Junell Family Adoption
Donation protected
This process is scary. Fear is crippling. Fear whispers constantly that we are destined to fail.
But fear is a liar.
In December of 2017, I stumbled across an adoption listing for a little darling living in Eastern Europe. Something in her eyes lit a fire in me! I emailed the agency that had her file, only to be crushed with the news that a family had already committed to adopting her. I was devastated and couldn’t figure out why this news hurt the way it did.
Six months later I received an email out of the blue from her agency, the previous commitment had fallen through and if we hurried, we may be able to commit to her. We filled out all the necessary forms and sent them over. Then we waited and waited without hearing anything for nearly a month, not knowing what had happened.
It turns out the foreign agency had some reservations about letting another family commit to adopting her, since the other family’s circumstances made them back out at the last minute. A failed commitment is a long time for a child to wait for nothing to happen. A failed commitment is a lot of work for both agencies for no outcome. Understandably, they needed time to decide if they would give us a chance to make this girl our daughter.
They said yes across the board! All the foreign colleagues agreed, and we are overjoyed!
We have vowed to be fully transparent throughout this process. While we look great on paper (Dean is a seasoned paramedic and I am a full-time college student with a 4.0 and three kids at home) we are perfectly imperfect, and that’s ok! We have, and are, enough for more. We have known adversity and have overcome it time and time again. This time is no different.
We cannot do this alone. We can raise and love this little girl and give her the life she deserves. We can rescue her from the crib she has spent nearly three years confined in. We can teach her what a family looks like. We can give her a daddy to snuggle with, a mama to pick her up when she falls and siblings to play with. We can teach her through grace and patience to learn to be loved and get her the necessary therapies she needs to thrive - but we can’t do this alone.
I know and acknowledge that not everyone is called to help orphans. This is our calling, it may not be yours. I only ask that if you feel led to help us, you join alongside us to bring our girl home. We have approximately 9 months to raise a staggering $27,000, plus travel expenses to her country twice. We have been working diligently and tirelessly to raise funds. We have sold custom t-shirts, held an Easter egg fundraiser, had our largest yard sale to date and have held the first of many auctions we have planned. My husband picks up every overtime shift his employer allows, and we are saving everywhere else possible. I create and craft in every spare moment to bring our girl home. There are multiple loans and grants available and we will apply to all of them we qualify for. This is a scary process, but we will find a way. This darling girl is worth all of it and more - she is chosen, she is worthy.
Asking for help is humbling. Adoption is big, and as much as we desire to be able to do this all on our own, that is not possible. I do not want you to feel any pressure. I am simply admitting that we need help and hoping that God will put the right people in our path to join us in this journey.
We are making every effort to make sure that people get something back by giving, that has been very important to us from the beginning. If you would like to order one of the t-shirts I designed, please head to https://www.bonfire.com/love-makes-a-family-tree-design/
Thank you sincerely for taking your time to read this. It’s hard to build a village. We are thankful for all of you, your support and your prayers in this process.
But fear is a liar.
In December of 2017, I stumbled across an adoption listing for a little darling living in Eastern Europe. Something in her eyes lit a fire in me! I emailed the agency that had her file, only to be crushed with the news that a family had already committed to adopting her. I was devastated and couldn’t figure out why this news hurt the way it did.
Six months later I received an email out of the blue from her agency, the previous commitment had fallen through and if we hurried, we may be able to commit to her. We filled out all the necessary forms and sent them over. Then we waited and waited without hearing anything for nearly a month, not knowing what had happened.
It turns out the foreign agency had some reservations about letting another family commit to adopting her, since the other family’s circumstances made them back out at the last minute. A failed commitment is a long time for a child to wait for nothing to happen. A failed commitment is a lot of work for both agencies for no outcome. Understandably, they needed time to decide if they would give us a chance to make this girl our daughter.
They said yes across the board! All the foreign colleagues agreed, and we are overjoyed!
We have vowed to be fully transparent throughout this process. While we look great on paper (Dean is a seasoned paramedic and I am a full-time college student with a 4.0 and three kids at home) we are perfectly imperfect, and that’s ok! We have, and are, enough for more. We have known adversity and have overcome it time and time again. This time is no different.
We cannot do this alone. We can raise and love this little girl and give her the life she deserves. We can rescue her from the crib she has spent nearly three years confined in. We can teach her what a family looks like. We can give her a daddy to snuggle with, a mama to pick her up when she falls and siblings to play with. We can teach her through grace and patience to learn to be loved and get her the necessary therapies she needs to thrive - but we can’t do this alone.
I know and acknowledge that not everyone is called to help orphans. This is our calling, it may not be yours. I only ask that if you feel led to help us, you join alongside us to bring our girl home. We have approximately 9 months to raise a staggering $27,000, plus travel expenses to her country twice. We have been working diligently and tirelessly to raise funds. We have sold custom t-shirts, held an Easter egg fundraiser, had our largest yard sale to date and have held the first of many auctions we have planned. My husband picks up every overtime shift his employer allows, and we are saving everywhere else possible. I create and craft in every spare moment to bring our girl home. There are multiple loans and grants available and we will apply to all of them we qualify for. This is a scary process, but we will find a way. This darling girl is worth all of it and more - she is chosen, she is worthy.
Asking for help is humbling. Adoption is big, and as much as we desire to be able to do this all on our own, that is not possible. I do not want you to feel any pressure. I am simply admitting that we need help and hoping that God will put the right people in our path to join us in this journey.
We are making every effort to make sure that people get something back by giving, that has been very important to us from the beginning. If you would like to order one of the t-shirts I designed, please head to https://www.bonfire.com/love-makes-a-family-tree-design/
Thank you sincerely for taking your time to read this. It’s hard to build a village. We are thankful for all of you, your support and your prayers in this process.
Organizer
Lacey Junell
Organizer
Tacoma, WA