well at a garage sale, please feel free to donate them to us! I can pick them up if necessary. Spread the word too please!!

Latest Numbers!

Many people have asked what our "numbers" are lately for our waiting process:
So...our official June numbers are: #16 for siblings, and #28 for girls!

Unfortunately we have not seen much movement at all for the last month or so--there is a lot of speculation that this has something to do with the new "2 trip policy" being implemented in Ethiopia in May. I am trying so hard not to get impatient, knowing and continually reminding myself that everything and I mean EVERYTHING happens in God's timing. Things have to go this way so that the little one/s he's picked out for our family end up in our family!

Please pray with us for our little one's health and well-being, and for her mother as well--that she would feel God's peace and presence as she needs to make such a hard decision, or that if she is sick and losing strength, that God would reassure her that her baby will be part of a loving family. This things are so hard to think about, and sometimes I don't want to think about them, but I know it's necessary. My heart breaks for the countless orphans and mothers in such a heart-wrenching position--but if my heart is breaking for the things that break God's heart, that is where I want to be. God has called us to love and care for the orphan through adoption at this stage in our life--how has He called you?