Read, Pray, and Please Make This Go Viral!

Faithful blog readers, remember my dear friend, Amanda Teixeira?  Back in December, we wrote a series on the cross of infertility.  (If you didn't have a chance to read it, head on back to read Amanda's words.  She does such a great job of explaining what it's like for a couple to carry the cross of infertility.)

This last week, Amanda and her husband, Jonathan, happened to be in town for a family wedding.  Even though their visit was super jam-packed with other obligations, people to visit, and things to do, they were gracious enough to head down the road to Lincoln and pay us a visit.  It was so nice to be able to catch up and hear all about the latest in their world.  (If you want to keep up on what the Teixeiras are up to, head over to their great blog, TRUEGOODANDBEAUTIFUL.)

Aren't they adorable?  This picture makes me smile ear to ear.

Let me cut to the chase.  I need your help, and Amanda and Jonathan would love it if you could help, too!  You see, they have discerned that God is calling them to adopt a precious baby.  You can read about their posts on adoption here.  

So, how can we help Jonathan and Amanda to  help their dreams come to fruition?

1.  Spread the word!

As Amanda wrote on their blog,

"...pursuing designated adoption versus agency domestic adoption is significantly more affordable. As in one-third to half of the cost. It involves locating a birth mother on our own or via family/friends connections and then going to our agency to set up the legal paperwork and proper counseling to facilitate the adoption.

The hardest part of this type of adoption is locating a birth mother. We plan to make an adoption video/profile and set up some sort of social media campaign to let others know we desire to adopt and are looking for any connection to a birth mother out there. If you have any connection at any time to a birth mother discerning adoption, LET US KNOW!"  

Do you know of a birth mother discerning adoption?  Please pass along Amanda and Jonathan's information!  

2.  Share our treasure 

I can't say it any better than Amanda did:

"This can be the scary part for some adoptive couples out there. Since Jonathan and I already fundraise our of income this portion isn’t that frightening. We know too many generous and kind people to be afraid of fundraising. We also have watched God provide for our needs time and time again in the most random ways. If adopting is God’s will for our family – the money will come some way or another. 

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God and the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their affliction…” James 1:27 

Sure, we could simply rely on grants, tax credits, and personal budget/savings to do this adoption. But we feel an actual calling to involve others. In our self-sufficient society, we feel God asking us specifically to make ourselves vulnerable in this way. To expose our needs to others – for judgement, generosity, kindness, cruel comments, etc. I have no idea as to what people will think but we are being obedient to God in this, so I can’t care what people think. 

This adoption isn’t just a means of growing our family. It can be a way to bring The Body of Christ together in a powerful way to answer God’s call to care for orphans. Who are we to prevent others from being able to answer this call in a concrete way by supporting our adoption efforts financially? For most, this will be the only way they ever have to care for an orphaned child in an up close and personal way. Through financially supporting us, they are giving a child a family. 

We aren’t sure exactly how we will pursue fundraising. There are TONS of ideas out there in books, blogs, and on Pintrest. Once we become home study approved, we will take more concrete steps to put together a fundraising initiative."

Stay tuned as to how Amanda and Jonathan will formally fundraise.  In the meantime, if you are interested in helping them "bring The Body of Christ together," you can contact them here.   

3.  Pray, pray, pray
Keep those prayers coming!  Nothing is impossible with God.  May God's will be done in His perfect time for Amanda and Jonathan.  We pray that God's will is for them to become parents of a precious baby through the ultimate generosity of a birth mother who chose them as his or her parents.

Thank you for reading a little about Amanda and Jonathan's story.  They will continue to share updates and information about ways we can help on their blog.  Become a subscriber to Amanda and Jonathan's blog TRUEGOODANDBEAUTIFUL to stay up-to-date.  I'll keep sharing news and updates here, too.  In the meantime, keep those prayers coming, prayerfully discern sharing your treasure, and pass along their information to any possible birth mothers.  Thank you for helping my dear friends! 

Holy Family of Nazareth, pray for us!