Our First Fundraiser!!!

Madison, Chloe, and Dena selling drinks and cookies

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever!    Ephesians 3:20-21

When Lee and I were brainstorming about fundraising ideas for our adoption, the first thing that came to mind was to have a yard sale.  Now, I am not going to lie: I HATE doing yard sales!! They are so much work, and in 100 degree Louisiana summer heat, it did not sound like one bit of fun.  But, we spread the word on Facebook and at church that we would be accepting donations starting in June for our yard sale on July 17.....well, I learned pretty quickly not to ask small town friends for something unless you really want it! We got a TON of donations, so many that my garage was completely full in about 3 weeks.  My super sweet Grandma and Aunt came almost daily to help me price items, because they are yard sale experts.  However, even they were boggled by some of the items....what on earth do you ask for an air hockey table?? or a train table?? or a little boy's athletic cup?? (uh, the answer to that one is: pick it up using a stick and promptly toss both in the garbage!) It was an overwhelming amount of stuff, but we finally managed to get it all priced. The sale was to take place at my mom's house, which is right next to a small bridge.  A couple of weeks before the sale, we get the unexpected surprise that the bridge was under construction and would be closed the date of our yard sale.  We were sure that this would hurt our profits, but decided to stick with our original date.  Then, the night before the sale it rained, resulting in most of the signs Lee had put out being blown away...more discouragement, but too late to back out. 

The day of the yard sale started at 4:45 am, with lots of friends and family sacrificing their Saturday sleep to help us get things out on tables.  We had borrowed 11 long tables from our church, and even that wasn't enough to put everything out! The weather was extremely hot, but from 6:30 am until 1:30 pm we had a steady flow of customers.  God truly blessed all our hard work!

We were planning to use the yard sale profits for our home study the next weekend.  The cost of the home study was $1,400.  That's what we were praying for, hoping we would at least raise $1,000.  About 3 or 4 days before the sale, Lee felt the Holy Spirit impress upon him to pray for $2,000.  So, Lee prayed for $2,000.  Well, at the end of the day we quickly counted up the bills and estimated the coins and it looked like we had made about $1,200.  For a yard sale in 100 degree heat, that's pretty huge! Even though we didn't make the total amount needed for the home study, I was so grateful for what we did bring in.  Well, it turns out, we had miscounted...the actual amount we had made was, go ahead and guess, $1,400!! Wow! God always provides what we need, just when we need it.  We had exactly what we needed for the home study, so we were thrilled! Anyway, I was driving home (completely exhausted and soaking wet because we also got rained on while we were picking up) thinking about Lee's prayer for $2,000.  We didn't get that much, but it was alright because we had enough to cover the home study.  I pulled in the driveway and got the mail from the mailbox...nothing but bills, as usual.  One was from our insurance company, and looked a little different than our monthly bill does, so I opened it first.  Inside was a check for $888-a refund from over paying on our previous house!! My eyes filled up with tears.  I am completely humbled and amazed that we serve a God who not only blessed us with exactly what we needed, but more than we were even willing to ask for!

Deciding to follow God in this adoption and do what we know He is asking of us has not been easy.  Feelings have been expressed and questions have been raised that have truly hurt our hearts.  We believe that the amount of money raised is further confirmation that what we are doing is right.  God never calls us to a task which He doesn't equip us for.  This is a God-sized task, something Lee and I know we can't do on our own, but God continues to remind us that He has it all under control!.....we even had so much stuff left over that we are doing another sale in September.

Billy and Lee making a big sale

We had soooo much stuff!

Do you trust God?

O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of Jacob! Behold our shield, O God; look on the face of your anointed!  For a day in your courts is better than a thousand elsewhere.  I would rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God than dwell in the tents of wickedness.  For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor.  No good thing does he withhold from those who walk uprightly.  O LORD of hosts, blessed is the one who trusts in you!  Psalm 84:8-12

One of the most difficult aspects of this adoption, or any adoption for that matter, is the financial burden it places upon a family.  We live in economic times like many of us have never seen.  The costs of living and inflation continue to rise, all the while, millions are losing jobs and many others are just happy to maintain the status quo.   Families are searching for corners to cut and scraping by just to make the mortgage payment and keep the lights on.  That’s why people cannot believe that we would spend thirty thousand dollars to adopt a child from Ethiopia.  I cannot either.

We are one of those families that has had to tighten up so that we could pay our bills.  When Monica and I sensed God calling us to adopt Shepherd, it was right in the middle of a time when there was no disposable income for us.  It terrified Monica to consider adding thirty thousand dollars to what we were already spending each year.  Thirty thousand dollars we did not have.  But we knew God was calling us to this.  We trusted this was His plan for us.  The question that loomed around us was, “Do you trust God enough that He will provide for what He is calling you to do?”

