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Friday, May 2, 2014

We met our Matching Grant!



As you have probably seen, we found out late Wednesday night that we met our matching grant! I cried, we praised the Lord and I (Alisha-just to clarify) cried some more - tears of joy and tears of gratefulness!!!!! The Lord provides in the most incredible ways and we are beyond thankful for His provision! So many people have supported us not only financially but emotionally and prayerfully along this journey and we could not be more grateful and humbled! 

So from here - we continue to raise money! We will need at least $30,000 to actually finalize on an adoption. BUT we now have enough that we can start applying to agencies! We will start next week with MORE paperwork and this time it is actually feeling REAL and so much CLOSER (although there is no timeline)!!!  We have chosen 4 agencies across the USA that we will be applying to with the help of CAC (Christian Adoption Consultants)! Most of those agencies waive any application fees for CAC families so this is another HUGE blessing!!! 

We have had so many people ask if we are still raising money and if they can help and the answer is YES followed by a HUGE HUG :)

We met the $10,000 matching grant but are still working on getting the remaining $4-6K needed to finalize on an adoption!!! Here is how::

*Give Online*
2. Select 'Give to an Adoptive Family'
3. Complete the online form and fill in our familiy account number and family name!  (4335 / Forbis) This is very important!!!! Please make sure you note this on any donation given!!! 
*Please note that PayPal will charge an administrative fee (2.9% + $.30 USD per transaction). Your donation will be decreased by the amount of this fee.
*Please note that PayPal will charge an administrative fee (2.9% + $.30 USD per transaction). Your donation will be decreased by the 
*Give by Check*
Please make checks payable to Lifesong for Orphans
***Important!!! In the memo please make not your gift preference with our family account number and family name - (4335 / Forbis)***

Please mail checks to:
Lifesong for Orphans
PO Box 40
Gridley, IL  61744
Lifesong has been blessed with a partner that underwrites all US administrative fund-raising costs (TMG Foundation and other partners). That means that 100% of your donation will go directly to the need! 




Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Quick Update


Where does that leave us to date:: 



*Give Online*
2. Select 'Give to an Adoptive Family'
3. Complete the online form and fill in our familiy account number and family name!  (4335 / Forbis) This is very important!!!! Please make sure you note this on any donation given!!! 
*Please note that PayPal will charge an administrative fee (2.9% + $.30 USD per transaction). Your donation will be decreased by the amount of this fee.
*Please note that PayPal will charge an administrative fee (2.9% + $.30 USD per transaction). Your donation will be decreased by the 
*Give by Check*
Please make checks payable to Lifesong for Orphans
***Important!!! In the memo please make not your gift preference with our family account number and family name - (4335 / Forbis)***

Please mail checks to:
Lifesong for Orphans
PO Box 40
Gridley, IL  61744
Lifesong has been blessed with a partner that underwrites all US administrative fund-raising costs (TMG Foundation and other partners). That means that 100% of your donation will go directly to the need! 


Monday, April 14, 2014

Two Week Countdown


The countdown has begun......




Two weeks from today our matching grant ends! To date we are sitting at $5,945! (for the grant)Our grant will be matched up to $10,000! 

We are praying that we will be able to get the full $10,000 which matched would be $20,000! 

Our total fundraising is currently at $16,235 of the total $30,000 needed to begin the application process! 

This absolutely blows me away - The Lord is providing in incredible ways and we could not be more grateful to see so many people wanting to be part of this baby's story! What a blessing it is! 


Its not too late to give and have your donation be doubled!!!!

*Give Online*
2. Select 'Give to an Adoptive Family'
3. Complete the online form and fill in our familiy account number and family name!  (4335 / Forbis) This is very important!!!! Please make sure you note this on any donation given!!! 
*Please note that PayPal will charge an administrative fee (2.9% + $.30 USD per transaction). Your donation will be decreased by the amount of this fee.
*Please note that PayPal will charge an administrative fee (2.9% + $.30 USD per transaction). Your donation will be decreased by the 
*Give by Check*
Please make checks payable to Lifesong for Orphans
***Important!!! In the memo please make not your gift preference with our family account number and family name - (4335 / Forbis)***

Please mail checks to:
Lifesong for Orphans
PO Box 40
Gridley, IL  61744
Lifesong has been blessed with a partner that underwrites all US administrative fund-raising costs (TMG Foundation and other partners). That means that 100% of your donation will go directly to the need! 


