it just keeps coming

So I told you guys before my previous post about the rescue of orphans, which bordered on novella length {sorry!}, that we received some big news last Thursday. I was not exaggerating y'all. It was big. Huge. Ginormous!

I think, for many untold numbers of families, the lack of finances are one of the biggest hindrances to adoption. We were no different back in '08. We had no idea where the money for Joel's process would come from. No earthly idea. And it caused me great concern back then. I remember many times falling into our bed or onto the floor on my knees in sobs...asking the Lord, "how are you going to do this great thing?"

Last fall, when we began the process for Seth, I wasn't worried about money near as much. Oh, there were still questions. And anytime I'd look at the figures below, I'd get all dry in the mouth and my heart would race. As before, I had no idea how God would do this but I had more of a calm than I did during our first adoption.

I remember leaving from school on Monday, 11.14.11, and talking to my mom on the phone...like I do most every time I make that drive home. She was talking about Seth and about finances. I remember telling her that I really wasn't worried about the money as much this go around. I was just consumed with getting him home in time. That was my worry...his health. His heart. And those beautiful blue lips that he had from lack of oxygen. I had no idea that less than an hour later, we would be told that he had died four days earlier.

Fast forward to now. For background, I will tell you that we have been saving like mad for our first program fees to WACAP for the little prince. Which included the following...

$3000    Agency Fee Part 1
$1500    International Processing Fee Part 1
$760      CCCWA Processing Fee
$40        File Maintenance Fee

For a grand total of $5300 to start with. We have already paid for our application, home study, immigration/biometrics, and many other odds and ends which total over $3500. But these were the first big fees. Yikes.

We had been given a grant by my cousin's organization in the amount of $1000 back in January.
Yippee for grants and cousins!

So, that brought it down to $4300.

And our little prince was awarded a grant by WACAP because of his various special needs in the amount of $2200 {spread over three separate agency fees}. So that would be another $1400 off at this time.

At that point, we needed $2900.

Don't forget though, one of the most humbling gifts we've ever been given...donations in honor of our friend's son, Abram, who passed away. {Read about their tremendous gift and story here}. That totaled $2150.

You see where I'm going...$750.

We went from owing $5300 to only owing $750.

Can I get an amen?

And a hearty, halleluyer?

Well, our contracts came in the mail a couple of weeks ago and there was a little mixup with our initial bill. I spoke with WACAP about it and we straightened things out {they are FANTASTIC to work with}. Our China coordinator told me that she would be getting a corrected bill to me and that we could  hold on to our final contracts until we received the new bill and just mail it all together. Sounded fine to me.

But nearly a week went by. And I hadn't heard from her. Which is really unlike them. So I emailed Yu Ping. And she said that she would be in touch about it. Long story short, she said she would email it to me in about 30 minutes instead of sending it snail mail. Great. That's perfect.

Except, when the email from her came, it simply said for us to mail the contracts without  {yep, she underlined it!} payment.

Hmmm. I don't know about you, but that pretty sounds fishy to me. I start to panic that maybe something is wrong with our file. Or worse yet, with our little prince and they are just postponing payment because something terrible has happened.

I'm a dork. I readily admit it.

I email again just to be sure everything is okay and her reply is very short,

"Everything is perfect with your file. Basically, you don't owe us anything right now."

Um,

WHAT!!??!!!

Then about an hour later and we get an email from a grant organization that we applied to in February.

That's right.

Just three weeks before.

And y'all. They gave us a ton of money. A ton.

We are overwhelmed. Just so relieved and grateful and beyond excited. I can't event tell you.

At this point, with my best guesses and projections, we are only in need of about $4000-$5000.

Total.

For our entire China adoption.

Can you even imagine? Our God has indeed gone before us. And has opened wide the gates of blessing. It's just so humbling to watch Him work.

We have asked Him to provide. Others have prayed on our behalf. Many have given for a sweet baby boy who is in Heaven.

And the God of grace, who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, whose mercy is limitless...
has granted provision.

It just keeps coming. And we stand here, with grateful hearts and gaping mouths watching it all happen.

"What a quiet and serene life you might lead if you would leave providing, to the God of providence! With a little oil in the cruse, and a handful of meal in the barrel, Elijah outlived the famine, and you will do the same. If God cares for you, why need you care too? Can you trust Him for your soul, and not for your body? He has never refused to bear your burdens, He has never fainted under their weight. Come, then, soul! Have done with fretful care, and leave all thy concerns in the hand of a gracious God."

~Charles Haddon Spurgeon