Travis and I mailed our support letters on November 8th so by now they should have reached your mailboxes. We hope that you will join us in prayer and financial support of our adoption journey. One thing we wanted to clarify, because we just got clarification ourselves, is that all financial donations you intend for us to receive for our adoption need to be donated by our goal date of December 24th or 1 month after this date (LifeSong for Orphans grace period) otherwise the donation will just go towards a general adoption fund.
Here is a copy of our support letter:
Dear Family and Friends,
The dictionary definition of adopt is to choose or take as one’s own. We love this definition because of the word choose. James 1:27 says, “Religion that God 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.” We know the adoption process is full of completing lots of paperwork, being patient while waiting for the right placement, and paying a large amount of money, yet we still choose to adopt because we know it is something that God is asking us to do. God desires for orphans of all nations to be loved, cared for, and adopted into Christian families-ultimately so they can become saved, and be adopted into His eternal family through Jesus Christ.
In June of 2007, after our second wedding anniversary, we decided it was time to start thinking about expanding our family. Our adoption process became active in August of 2007 when we selected the agency we would use as our guidance and support system. After doing our research we chose to go with Holt International. We found Holt’s approach to be very unique because it is centered on the child.
We chose to adopt a baby from Vietnam. Our homestudy was completed in January 2008 and our dossier was completed in April 2008. We were in the process of waiting to be matched with a baby, however, as of September 1st Vietnam is not open for adoptions at this time. Holt recommended we continue with Vietnam until mid October to see what the time frame is for when the country may re-open. Recently we heard that June 2009 is the estimated date for when the country may re-open for adoption. Through prayer and many conversations with our family and friends we have faithfully taken a step to believe and trust God’s plan for us, and we are now choosing to adopt a baby from Korea.
We knew we were ready to begin the adoption process, and we had support from family and friends, but we definitely did not have an idea how we would acquire the funds necessary. The biggest challenge for us is not opening our hearts and home to a child, but it is finding the finances to make this happen. We estimate our total cost for adoption fees, document preparation, homestudy, airfare, travel, attorney fees, etc. to be $25,000 - that’s certainly money we don’t have, but we know God is faithful and is leading us to trust Him. By God’s grace we’ve been able to pay the initial $7,000.
Hebrews 11:1 & 6 have been our encouragement to follow through with adoption. “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. … And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Throughout the adoption process there are many unknown factors, however, these verses remind us that God is with us throughout the whole adoption process. If we continue to have faith in God our hope and choice to adopt will be possible.
We appreciate your friendship and would like you to pray and consider helping us in our adoption. Listed below are two ways you can help.
Prayer: Please pray for patience and understanding of God’s timing, as well as that God would tenderly care for our baby in Korea until we are able to bring him or her home. Please pray also that God will give us wisdom, discernment, and insight as we raise our baby to know Jesus Christ.
Financial support: Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to help us pay the remaining $18,000 in adoption expenses, to bring our baby home.
If you would like to be a part of God bringing our baby to Himself through our family, you can send your tax-deductible gift between now and December 24th to the address below. Life International is a trusted organization administering the funds on our baby’s behalf, and will pay adoption expenses out of funds received.
Please make your check payable to: Life International. You may preference how the donation might be used by writing “preference Morgan Adoption” in the memo section of your check.
(Note: In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to Life International, which retains full discretion over its use, but intends to honor the donor’s suggested use.)
Mail checks to:
Life International
Attn: Morgan Adoption
PO Box 40
Gridley, IL 61744
Thank you for investing in the Kingdom through prayer and finances. It will be an investment with an eternal return. If you would like to follow our adoption journey visit http://lovesamazingjourney.blogspot.com/. We will send another update letter as we receive more details. Please pray this entire process will glorify God and fulfill His purposes.
In Christ,
Travis and Kalina Morgan
Here is a copy of the letter from LifeSong for Orphans that accompanied our support letter:
Dear church, family, and friends of Travis and Kalina Morgan,
LifeSong for Orphans (www.lifesongfororphans.org) is a non-profit Christian ministry dedicated to help meet the needs of orphan children around the world, and obey God’s call to "visit the fatherless…in their affliction" (James 1:27).
The number of children worldwide without families to love and care for them is astounding… there are over 3.5 million orphans in Asia alone!
God tells us in His word He has heard the cry of the orphaned and abandoned children (Psalm 10:17, 18) and He has made a way for them to be cared for – through adoption. As believers, He adopted us into His family through Jesus Christ, and did not leave us as spiritual orphans!
We believe adoption at its core is evangelism--a vital part of the Great Commission is bringing the mission field home. God desires orphans from all nations to be adopted into Christ-honoring families so they may ultimately be adopted into His eternal family through Jesus Christ. God calls us to fulfill James 1:27, "visit the fatherless…" but not all are called to adopt. Some are called to pray, some to give financially, some to go on mission trips, and some to adopt.
Travis and Kalina have sensed God’s call . . . and have joyfully stepped out in faith and obedience to adopt an infant from Korea. As you may already know, international adoption can cost around $25,000 and prevents many godly families from adopting. LifeSong believes God has raised up the Morgan family "for such a time as this…" We invite you to support them financially to make this adoption possible. Funds donated to LifeSong for Orphans will be given as an Adoption Grant to help cover adoption expenses for this special child. Your gift is tax deductible and you will receive a tax-deductible receipt.
*100% of all funds raised will go directly to cover adoption costs--nothing will be taken out for LifeSong for Orphans administrative costs.
Will you invest financially in the life of this precious little baby? . . . It will be an investment with eternal return.
God bless you for laying your treasures up in Heaven,
Andy Lehman Vice President
p.s. I trust God will do great and mighty things through this, and all for His Glory!
PO Box 40
202 N Ford St
Gridley, IL 61744
phone 309 747 3556
http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/
bringing joy and purpose to orphans
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