It has come to our attention that our last post (in combination with the new ‘Donate’ button) was not very clear, so we’d like to share with you some details regarding the request for help that was part of that post. Please note that this isn’t meant to illicit sympathy; we just want to be transparent about the realities of why we’ve placed the ‘donate’ button on the site and what it’s for.
We started this process at the end of 2006 with an income more than twice what it is today. In the fall, immediately on discovering the coming change in income, I went to see our caseworker to ask how it would affect our adoption. It does not change our adoption. The Haitian government has not stopped the paperwork; it’s still moving through the process. With that said, we do still have about $11,000 in outstanding costs, and we’ll need about $1,500 to travel (we think in June at the earliest now). We do not currently have this money.
Our first priority is to raise the money for travel. This is why we placed the donate button on the blog. Donations made through the blog go directly into a PayPal account we have set up specifically for this purpose. Anything above $1,500 will go toward the larger costs.
We have applied for two grants, and won’t hear “rulings” from either of them until late April or May. The challenge we face with both of these grants is that the tax return information they are looking at does not reflect our current situation. While we anticipate some help from them, we’re anticipating that it will likely be on the lower end of their ranges.Additionally, as part of our application with one of them, they want to know what we’re doing to raise the money we need; if they’re going to give us money, they want to know that we’re making an effort as well. Their first suggestion is to ask family and friends, so asking you to help us is one of the main things we’re doing to that end.
Even with all of that, we don’t think adoption is financially impossible! It’s a step of faith. You can’t get help until you’ve already initiated an adoption. There’s a lot of help out there through individuals, grants, and tax credits. However, it’s only through individuals that we can raise money for the travel costs we need.
God is big. He will provide the money we need, whether it be through you as individuals, through more work for us, or through some other means. He will provide it and we trust Him to do that. He expects us to take responsibility, however, for the part we can have, and that is what we are trying to do by asking for help.
PS – If you prefer donating through our agency, please send your donation (marked “Garrett Adoption”) to:
Bethany Christian Services
ATTN: Belinda Geertsma
12048 James Street
Holland, MI 49424
Belinda is our caseworker and has previously expressed her willingness to take donations for us, but advised that those monies would go directly toward the larger amount and not for our travel.
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