Compassion is expensive.

Compassion is expensive. I heard this today and "Amen" came out of my mouth before I knew it. My friend beside me laughed because she knew I was referring to the adoption and money. As our pastor said, compassion is not just financially expensive, it's emotionally expensive. I don't know how many times my phone rings and I look at the number hoping it's our agency. Sadly, sometimes I just look at it and will it to ring, haha. The paperwork is stressful and taxing. While I'm whining, let me just remind myself, we haven't even gotten to the hard part. The emotional expense is gonna get intense when we go and visit our child and then have to leave--to wait another six months before we go back to pick them up. It's going to be emotionally expensive once they are home to work through the child's potential issues, worry about attachment, worry about how the girls are adjusting and learn how to adjust to the new family dynamics.

Compassion is going to cost you time. The adoption process is challenging and time-consuming. Fundraising for the adoption is challenging and time-consuming. Grants are challenging and time-consuming. So far, we have spent two years actively pursuing this process, in addition to the 8 years of contemplating, research, meetings with a couple of agencies and figuring out God's timing. 

Someone asked us tonight, "Is it worth it?" I do not have a name or a face and I don't even know when I'll get one, but I don't need one. Yes!!! It's worth it to give someone hope, a future, a family and introduce them to a heavenly Father that will love them in a way that we are not even capable of displaying.

Was our pastor talking specifically about adoption today? Nope, but in my head I heard the word compassion replaced with adoption the entire time and he might has well have just been talking to me. If you are interested in the message, click on this link. If you replace that word when you listen as well, you either are in the process of adoption or maybe you should be!

For those who are dealing with the financially expensive side of adoption, here is the grant list I promised in the last post about fundraising! 

1. SBC Minister's Adoption Fund. This is for pastors. We received a response to this grant after a month. You receive the funds when you accept your referral.
2. Lifesong for Orphans. We received a response after about two months. We received a matching grant from them. They told us how much we had to raise and they would match it. They connected us as well with Gobena Coffee and any monies received from that go toward our matching fund. They will accept money for us as long as we need them to do so, even after we exceed our goal. Funds are sent to our agency.
3. Global Orphan Fund. We received a response after about two months. Funds are sent to our agency.
4. Show Hope. We received a response after almost four months. Funds are sent to our agency.
5. God's Grace Adoption Ministry. We received a response after about two months. There was a $20 fee to apply and we were denied.
6. Gift of Adoption Grant. We hear back from them monthly since our application in 2015. There is a $50 fee. They require a referral before they decide if they will award a grant, as it's dependent on the funds available. They send us regular opportunities to update our status. 
7. JSC Foundation. We applied over a year ago and have not heard back. 
8. One 17 Foundation. We applied and heard back in less than a month. Super fast, but we were denied. We can reapply. They have multiple deadlines.
9. Families Outreach. This response took about four months. This grant showed up right after we had to write a check for our homestudy update. Also, the check was made out to us, which really helped out after writing the other large check to the agency.
10. Heritagelink Adoption Grant. We received this response a month after we submitted. This was a great grant and is waiting for us until we get a referral. 
11. A Child Waits. This grant requires you to have a referral to apply.
12. Lydia Fund. This grant requires a referral and you can apply up to a year after your travel dates.
13. Love Knows No Borders. This grant had no website and ask you to send a self-addressed envelope to an address. I assumed it couldn't hurt even though it wasn't the typical process and the envelope came back with "return to sender" on it. No harm done, but thought I'd share.

These are the grants we've applied to. Many have cut-off dates for applications at different points throughout the year, so check into them for deadlines. We made a spreadsheet to keep up with it all because when you send out a bazillion applications it helps to keep the info all in one place, remember who you've heard from and what further instructions there are. 

Most grants are need-based and many depend on available donations. Most require the same information, so you can keep copies of the documents you create for one grant on hand and use them for other grants, as they are modified to the new grant's specifications. Do NOT assume you won't qualify for an adoption grant--let the grant directors tell you that. 

We have or will receive about one-third of our funds through grants! As you can see, many of the grants do not pay out until the end of the process, so keep that in mind. The rest of our funds are coming through fundraising and our own income. My point: adoption is "doable." The greatest thing it is costing us at the moment is time. Money is a factor, but there are so many options out there to assist in that area. Your greatest cost will be your time and the giving of yourself.

Please post below if you know of other grants I did not list! There are many out there. It's just a matter of getting the word out!