Thursday, April 3, 2014

Rescued!


My heart has been heavy lately. Not because of how long and grueling the adoption process can be, but because of the weight of sin that I believe fully effects adoption! 


I saw this quote recently and felt as though it were coming from my own heart! 

People often ask why we are adopting - and the answers come from many different perspectives BUT ULTIMATELY - we are adopting because we have been RESCUED by the cross of Jesus Christ! I do not believe that that means that everyone who has been rescued is supposed to adopt - but I do believe that God calls us to love and care for the orphans! That looks different in every believers life and for us it looks like adoption.

A friend of mine recently posted this on facebook and I was so grateful and encouraged by her words:

"Adoption is one of the most profound, most beautiful acts a believer can be a part of. What an incredible picture of Gods adoption of us, as His sons and daughters. If you know anyone in the process of adoption or have already adopted, be a part. Love them, pray for them, support them. They're doing a gospel work!"

Someone then commented how hard adopting is and how they want to cry and give up so often because of the process being so difficult.....

My friend's response absolutely BLEW my mind! 

"I think it's the same reason any life experience that explicitly preaches the gospel can be hard/ the enemy hates it and will do everything in his power to thwart or ruin in. But we have the strength of Christ. Just read Ephesians 6:10-20 today. Were clothed to fight and wage war- to protect and guard truth. What you guys are doing is a clear picture of the gospel/ and you aren't doing it alone!"

I have tried to communicate this in my own words so many times (and this is much more beautifully written that I can ever quite seem to get my words to be) - but today, for me, this is exactly what I needed to hear  to not only encourage my heart but to remind me that this is the fight, this is war - and we are clothed and ready for battle, thanks to the ONE who rescued us! 

So thankful for the truth.  


Thursday, March 6, 2014

Garage Sale!



I know no one really LOVES to have a garage sale, but I am one of those rare people who really thinks its fun! I also really love a challenge, so last Monday when we received the news about our $10,000 matching grant...I decided we would have a garage sale that coming weekend - I was ready to get going! I let a few friends know in case they had anything they wanted to donate! I made a last minute decision, without thinking through any of the details, that we would have it on Friday AND Saturday!!! 

I wish I could remember all of the details of the week and weekend but....

Here are a few of the things that were an absolute blessing::

A friend loaned us a truck for the entire weekend - what a life saver that was! 
Friends come to help price things and make signs for us! 
Friends baked for us so that we would have baked goods to sell! 
So many people donated things for us to sell - and kept donating up until 3 hours before the sale ended on Saturday!
People watched Miss E for us while we worked the sale! 
People we didn't even know walked up and handed us money just because they wanted to be part of adoption, had been touched by adoption, or just thought it was really cool what we are doing!
The weather was perfect!
A friend who is in marketing helped me think through how to best advertise the sale!

I believe all of this would not be possible without all of the prayers that so many were praying for us!

Although it was very last minute -the Lord provided in absolutely ONLY GOD ways!

We are still working on totals from this weekends garage sale (some of the donated items are being sold online), but as of now we raised $1,670 -- we are blown away!


God is so sweet in His provision!!! All of that will be doubled through our $10,000 matching grant funded by Legacy 685! What a blessing! 

Every dollar donated between now and April 28 will be doubled up to $10,000! That would mean we would almost be at our goal amount to bring our baby home!!!! Please consider giving NOW at the link below!!! Every dollar counts - TWICE

As we get the other things sold online, and get the totals of donations that have been made online - I will update you! 


Here is how you can give now!!
 ALL DONATIONS WILL BE MATCHED NOW THROUGH APRIL 28!!!!!! 



*Give by Check*
Please make checks payable to Lifesong for Orphans
***Important!!! In the memo please make note your gift preference with our family account number and family name - (4335 / Forbis)***

Please mail checks to:
Lifesong for Orphans
PO Box 40
Gridley, IL  61744
Lifesong has been blessed with a partner that underwrites all US administrative fund-raising costs (TMG Foundation and other partners). That means that 100% of your donation will go directly to the need! 

*Give Online*
2. Select 'Give to an Adoptive Family'
3. Complete the online form and fill in our familiy account number and family name!  (4335 / Forbis) This is very important!!!! Please make sure you note this on any donation given!!! 
*Please note that PayPal will charge an administrative fee (2.9% + $.30 USD per transaction). Your donation will be decreased by the amount of this fee.


