Dustin and I have been so blown away by the positive response we received since announcing that we are adopting! I always tell anyone who asks me about blogging that the best part is the community. People are so positive and uplifting, and some of the greatest cheerleaders are found in the blogging community! That was reiterated to me on Monday–so many people commented that even though they didn’t know me personally (only through my blog) they had become so invested in our infertility story that Monday’s news was the best news they had heard that day!
We are both excited and terrified to go through the adoption process, but we both feel that this is exactly where God has been leading us to pursue. Russell Moore says it best in his book, Adopted for Life: “Adoption is, on the one hand, gospel. In this, adoption tells us who we are as children of the Father. Adoption as gospel tells us about our identity, our inheritance, and our mission as sons of God.” Because of this, we understand the importance of raising our children in a gospel-centered home.
Most of you understand how expensive adoption is. Whether it’s domestic or international, both are extremely expensive. We are asking TWO things from you:
1. We ask that you continue to pray for us. Pray for our hearts as we navigate this process, and please pray for the expectant mother who will choose us to parent her baby. It will be because of her selfless decision that we will get to bring home a baby. We do not think of that lightly.
2. We are expecting our adoption costs to be estimated at $42,000+. This will notinclude things like traveling to our baby’s birth, hotel costs during the required stay in his/her home state, and finalization court costs. We are asking everyone we know to consider donating $100 to our adoption fundraising. How awesome would it be that if 420 people donated $100, we would be on our way to funding our entire adoption! Please know that any amount of money—even $1—will be so helpful in our journey to adopt!!
If you are willing to donate you can donate to us through PayPal: You choose the “Send Money” option, enter in this email address: dshaneyfelt@gmail.com, and click Next. Make sure you choose the “Sending to a Friend” option on the following page so there aren’t any fees associated with your donation.
We’ve all heard the saying that “It takes a village to raise a child,” and now more than ever, Dustin and I have truly felt the weight of that African proverb. It will take a village to help us bring our baby home, and we are humbled by that. For those of you who are praying for us and donating to us, you are the #ShaneyfeltVillage!
