In July, my awesome friend Tessa Going hosted an Origami Owl Jewelry Party for us to help raise money for our adoption. She is an independent designer who so generously offered to donate all proceeds on the jewelry sold to go to us for our adoption fund! The party went great and we were able to raise $451 for our adoption. I can't thank her enough for giving of her time and energy to host a party and more importantly for donating all of her proceeds to us. She is a wonderful sister in Christ with a heart of gold!
While we are on the topic of fundraisers....we had great success with a quilt raffle fundraiser this summer! My wonderful friend and 2nd mom, Carol McKinney made a beautiful handmade children's quilt for us to raffle off. With the help of McKinney Sew & Vac, who graciously hung the quilt in their shop, we were able to raise $440 on the quilt raffle fundraiser! Thank you to the McKinney's for their part in our adoption journey! We love you guys!
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| Quilt handmade by Carol McKinney |
The end of our summer was spent getting things ready for our 2nd Yard Sale Fundraiser! For those who remember how big our 1st Yard Sale was, well the 2nd one blew that one out of the water! It was twice as big with THOUSANDS of donated items!
It was held on September 20 and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. We had a building full of great items, wonderful family & friends who helped volunteer, beautiful weather, and a great crowd of shoppers. By end of the day we were able to raise $4,700 for our adoption! We were blown away that we exceeded the amount of the last yard sale and were amazed to see God at work, yet again!
Check out some pictures below.
At our Yard Sale, we debuted our "LOVE Ethiopia" T-shirts (shown above) that we are currently selling as a fundraiser. They are $15 each and come in adult sizes Small-3X. Colors vary upon size. Contact megananne1020@hotmail.com if you are interested in purchasing a t-shirt! ALL proceeds go towards our adoption.
Now that I am reading over all of this...it is such a great reminder that God continues to provide. When we first decided to pursue international adoption, we were discouraged about the cost. We spoke with several families who had gone through it and they all told us that the same thing - "We have no idea how we financed our whole adoption, the money just came." It is so exciting to actually be living that out right now! Ryan and I are about to send our dossier documents off to America World accompanied by about $9,000 in fees and not one penny did we have to scrounge up out of our savings. Every bit of that is from all of the fundraisers and donations that people have helped us with this year. If God calls you to do something, He will provide and allow you to do it. It is evident that this adoption is His will for our lives and it is so fun to watch! :)
Before I go, I do have to share this amazing "God" moment that happened a couple weeks ago.
I received a phone call from a stranger who had read our blog and was moved by our story. She told me that she shared our story with her compnay that she works for and they also believed in what we were doing. This comapny decided to tithe 10% of their earnings that month and give us a check for our adoption. Yes - you read that right.....a large local company donated money to us even though they had never met us! I mean, I can't make this stuff up people. God is working and it is amazing! We are so grateful that He chose us to be on this journey of watching His miracles unfold.
If God has laid adoption on your heart, please don't brush it off. We need all the people we can get to help spread awareness and to help spread the gospel through adoption. Whether it is donating money, praying, volunteering, hosting a fundraiser or pursuing adoption yourself, all Christians have a role to play in caring for orphans.
Thank you to those who continually support us and encourage us each day.
We Love You!
Ryan & Megan
