And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes Me ~Matthew 18:5

We are not sure when adoption actually came into our lives but we can tell you when God came into our lives! For the past 5 years or so our family has tried to follow God’s lead in everything we do. He has become the center of our household and our lives. Isaiah and Mikah have shown Anne and I the love that little kids can provide if we truly have the faith of a child. For that reason we believe that God is leading us down this new path.

Almost a year ago we were introduced to a little boy in Haiti named Job. Our hearts were instantly broken, and God began to work. We didn’t know why, or how, or even if we would be able to adopt. We have actually had several serious discussions with God trying to tell Him we are not the ones to do this. And every time we have had one of those discussions, He has always answered with a strong and resounding, “Yes you can, and yes you will!”

So, we have stopped arguing with Him and have started to just follow His lead. If we could tell you all of the “God-incidences” that have occurred on this journey, I am confident this whole thing wouldn’t sound so crazy! However, God just keeps putting the right person in the perfect spot or sending the right sign at the perfect time. There is absolutely no way we could ever doubt that what we are doing right now is wrong.

The journey has already been trying at times and yet the support of so many friends, family and strangers has strengthened our desire to do what we feel called to do.

On January 8th our Homestudy was approved, Haiti opened up for adoptions again, and the Voice Of The Orphan(VOTO) Agency asked us to join them on an incredible journey! All in one day! So like we resolved a while back, when God calls we are going to follow. We have officially begun collecting paperwork for our Dossier and hope to turn it in to the Haitian Government sometime in the next month.

While we wait for Job to become adoptable our house and hearts will remain open for him when that time comes. But at this point we are going into Haiti and trusting VOTO to match us with one of their amazing children! We even asked for a little girl! That would be a huge change for our boy dominated house. The timeframe in Haiti to complete an adoption and bring a child to a forever home is about 12-18 months and this is something we are completely prepared for and excited to wait for! We are ready for the journey that God has already taken us on and excited!

This brings us to all of you. We have been told numerous times that this journey is NOT something a family can do alone, something we are finding out quickly. We have had some time to save up for the Homestudy and other costs that have come with our Dossier completion, however, beyond that our FAITH in God is going to have to lead us. At this point we are actively applying to various grant and adoption loan programs.

Our financial situation with the amazing VOTO family is an astoundingly low $12,000. Compared to other agencies and countries this is an incredibly low amount of money to give a child a forever home. There will certainly be many unexpected costs along the way also which is why we are trying to prepare early and be ready for any surprise that God throws at us!

Our plan to raise these funds is simple, a ton of prayer and hard work! Anne and I will be putting every penny we make from our Advocare sales, her FrassyGirl income, and my work with Thomas Financial straight into our “Job Jar” account at First National Bank in Brandon. We also plan to have a garage sale during the Brandon Rummages and are asking friends and family to donate any items they may not need, for us to sell on the rummage.

Finally, we are simply asking people to prayerfully consider helping us along the way. We know that not everyone understands this journey and why we are on it, and that is okay. Believe us, at times we don’t get it either! We are probably the least qualified in a lot of ways. But our hearts are open and God has spoken.

Every donation is important and will help make this adoption a success. Would you kindly consider making a donation? Also, we would appreciate your willingness to share this with others who may want to participate.

Thank you so much for being a part of our lives and helping accomplish something that's important to all of us!