We have great news! We were blessed to receive a $3000 matching grant for our adoption. What that means is if we raise $3000 (from friends and family...it cannot come from us), our church will match that amount, giving us $6000 to add to our adoption account. We sent the following letter out but also wanted to make it public on our blog. In this letter, you will hear our hearts for adoption and you will also be given ways to help us through prayer and finances. If you would like to donate to our adoption fund, you can send a check (directions in the letter below) or you can donate using the Donate button on the right side of the blog. If you use the donate button, the money will still go straight to Lifesong for Orphans in order to be matched. Paypal does take 2-3% as a service fee, but the donation is still tax deductible. Please take the time to read our letter, and thank you so much for your continued prayer and support on this journey.
Dear Friends and Family,
We hope you are doing well. As many of you may know, Chandler and I have felt the Lord leading us to adopt for some time now. Over the past few months, we have pursued this calling, and currently, we are working closely with a Christian adoption agency in Memphis, TN. Briefly, this organization typically reaches out to single, young mothers and encourages them to mother their children themselves or pursue adoption in lieu of considering an abortion. All of our paperwork has been finalized, and we are currently just “waiting for the call.” Many have asked us (or perhaps thought), why adopt? For one, James 1:27 says, “Religion that God our Father 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.”
Just as this verse says, we desire our faith to be seen as pure by Christ. As a family, we do not want our Christianity to be defined merely by abstaining from the wickedness this world has to offer, but by action…loving Christ and loving others. Second, we have been blessed to be a part of a church body that has taught us the beautiful analogy between adoption and what Christ has done for us. Our pastor often says, “We do not adopt to BE the rescuers; we adopt because we ARE the rescued.” Third, we have been blessed to have close friends that have both adopted and fostered children (that are now some of Mary Lee’s closest buddies). Their purity and faithfulness in pursuing God’s will for their family have been an inspiration to us. Finally, Revelation 7:9-10 says,
“After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
From this verse we know that every nation, every people group will be represented in Heaven. We also know the body of Christ at this very moment is made up of many different races, nations, and cultures. The body of Christ is a multicultural family. We want our family here in Birmingham, AL to be multicultural as well and be a reflection/reminder to Mary Lee, to ourselves, and to those around us of the body of Christ as a whole. All of us, regardless of race or nationality, were once sinners purchased by Jesus’ blood though we deserved much worse.
We ask that you join us in this journey. There are two main ways you can help:
1. Prayer – First and foremost, we ask for prayer. Please pray that God’s timing would be perfect in growing our family. Please pray that Chandler and I can display Christ to our children every day through our actions and words. Pray that Mary Lee’s heart will open to accept and love the newest member of our family.
2. Financially – Second, we ask you to consider supporting us financially in this adoption. We estimate our adoption fees will total about $15,000. We have been blessed to be able to pay every fee that has been due thus far. We still have about $8,000 left to pay. Our church partners with Lifesong for Orphans to offer financial assistance to families pursuing adoption. We have been approved for a “matching grant,” and they will match whatever amount we are able to raise up to $3,000. 100% of all funds received by Lifesong for Orphans go directly to cover adoption costs. Nothing is taken out for administrative costs. This is such a blessing and answered prayer for us! Although this is not the most stable financial situation of our lives with Griffin in residency and Chandler staying home with the kids next year, we know God is faithful and is leading us to trust Him.
Will you please consider making a tax-deductible donation to help us pay the remaining $8,000 in adoption expenses to bring our baby home? If you would like to be a part of God bringing this baby to Himself through our family, you can send your tax-deductible gift to the address below.
Please make checks payable to: Lifesong for Orphans. In the memo section of your check please write: preference Guice #2529 Adoption.
(*Note: In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to the named non-profit organization. This organization retains full discretion over its use, but intends to honor the donor’s suggested use.)
Mail checks to:
Lifesong for Orphans
Attn: Guice #2529 Adoption
PO Box 40 / 202 N. Ford St
Gridley, IL 61744
Thank you for investing in the Kingdom through prayer and finances – it will be an investment with an eternal return! You can follow our blog to receive updates on our family and our adoption process. The blog address is
http://www.gabbinwiththeguices.blogspot.com/. Please pray that this entire process will glorify God!
In Christ,
Griffin, Chandler, and Mary Lee
