Fundraising Update!

Okay. I missed last Thursday's "Thursday Thank yous" - but trust me, it's coming. I just HAD to post today to let you all know where we are at with our fundraising goal, because I'm in disbelief!

Our goal is $45k. I think I broke this down a bit in one of my first blog entries, but in short, that includes all fees to both of our agencies, appointments to various doctors/tests, government fees (both here and there), travel expenses, and more...so yeah, it's a lot. And it's been overwhelming as we have progressed through our home study and have begun to make payments on things as we go. We've also been a little antsy about what COVID-19 will mean for our travel arrangements, when the time comes. Will there be extra costs for us? Will we have to stay in Korea longer to quarantine? There is really no way to predict it at this point. Ehhhhh. Anyway! After our latest fundraising efforts - big thanks to all who bid in our auctions and bought our baked goods - we stand at....are you ready for this?? $39,000.

I know!!!! That's like a salary, basically. A few months ago, this amount felt impossible to us. I'm not exaggerating. If you read my blog entry about how we got here, you'll remember that a few years ago, international adoption was completely off the table for us because of our intimidation over the cost. Now we sit here, less than 6 months into our fundraising, and our goal is IN SIGHT. Like, REALLY in sight!!

We have about a million people to thank - and we are still at the front end of this family's journey. Of course, financing all this "stuff" is a big deal...but, hopefully, not so long from now, our family will grow to six and, honestly, we will still need our village. I can't express how it feels to know you are here for us. It's amazing to us the way God answers prayers through other people.

Thank you. Paul is running 100 miles on Saturday. 100 consecutive miles, as fast as he can (maybe 16 hours?!). We are still accepting pledges for that run, if you feel so inclined...or come out and join Paul on the trail! You can reach out to Paul or I through Facebook or email - or you can comment here, even! A small donation per mile will go a long way - thank you!

And in the meantime, I'm happy to report that our psychological evaluations required by the Korean courts came back nice and healthy. Haha That is one more piece of our giant paperwork puzzle to check off the list! Yay! Thanks for reading and caring. - B * Artwork by Kierney Paschal, 9