Where we're at right now

Well, we are getting closer to sending our official application into the adoption agency but still need to meet our goal before we can. The fees all due within the first 90 days of applying are $9,440 to be exact so we want to make sure we have at least $7,000-7,500 saved before we do so we aren't in a bind to come up with the rest in such a short time.

The first set of money goes to: application fees, home study fees, social worker expenses, program fees, agency fees, adoptive parent education, and FBI fingerprinting.


As of now, we have $4,100 saved up thanks to many of you buying our shirts, coffee, Mary Kay and through donations, as well as by cutting back on a lot of previous luxuries we once spent money on. Once we have sent in our application and have our home study completed we can start applying for grants but the first $9,000 it's up to saving and fundraising to get the job done.

The cost of international adoption is extremely high but it can be done! And, just think of what comes out of it all, the chance to love someone so deserving and the ability to save a child's life...something you can't really put a price on. We are just so anxious for our journey to officially begin and even though those of you who know us, know we are a family that is ALWAYS busy, we are looking forward to becoming even busier with paperwork and things to do to bring our sweet child home.


I would also like to mention that there are so many families doing the same thing we are I would really encourage you to look at their blogs and see what their journey is as they are different but with the end goal being the same. You can find a few that I have linked down on the right column under "other great blogs".
One in particular is a family that has already adopted but are doing what we are going to be doing as well, raising money to help feed and provide other needs to children in Ethiopia. Check out their shirts they are selling (click on the "Into the Streets of Ethiopia" button in the right column of my blog)


Of course our t-shirts are still up to buy but may only be for 1 more week depending on the turn-out and it may be the last time we have them available for a little while. If you would like a t-shirt just click in the top right corner, different shirts for women, men and kids! Prices range from $15-25 depending on the shirt.

With Love and Thanks!
Joely

Why don't more people adopt?

This is a question I have been thinking about a lot lately and I would love to hear your answers. I know adopting a child is a big step and for many is probably really scary for various reasons but part of what we are trying to do with our blog and basically as part of our mission in life, is to help others that might consider adopting or maybe some who never have, understand the need and how it can be done. So my question to you is "Why do you think more people don't adopt, or why don't you?" I would love to hear your answers either by comments on here or feel free to email me.

Our church services (http://www.h2ochurch.cc/custom/index.php) for the month of July are entitled "At the Movies" and yesterday the movie clips we watched and the message that was given was derived from The Blind Side. The message and movie said so much to us and made me think again, Why aren't there more people that see need in front of them and step up to fill that need? We talked about this in our Life group Sunday night and a few of our thoughts on the answer to this were:

1. There is just so much need, it is overwhelming to know where to begin.
2. It would cost too much to actually make a difference and I can't afford it.
3. How do I know where my money is going to if I donate?

The thing that makes me so sad and anxious about these responses is that there are very easy solutions if someone really has it in their heart to take the next step to help. There is an overwhelming amount of need all over the world but every little bit does help. ""If you can't feed a hundred people, then just feed one.” ~Mother Teresa I got this quote from a new friend's website who has already adopted a child and is on a mission to help those in need in Ethiopia after seeing the devastation on a trip to pick up her child. Right now she is trying to raise enough money and formula donations to send to Ethiopia and even though there are thousands in need, if everyone donated just one can of formula or $12 it wouldn't take long to start making a dent in the problems. I encourage you to check out her website and donate if it is in your heart to do so: http://www.intothestreetsofethiopia.com/ I also have a button in the right column of this blog to click on to get to it.

Just think, you don't have to have a lot to make an impact on someone's life. It may be the change that you gather up in your purse, car, couch, nightstand, etc that adds up to $6 and instead of leaving it in those places or taking it to buy a Starbucks, it could feed a child for 1 month! For me, knowing this, has made it hard to look at frappuccinos and lattes and think "for the same price 1 child wouldn't go hungry for 1 month!"

If you have any questions or comments I would love to hear them, please tell me your thoughts, they are greatly appreciated!

T-Shirts For Sale!!!

Hello Friends and Family,
We are getting closer to our financial goal to be able to submit our official application to adopt a child from Ethiopia and are asking for your help again. We designed t-shirts and told our friends and family about them last month and are so thankful to those of you who supported us in buying one or more. We have changed up the designs slightly and added more color choices this time around, I think you will all like them even more! There are options for children, women and men and they are all very soft, and will fit almost anyone of any size. Once all orders are in the t-shirts will arrive to me by the end of July and I will get them out to you ASAP! I may be doing another contest as well to win a shirt so keep checking back over the next week or so for updates.

To order a shirt, just click on the link in the upper right hand corner of this blog. Ordering will end on July 15th to make sure everyone gets their shirts soon enough after ordering them. The women's shirts (the burnout tee) comes in a light and dark color and runs small so order 1 size up. This shirt comes in S-XL. the Men's shirt is actually uni-sex and is a very soft tee and is cute on women and men. It also comes in a light and dark color and runs more true to size. This shirt is available in sizes XS-XXL (I wear a size XS in this shirt and Jason wears a size XL to give you an idea).

The amount of money required within the first 90 days of applying is $9,440 (application fee, home study, agency fee, etc) but we are trying to save/raise $7,000 before we apply. As of now we have about $3,000 more to go to get to our goal and are hoping that through the t-shirt sales as well as other fundraisers we have (Mary Kay sales, Coffee sales and an upcoming yard sale) we will meet our goal and submit our application before the end of August.

Again thank you so much for your continued support. We have such wonderful friends and family and couldn't do this without you.

With Love,
The O'Neal Family