details...

i generally think it's a bad idea to talk about money, i think it almost always makes people feel akward, that being said, here i go...


one of the things about adoption is this: it is expensive. it doesn't matter where you're adopting from or your reasons for doing so, embarking down the road to make a child a part of your family will cost financially. when chad and i decided that we were moving ahead with this adoption, we took one look at our bank account and realized that we would never-ever be able to afford to pay for the whole thing out of pocket. when we had our very first conversation with lifeline (the agency we began the process with) their director said this to us, "those who God has called, He will also equip." i knew when he said those words that they would be important for us, and sure enough, we have needed so much 'equipping' already. we've needed direction in decision making, courage to speak openly about special needs, and finally this week, we needed money. our adoption nest egg had been put to good use to get the adoption off of the ground, and suddenly it was time to file our i600a, a round of paperwork and fingerprinting that costs $890. we also found out today that we cannot waste any more time in applying for our new passports as they're needed for our dossier...another $270 to boot, which brings us to a grand total of (drumroll please) $1160. needed. now. let me tell you, i was not entirely sure where that money was going to come from. we have applied for several grants and a loan from abba fund but we are in the waiting period for those results. imagine my surprise when a series of checks from all different families started making their way to us just this week and they total $1110(!!!) that left us just $50 short: no biggie, right? ironically, i also happened to check the status of our just love coffee account earlier today and i'll bet you can guess how much is in there, yep, $50(!!!)! i just had to share this because it was yet another reminder of how little chad or i are able to do on our own. i'm am so grateful...really more than i can express, that there are so many people who are bringing ruby home...people who are giving and praying and just thinking about her and talking about her, so that even though we don't yet know who she is, she is not forgotten. i'm so humbled to be serving a God who is clearly paying attention to all of our little details, and certainly caring for our ruby, wherever she is.