*Please note that PayPal will charge an administrative fee (2.9% + $.30 USD per transaction). Your donation will be decreased by the amount of this fee.

Monday, February 24, 2014

Big news in February!!!


Well this last few weeks have been CRAZY!!!! Our heart strings have been pulled! Our emotions have been crazy! And God has been faithful through it all!!! I am so thankful I can finally write a blog and update you on what's been going on! 

A couple weeks ago we heard of a situation that we very quickly became interested in! There was a birth mom due in March who was still in need of an adoptive family for her baby!!! We quickly gathered paperwork and began talking with the agency! We were told at the time that there were no other families even presenting to this birth mom. We prayed a lot for her and for that little baby boy and prayed for God's will and for our hearts to fully trust whatever the outcome was! 

We received a call today and found out that a wonderful family in Michigan was chosen! Although we were not chosen for this child, we are grateful for the opportunity to pray for him as if he was going to be our own and have so much peace that he will be placed with the family that is perfectly fit for him!! We are so grateful that the Lord has given us such peace about this situation - although we have both been a little emotional tonight, we rest fully in the plans the Lord has and are so grateful for the peace He has given us tonight!

Because of this situation, we were able to get some things moving with our grants! Had this been the baby for us, we would have had to come up with a lot of money in one week, so because of that we were able to get our paperwork expedited to the top for one of our grants and received some INCREDIBLY HUMBLING NEWS TODAY!!!!!


We have received a $10,000 matching grant that will be funded by Legacy 685!!!!!! 

We are blown away by His goodness in this gift and are now ready to hit it hard with fundraising!!! 

As you can imagine we have been very emotional this last few weeks as we have seen pictures of sonograms of the baby that we thought we might get to bring home in just a few short weeks, but we know that this was all part of the plan that God had in place for us to be able to get moving a little quicker on things that have been at a stand still for what feels like an eternity to a waiting mommy and family! 

So with that being said....we want to invite you to be a part in joyfully partnering with us by financially helping bring our baby home! 

Gifts given between now and April 28, 2014 will be matched up to $10,000!!!! We are praying that through this matching grant we will be able to meet our goal and will be able to bring home our baby!!!!! 

Check out below ways that you can give!! 


*Give by Check*
Please make checks payable to Lifesong for Orphans
***Important!!! In the memo please make not your gift preference with our family account number and family name - (4335 / Forbis)***

Please mail checks to:
Lifesong for Orphans
PO Box 40
Gridley, IL  61744
Lifesong has been blessed with a partner that underwrites all US administrative fund-raising costs (TMG Foundation and other partners). That means that 100% of your donation will go directly to the need! 

*Give Online*
2. Select 'Give to an Adoptive Family'
3. Complete the online form and fill in our familiy account number and family name!  (4335 / Forbis) This is very important!!!! Please make sure you note this on any donation given!!! 
*Please note that PayPal will charge an administrative fee (2.9% + $.30 USD per transaction). Your donation will be decreased by the amount of this fee.
**CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO DONATE NOW!**



*Please note that PayPal will charge an administrative fee (2.9% + $.30 USD per transaction). Your donation will be decreased by the amount of this fee.

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

January Adoption Update


I don't have much to update on the adoption front. We are still waiting. We have applied for 3 grants so far and have to wait 8-10 weeks to hear back on those...... It took close to that to get the applications filled out :/ There is a LOT of paperwork involved in anything to do with adoption I have learned and Lots of waiting. A friend, who is also adopting, walked in one day last week and heard our printer going and said "Adoption?" These are things only adoptive parents can understand - the amount of work, prayers, worry, love, thought, anxiety, love, paperwork, love and more paperwork that it takes to adopt. Once the Lord provides the money for our adoption there will be more paperwork as we will begin applying to agencies across the US! 

At this point we are waiting to hear from the grants as we pray and trust the Lord that IN HIS time, He will provide exactly what we need to grow our family! 



Pray for our grants! That the Lord would lay it on the hearts of those processing our applications to give generously to our adoption! 

We have not stopped hoping and praying for miracles as we KNOW God will provide for us! 


Big sis in training!!

As we wait we are enjoying every second with our sweet girl who is becoming more and more fun everyday! We are so thankful for her and the PURE JOY she has for life! 

***READ ALL ABOUT OUR ADOPTION HERE***