Help Bring Joy Home
This past April I went to Uganda to help our church missionaries who run an orphanage called “Love and Care for All.” It was there I first laid eyes on a little girl named Joy with a bright smile. She was 5 years old and has been abandoned and in desperate need of a home.
I looked at her and felt God saying, “You should adopt her.”I tried to ignore it and began saying how impossible it would be to adopt her. I thought about how we don’t have the money, how the process is too hard, and how there were other challenges but God kept whispering to me that she would be a blessing to my family and we would be a blessing to her.
Later that night I called my wife, Shari, and said, “Hey I think God is telling me that we should adopt this little 5 year old girl name Joy.” Shari said, “Wow, are you sure?” I said, “Yes.” She then said, “Well we have been praying for more “joy” in our lives.” I laughed and realized that she was right. The day before I left for the mission trip we prayed specifically for more joy in our family.
I thought could this be a coincidence? The next day I opened up my Bible for my devotions and I read Psalm 86:4 which states, “Bring joy to your servant, LORD, for I put my trust in You.” That verse jumped out at me as though God was saying, “See I have a plan for you.” Later on I was listening to some worship music and not one but all of the songs were focused on joy and God was not finished confirming His will. On my plane ride home also I watched an inflight movie and little did I know that the title of the movie was “Joy.” I understand that the word "joy" is a common word but I also know that without a doubt that God was clearly confirming His will to me regarding adopting this litte girl, Joy. 
After returning home my wife and I talked seriously about all the ramifications of adopting another little girl. Our first daughter, Skyla, is adopted. We thought about how adopting another child could affect our family. We wondered if Skyla, who is now 7, would be harmed by the adoption. Plus, my wife and I had already been feeling exhausted as parents so how would we be able to handle another child? We also thought, how could we afford to pay for the adoption? And what if the Ugandan government closes the door to foreign adoptions (which is a real possibility) and we go through
the whole process just to be denied?
Truthfully, we were scared. We even faltered and
decided to not adopt Joy. But then God reminded us that if He is calling us to adopt then He will give us the strength and provision to adopt. Shari and I agreed that we do not want fear to guide our family and our decisions. We do not want to miss God’s blessings and promises out of fear of a possible negative. We decided to step out in faith and bring Joy home.
So, here we are stepping out in faith and we are also asking for your help.
We need prayer and lots of it! Here's how you can help by praying:
- The President of Uganda may sign a law soon that prevents foreigners from adopting children in Uganda.
- Please pray that God somehow opens up a way for us to adopt Joy .
- That God will prepare our hearts and Joy's heart for us to be a family.
- The process can be incredibly difficult and stressful. Please pray that God will provide us grace, peace, and the financial resources to make this possible.
We also need help financially to bring Joy home. We’ve already began paying some of the initial fees, but there will be several more large fees in the coming months. Here is a breakdown of the costs:
Adoption Agency Fee: $8,150.00
Home Study Fee: $2,100.00
Dossier Cost: $2,700.00
USCIS I-600A Fee: $720.00
Finger printing fees: $85.00 (per person)
Foreign Attorney Fees: $5,500.00
Child’s U.S Visa: $325.00
Travel expenses (2 required trips + 1 way for child): $6,000.00
Total: Apprx. $25,580
We greatly appreciate any support you may be able to give. Please feel free to personally contact myself or Shari for more information.
God bless and thank you!!
Love,
The Houser Family