Adoption Finances & On My Soapbox

Today I wanted to post about something that I haven’t really touched on yet regarding our adoption, and that is finances. How can a young couple like you afford an adoption? That is the question that I feel hanging in the air. Well, today I will tell you how.

On average, an international adoption costs between $20,000-$30,000. Depending on which country you adopt from, this could be more, or a little less. With our Ghana adoption, the total cost is going to end up right around $25,000. When God first put it onto our hearts to adopt, we had about $20,000 in our savings account that we had built up from the pre-baby years when I was working. This savings account was never touched by us unless it was an emergency……an emergency meaning we ended up short one month on paying a bill so we would use a little from our savings, or if an unforeseen medical issue came up that needed to be paid for we would dip into the savings, etc. Well, when God put it onto our hearts to adopt, we felt like he was saying to start the process right now. No waiting. Dive in. Of course, the first obstacle we came to was how we would afford it. I mean really, who has thousands of extra dollars just laying around that they are all gung-ho on spending on an adoption? I am sure, not many. But, Jake knew that we had a very perfect adoption amount in our savings, and that figure stared him in the face for about a week. It ate at him, because he knew if we used our savings, we could do the adoption, but the thought of losing our complete financial cushioning was sickening to him. I was a stay-at-home-mom and both Jake and I wanted it to stay that way. But, using our savings up would put a ton of pressure on Jake as the sole provider for our family, because that meant that every month we would have to ‘make it’. Not only all of this, but at the point this adoption thing came around, we had only been in our new house for less than a year, getting used to paying a mortgage payment instead of a small rent payment. And, we had just had Jayla so we were paying for diapers and formula again. And, Jake had just switched his basketball program over to a new facility, with a new owner, which meant his paycheck was coming from a new place, and we were still waiting to see if his players and coaches would stick with him through the change, or stay back with the previous owner. All of these things combined meant tremendous pressure and not much stability. The thought of losing our savings which was always there ‘just in case’ really made Jake want to throw up.

But, here is the good news. And, here is where I might get on my soap box a little. I believe that if you are a follower of Christ Jesus, and if you feel his calling on your life to adopt and if you step out in faith and answer the call, then He will make a way for you. Financially. He will. That is what I believe. But, the hard part is you aren’t going to know how he is going to do it. That is why it comes down to faith. You will have to make the decision to adopt, maybe even before you know how God is going to provide the way for you to do it. Sounds crazy doesn’t it? The great thing is that I have lots of proof to back up my theory. :) This proof comes in the form of story after story after story of people who have adopted, and God somehow miraculously provided the way for them to do it financially. I wish you could have all listened to my favorite radio station a little over a week ago (96.1). They were airing stories of families who have adopted, and the families were sharing how God helped them to be able to afford it, even though going into it they weren’t sure how they were going to do it. One family was in the middle of an adoption and another family had invited them to dinner. This family that had them over for dinner basically said ‘pass the peas, and oh by the way, we’d like to pay for your adoption.’ Wow! And that wasn’t the only story. There were many. Not sure if you remember the family that we ran into at the airport….The Gibsons. Well, they had another great story along these lines. The adoption had really run their bank account dry, and then when they were in Haiti visiting the two kids they were going to adopt, it was then that God laid it on their heart to adopt Christopher (the oldest) as well. This meant even more money, that of which they didn’t have. However, when it came time for them to start paying fees for Christopher, some financial things had come their way that they were not expecting, and they ended up having enough money to fund the adoption of Christopher, as well as the other two.

Well, Jake and I did decide to use ¾ of our emergency savings to cover the cost of the adoption. We also decided to apply for a loan which we were approved for, and that funded our remaining adoption costs. And, you know what? About 3 months into the adoption process we found out that in Iowa, families can qualify for an adoption tax credit. This credit can be claimed in the year after the adoption is finalized, and the full credit amount is $12, 150. You can read more about the Iowa Adoption Tax Credit here: http://www.articlesbase.com/parenting-articles/how-the-adoption-tax-credit-works-895938.html
There are other states who also exercise this adoption tax credit for those who qualify. Of course this is a tax credit, meaning it’s money back from money already spent….so it’s not money that we were able to use towards the adoption. But, it is one way in which our savings will start to be replenished after the adoption. Not only this, but about 6 months into our adoption, our church decided to start giving adoption grants in the form of $5000 to members of the church family who adopt. Our church is AWESOME, isn’t it? For our situation, they will be buying our plane tickets when we travel to bring Samuel home. Praise the Lord. These two things combined will be about $17,000 back to us, that we had no idea was coming our way when we began our adoption journey.

Adoptions are expensive. It’s just silly isn’t it? That there are so many orphans in this world that need a loving, caring home, medical attention, food, and a chance at a better life, and yet, that it costs thousands of dollars to be able to give them that opportunity? Yes, it’s silly. It’s hard to even understand why. I’ve heard it over and over again ‘Adoptions should be free’. Yes it would make more sense if they were. But, what if the cost is God’s way of testing your faith? Because, it could certainly become an excuse. An excuse to not answer the call. An excuse to miss out on an opportunity for your relationship with your Savior to become deeper, and more powerful than you could ever imagine. If God has put it on your heart to adopt, I believe you will know it. It will be clear. You will feel it. And, I say to you step out in faith and do it, even if you don’t know what the outcome will be. Pray every single step along the way, ask God to provide a way for you to adopt, ask for strength and trust in His plan for how this will all work out. Learn to rely on God and not on yourself, or your bank account, or your job, or your savings. This post is by no means meant to persuade you into making a silly financial decision for your family. I have many friends who are saving now to start the adoption process in a few years. I think that is great and smart. I more would like this post to be an encouragement to those who are struggling with the financial aspect of adoption. It is a struggle, it is a stress, and it is a lot of money. But I believe if you step out in faith to obey God, then He will provide for you. He will.