Fundraising clarifications, concerns and criticism

Hello all,


I thought it was probably time to clarify a few questions regarding our fundraising. This post isn't really for those that know exactly what we are trying to do and why we are trying to do it. This post is more for those people that may not quite understand and in turn, they say some pretty offhanded comments. To us, and you.


1. "Why don't you just go through foster care, those kids are free?" Yes, I have actually been told that we should "get" a waiting child in foster care because we wouldn't have to raise money, and wouldn't have to wait long. Does our desire to raise an infant together make us selfish? I personally don't think so.  God's plan has not included the miracle that allows me to carry our child in my womb, but His plan has led us to adopt. At this point in our lives we desire to adopt an infant. Perhaps, later on in life, we will feel led to adopt from foster care but for now, we desire to adopt the infant that God is forming for us.


2. It has been hinted that perhaps we should have made the decision to adopt if we could not afford it. This one probably bothers me the most. Because, yes, we don't have $20K plus laying around, I don't know many people who do. But, we did not just wake up one day and decide, hmm, we should adopt. Years of failed fertility attempts left us broken. Exactly where God needed us to be before the plan could unfold. Adoption was everywhere we turned and we finally realized what we were supposed to do. And it felt good and right. And every day closer heals my broken infertile heart.


Over the past 6 months we have raised several thousand dollars that have gone directly to our adoption expenses. We are eternally grateful for every person who purchased a T-shirt, a cheesecake, dipped fruit, or just handed us a check or cash. We don't feel worthy or good enough to accept the outpouring of love and generosity that has been shown to us. In the beginning of this process we knew that we would have to rely on God to help us raise the funds for this adoption. But it has not come easy. It has been a labor of love. We have sold our boat, are in the process of selling our Jeep, baked for over 120 hours through the holidays, and designed and sold t-shirts. We have not sat back and just assumed $20k would simply fall in our lap. The funds raised have gone towards our home study, agency fees that include building our profile, "advertising" our family, assisting the birth mom, legal fees involved in termination of parental rights, etc.


And we are getting so very close. Again, thank you to everyone that has been so supportive from the very beginning, who have never doubted our intentions. Thank you for the encouragement, prayers, concerns, questions, creative ideas, for loving our family.


We continue to wait....we are so close to becoming an official waiting family....we are so close to meeting our birth family, we are so close to bringing home Baby Clayton.