Bringing "Ben" Home
Donation protected
Our Story
For those who may not be familiar with our story, we are an Air Force family of five with a heart for adoption and specifically for a little boy in China who we hope to meet very soon. While we were stationed in Asia several years ago, we traveled to China and saw firsthand the reality of the orphan crisis, and it has weighed heavily on our hearts ever since. That is truly when our adoption story began...
We officially embarked on our journey to adopt a child two years ago while stationed in England and were led to the China Waiting Child Program through America World Adoption agency, which advocates for children who have special needs or have a harder time being matched with a forever family. https://www.awaa.org/adopt/waiting-children/china. We have worked slowly, but diligently, through two home studies, an international move, building our dossier, and now arriving at the phase we've been waiting for...referral! We received a call in late July from our adoption coordinator, Rachel, that our file has been matched with a child from the exact province and orphanage that we had been praying for (thanks to dear friends who just adopted 2 children from this same orphanage). After receiving official approval from the Chinese government, we can now publicly share that we have been matched with a precious little two-year old boy, who has been "Benjamin" in our hearts for months now.
And yet, somehow, the story only gets better. We recently connected with Jean Marie, a sweet student and photographer who visited our child's orphanage this spring on a mission trip through AWAA and spent two weeks taking pictures and notes and loving on the babies in the orphanage. Upon arriving home, Jean Marie wrote a blog sharing our little boy’s story and how he captured her heart during her time in Baoji: http://sweetlifeunderthesavior.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-china-sessions-7-ben.html
She explained that she had given him an American name on her visit, as she looked into his deep, kind eyes and was reminded of her brother-in-law...and of all the names she could have chosen, she called him "Ben," the same name that had already been on our hearts when we prayed for our little boy. At the end of the blog, Jean Marie concluded with the verse Zephaniah 3:17, which is the verse we've sung over all of our children at tuck-in time since they were babies. As we talked with Jean Marie, we both looked at each other and knew without a word that this was the little boy God intended for our family from the beginning. In our hearts, this little boy, abandoned without a home or a name at just two days old, has always had both.
Our Financial Need
As we reach the final steps of our adoption and draw closer to the day we get to finally meet Ben, we are approaching some of the biggest financial and emotional hurdles we have yet to experience. Those who know us well know that it's not easy for us to ask for help, but we know we can't do this alone. This inevitable step in the journey was our biggest obstacle in moving forward with adoption, but we know that the faster we climb it, the faster we can bring Ben home. We would so appreciate your prayers and support in this time!
According to our adoption agency, we could travel in as little as 8-12 weeks, so we could be meeting Ben by Christmas or possibly even Thanksgiving! In the meantime, his picture sits on our kitchen counter and we pray for him every day. We can't wait to bring him home and introduce him to all of our family and friends who have prayed and advocated for him over the last two years!
Through the first two stages of the adoption, we have invested close to $19,000 and we've raised $10,600 through generous donations and grants. Our remaining need is approximately $24,000 to cover the following:
$4,625 - Final program and post-adoption fees
$5,000-7,000* - In-country travel, interpreters
$4,000-6,700* - Airline costs (including 3 return legs)
$7,300 - Orphanage fees, passport, medical fees
* estimates provided by our agency...final costs TBD.
We ask for your prayers and support over the next three months, which are a critical part of our journey to bring Ben home! God has provided at every step in this journey, and we move forward in faith that the seemingly insurmountable expenses will be met.
(For ethical reasons, we cannot accept financial donations from our squadron family in the 333d Fighter Squadron, but we so appreciate your thoughts and prayers in this time!)
For those who may not be familiar with our story, we are an Air Force family of five with a heart for adoption and specifically for a little boy in China who we hope to meet very soon. While we were stationed in Asia several years ago, we traveled to China and saw firsthand the reality of the orphan crisis, and it has weighed heavily on our hearts ever since. That is truly when our adoption story began...
We officially embarked on our journey to adopt a child two years ago while stationed in England and were led to the China Waiting Child Program through America World Adoption agency, which advocates for children who have special needs or have a harder time being matched with a forever family. https://www.awaa.org/adopt/waiting-children/china. We have worked slowly, but diligently, through two home studies, an international move, building our dossier, and now arriving at the phase we've been waiting for...referral! We received a call in late July from our adoption coordinator, Rachel, that our file has been matched with a child from the exact province and orphanage that we had been praying for (thanks to dear friends who just adopted 2 children from this same orphanage). After receiving official approval from the Chinese government, we can now publicly share that we have been matched with a precious little two-year old boy, who has been "Benjamin" in our hearts for months now.
And yet, somehow, the story only gets better. We recently connected with Jean Marie, a sweet student and photographer who visited our child's orphanage this spring on a mission trip through AWAA and spent two weeks taking pictures and notes and loving on the babies in the orphanage. Upon arriving home, Jean Marie wrote a blog sharing our little boy’s story and how he captured her heart during her time in Baoji: http://sweetlifeunderthesavior.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-china-sessions-7-ben.html
She explained that she had given him an American name on her visit, as she looked into his deep, kind eyes and was reminded of her brother-in-law...and of all the names she could have chosen, she called him "Ben," the same name that had already been on our hearts when we prayed for our little boy. At the end of the blog, Jean Marie concluded with the verse Zephaniah 3:17, which is the verse we've sung over all of our children at tuck-in time since they were babies. As we talked with Jean Marie, we both looked at each other and knew without a word that this was the little boy God intended for our family from the beginning. In our hearts, this little boy, abandoned without a home or a name at just two days old, has always had both.
Our Financial Need
As we reach the final steps of our adoption and draw closer to the day we get to finally meet Ben, we are approaching some of the biggest financial and emotional hurdles we have yet to experience. Those who know us well know that it's not easy for us to ask for help, but we know we can't do this alone. This inevitable step in the journey was our biggest obstacle in moving forward with adoption, but we know that the faster we climb it, the faster we can bring Ben home. We would so appreciate your prayers and support in this time!
According to our adoption agency, we could travel in as little as 8-12 weeks, so we could be meeting Ben by Christmas or possibly even Thanksgiving! In the meantime, his picture sits on our kitchen counter and we pray for him every day. We can't wait to bring him home and introduce him to all of our family and friends who have prayed and advocated for him over the last two years!
Through the first two stages of the adoption, we have invested close to $19,000 and we've raised $10,600 through generous donations and grants. Our remaining need is approximately $24,000 to cover the following:
$4,625 - Final program and post-adoption fees
$5,000-7,000* - In-country travel, interpreters
$4,000-6,700* - Airline costs (including 3 return legs)
$7,300 - Orphanage fees, passport, medical fees
* estimates provided by our agency...final costs TBD.
We ask for your prayers and support over the next three months, which are a critical part of our journey to bring Ben home! God has provided at every step in this journey, and we move forward in faith that the seemingly insurmountable expenses will be met.
(For ethical reasons, we cannot accept financial donations from our squadron family in the 333d Fighter Squadron, but we so appreciate your thoughts and prayers in this time!)
Organizer
Julie Young Haley
Organizer
Goldsboro, NC