Thank You!

[No news on our renewed background checks yet.  Still waiting.]

Our delay with the I800 Approval allowed us just a bit more time to fundraise.  Thanks to numerous donations that have rolled in recently, we are so close to our final goal to meet our international travel fees!  It is very exciting to be so close - we are within $900 of having our China travel fees covered!  See our Donate tab for the exact figures.

Unless our house sells in the next day or two, at this point, the time has come to make the decision to take a hit and use some funds from my retirement account to pay off the rest.  In talking with many, many adoptive families, this is something many families have done.  In a way, by talking with these friends and hearing their stories, they gave me "permission" to use those dollars, if that makes any sense.  We'll take a hit on it come tax time next year, but we'll tackle that when we get to it.

We're thankful that our first employer gave us an incredible benefit of a retirement account.  It's something our last and current employers don't offer.  Because we haven't been socking anything away for the last 6 years, not to mention the fact that we've lost so much value to them with the economic downfall, we've said there's no way we should use those funds.  However, everything God gives is a gift from Him.  My retirement account is His and He will provide for our needs come tax time and He will provide for our needs come retirement.  Of course, I'm thankful that we don't have to take out too much because the tax hit we will take won't be pretty, but I have faith God will provide.

To those of you who have made a financial donation on our behalf, we want to say thank you.  Seriously, friends, thank you!  All of you deserve personal letters conveying our gratitude, but I would like to send them with a picture of my daughter once she is officially a member of our family so you can see your donations at work.  We are blown away by your generosity.  All of you gave such generous amounts, some of you shocked us with your generosity because of your limited incomes, personal missions endeavors, or family hardships.  Even a gift of $5 made a difference!  When you look at my daughter's face you will know full well that you were a part of God's plan for the orphan.  You have lived out Psalms 82:3 and the dozens of other verses in the Bible that call all of us to care for the fatherless.  When you see Jesus face to face, I know He will say to you, "Well done."


From Jay, our boys, our waiting daughter, her anxious grandparents and excited aunts, uncles and cousins, thank you!  Well done!  May God bless you (and I know He will) for your generosity!  And know that we will pay it forward for the rest of our lives as we intend to make a life changing difference in the lives of orphaned children.

Thank you!