Help Joel and Erika adopt a child

Joel and Erika Osborne have unexpectedly been presented with an adoption opportunity, and we want to help them make it work.

Those of you who know this family know that from the beginning of their marriage, they have tried to have children of their own, but have not been able. In the spring of 2025, they were approached by a friend about the possibility of adopting a 15-month old boy. Due to some personal and medical issues, the birth parents do not believe they are able to give this little boy a stable and godly upbringing, and would like the Osbornes to adopt him. For the past several months, this child has been in temporary, informal care situations, separate from his birth parents, and needs a permanent home and family as soon as possible.

After much prayer and counsel, Joel and Erika decided to move forward with the adoption process.

They are pursuing a private adoption, and have engaged a private adoption practitioner to complete the necessary paperwork and training. This will allow the boy to be placed in their home much more quickly than if he were to go through the public system. While this route to adoption is faster, it is also very costly.

We've created this fundraiser on Joel and Erika's behalf. In the first place, we want to help them cover the costs of the adoption process, legal fees, and necessary medical care. Once those expenses are taken care of, they will also need to replace their small car with a larger family vehicle, and help offset the loss of income as Erika takes leave from her job as a teacher at a small Christian school.