Bringin' Home a Bean
Donation protected
Hi guys! We are the Beans: Eric, Christen & Asher. We live in Laurel, MS and have served in Student Ministry for 14 years before coming to Laurel where I now serve as the Student Pastor at Highland Baptist Church.
Some of you know this story and some of you don't. For those of you who do know the story may be wondering how God has been continuing to write this story over the past couple of years. So, here we go:
When we got married we knew that God would grow our family through adoption. In October of 2011 we officially began the adoption process. After a significant time in prayer the Lord led us to adopt from Ethiopia. The timeframe when we began the program was approximately 24-48 months. In the midst of the waiting, something unexpected but awesome happened. His name is Asher Bean. In May of 2013 we found out he was on the way and he arrived on January 27, 2014.
When we found out that Asher was on the way, we decided to pause the adoption process to adjust to becoming a family of 3. Today, the pause is over and we are now working on becoming a family of 4.
We are adopting a little boy from Ethiopia (UPDATE: Since this post Ethiopia closed to international adoption. We are now in the China Program with Lifeline. Check the latest update)who will be close to Asher's age. The cost for adoption is enormous (and has increased during the pause) but as with everything else God has called us to do, we know that He will provide.
While we were on hold in the process we continued to move up on the waiting list and by the time we get our paperwork caught up, it will be time to go get Asher's brother.
Here is a breakdown of the cost:
Lifeline Agency Fee: $11,550- $14,550
Third Party Fees: $19,298
Total Before Travel: $30,848 – $33,848
Travel Expenses: $11,305
We have already paid some of this as God has provided through the generosity of family and friends but still have a long way to go.
Thanks for taking time to read our story. We are adopting because we've been adopted by God through Christ (Romans 8: 14-17, Galatians 4:1-7).
Some of you know this story and some of you don't. For those of you who do know the story may be wondering how God has been continuing to write this story over the past couple of years. So, here we go:
When we got married we knew that God would grow our family through adoption. In October of 2011 we officially began the adoption process. After a significant time in prayer the Lord led us to adopt from Ethiopia. The timeframe when we began the program was approximately 24-48 months. In the midst of the waiting, something unexpected but awesome happened. His name is Asher Bean. In May of 2013 we found out he was on the way and he arrived on January 27, 2014.
When we found out that Asher was on the way, we decided to pause the adoption process to adjust to becoming a family of 3. Today, the pause is over and we are now working on becoming a family of 4.
We are adopting a little boy from Ethiopia (UPDATE: Since this post Ethiopia closed to international adoption. We are now in the China Program with Lifeline. Check the latest update)who will be close to Asher's age. The cost for adoption is enormous (and has increased during the pause) but as with everything else God has called us to do, we know that He will provide.
While we were on hold in the process we continued to move up on the waiting list and by the time we get our paperwork caught up, it will be time to go get Asher's brother.
Here is a breakdown of the cost:
Lifeline Agency Fee: $11,550- $14,550
Third Party Fees: $19,298
Total Before Travel: $30,848 – $33,848
Travel Expenses: $11,305
We have already paid some of this as God has provided through the generosity of family and friends but still have a long way to go.
Thanks for taking time to read our story. We are adopting because we've been adopted by God through Christ (Romans 8: 14-17, Galatians 4:1-7).
Organizer
Eric Bean
Organizer
Laurel, MS
