Seriously, Why Is This So Expensive?

$38,000-$40,000

That's a ridiculous amount of money, and honestly, I think it's an UNFAIR amount of money. In order to adopt an infant through a private agency, this is about how much it costs. It's sheer insanity!

The numbers take my breath away, and I wonder frequently how we're going to do this. In case anyone has forgotten, I'm a teacher, and Austin is a police officer. We both LOVE our jobs, and there is nothing either of us would rather do. Our careers provide steady paychecks, and we are able to live comfortably. We are so incredibly grateful for jobs we love and the reliable income we're able to bring home. However, this may surprise you, but we do not have an extra $40,000 lying around! Who does?! It's unrealistic to think the average family can easily shell out that much money in order to adopt a newborn.

Since we aren't just rolling in the dough, that means our options are: 1. Apply for grants, which you have a SLIM chance of receiving, 2. Take out a loan that will end up being basically a third car payment, 3. Fundraise.

All of these options are SO HARD! We are going to apply for any grants we possibly can, but we must have a completed home study before we can apply. (Our home study won't be complete until around mid December.) After the home study, in order to move to the waiting families list, we must provide a confirmation of funds to our agency. We don't have to actually pay up front, but we have to show that we have the money up front. In other words, we need about $40,000 as soon as the home study is over, which means grants most likely will not work for us. We will try anyways!

No one wants loans! We certainly don't! However, we are willing to do what it takes to bring our baby home. However, we will soon be building a house. We're currently crunching numbers to make sure we can afford a mortgage, our current monthly bills, a child, AND an adoption loan payment. We're committed to making it work, which means we will make the necessary sacrifices. We may have to wait on building our house! Right now, we really don't know!

Fundraising is so difficult! I hate asking for financial help, even through fundraisers. We started our t-shirt fundraiser and raised over $400. Our puzzle fundraiser is ongoing, and so far we've raised about $400 with that. We've had a few others donate, and we are putting together an online auction. We have several items donated for that already, but as of right now, I really have no idea how the auction is going to go. We are so grateful to every single person who has donated money, items to donate, and time to help us. Every penny helps!

Trying to raise such a large amount is overwhelming and daunting. Some days I feel like we're not going to get anywhere close to our goal, and other days I feel encouraged by the support of so many family members and friends! I have absolutely NO idea how the money is going to come together. A loan may be our only option. All I DO KNOW is that our God is GOOD. We believe that He wouldn't call us to do something that He had no intentions of making happen! We're trusting His will and sovereignty over all things, and we know the entire process will come together in His timing!