It is a natural instinct for sinful humans to try and control every situation we encounter.  It made sense to build a spreadsheet and look at the projected income and outflow, and see where we could make cuts.  We wanted to be able to see the numbers on paper and know everything was going to be okay.  We wanted and desired to be in the will of God, but we also wanted to have some control there.  But the more we tried to control, the more we saw that we could not.  The only way for us to adopt Shepherd was to trust that God does provide.

As I was reading the other night through The Psalms, the Holy Spirit spoke to me as I reached Psalm 84.  Psalm 84 has been made popular in recent years by praise songs and contemporary Christian music.  In Psalm 84, the psalmist exclaims what a joy it is to be in the presence of God.  He sings to us that those whose strength and heart are in the Lord are blessed.  When we place ourselves in the presence of God, he gives peace, and rest, and security.  One day living in the will of God, is better than a thousand elsewhere.  God does not withhold any good thing from those living and walking in His will.  We are assured that God does provide for what He is calling us to do.

I shared this Psalm that night with Monica.  We discussed how this Psalm was providentially placed before us during a time when we were struggling.  We are comforted by this.  We have assurance of this.  We know and trust that God will provide the necessary monies to bring Shepherd home because He has called us to do that.  Has God called you as well?  We think He has.  We humbly ask that everyone lift us and Shepherd up in prayer these next few months.  We need your prayers more than ever.  We know that God will use many of you to help us raise the money we need to bring Shepherd home.  We appreciate your generosity.  We also believe that God is moving in some of you to help the orphan and perhaps provide a forever home for one of His children.  Adoption is not cheap, it is not easy.  It overwhelms every part of you, every emotion, every thought.  It requires patience and wisdom that can only come from God.  God does provide.  Despite my sinful nature, despite my lack of faith. Despite insurmountable amounts of money and bureaucratic red-tape, God provides the desire, the will, the peace, the security, the support, the funds, the Son.

Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.
~Psalm 37:4

We have many friends who have adopted internationally, and for years I have been "drawn" to adoption, in a sense. But I guess I just always thought it was for someone else's family. When you live in the deep south, change is not the norm. Southerners do not easily break out of their routines to try something new. Even though Lee and I are not your typical southerners, rather, people willing to try new things and do whatever God calls us to do, adoption seemed a little extreme. What would our extended family think? What would our friends say? After all, we already have 3 children of our own, and kids take up a lot of time and money. Plus, a child from another country would likely be of a different race. It would just be too complicated. So, for the past 8 years I have envied my friends with adopted children from a distance. How wonderful for them that they have families who are okay with it, who support them in whatever they feel God calling them to do. I know that Jesus commands us in scripture to care for orphans, and I have been so blessed to see God using our friends to carry this out.

But despite how crazy international adoption sounded for our family, Lee and I have discussed it many times over the past 8 years. We have prayed about the possibility of adopting a son, but I never really thought it would go any farther than that. After all, most normal people have things that they dream about but never follow through with, right?? Well, as it turns out, this was not one of those things. Earlier this year, God began to grab onto my heart about international adoption, and He was not letting go! The thought of adoption was on my mind and heart all the time, and it was most pressing whenever I had my daily quiet time with God. I agreed to let Lee request a packet from America World Adoption Agency, but I was still not fully on board. I just thought we would look at it, watch the DVD inside, and then stick it under the bed for a few years. Wrong again! When that blue folder came in the mail and I began to flip through pictures of orphaned children and stories of families just like mine, who took a step of faith and adopted a child, I could not hold back my tears. I just knew. God had been working in my heart all these years for this moment. Adoption wasn't just something that I thought was really awesome for other people's families. It was a desire that God had put in my heart (Psalm 37:4)! I knew then that it did not matter to me if our family and friends thought we were insane or not. All that mattered was that millions of children all over the world did not have a Mama and Daddy to love them, and even though we already have a family of 5, there's always enough love for one more! I realized that in my own sinfulness and selfishness, I could not have come up with this desire, because it does not make sense by the world's standards. But it makes perfect sense by God's standards. That is how I know it's the right thing to do. God led our family to this, in His own perfect timing. I reached a point where I had to ask myself, "Am I going to follow God or am I going to ignore His voice because I care what other people will think?" I have been a follower of Christ since I was 8 years old, and raised with the desire to willingly go wherever He leads. I already knew the answer to that question. Following God is what our family is going to do! It's what we want to do. God in His grace adopted us into His family, and we are going to adopt another child into ours. He will look different, and come from somewhere far, far away from the deep south, but that's okay. He will be ours and we will love him forever.
 And so begins our journey to Ethiopia, Waiting for Shepherd....

Swagger Wagon

This is one of our favorite videos. Enjoy.