Kerstell Adoption Fund
Donation protected
Hello!
A little over 5 years ago we (Scotty and Ema) started the grand adventure of marriage and life together. It has been a wild ride, full of laughter and tears. At this point in our life, we are ready to move into the next stage of life, and is with immense excitement that we ask you to join us in this next stage of our grand adventure – fostering and adoption!
Our dream for a family has evolved and grown along with us through the years. When we were first married, we were young and bold, full of optimism and hope for the future. So of course, we decided we would wait exactly two years, have three kids and be done by thirty. We were so excited about the future that it never occurred to us that we might not be able to determine exactly how our story would play out; a reality that we have become all too familiar through the years. As many of you know, over the past four years we have suffered five miscarriages, and watched the plans of what we thought our family would look like slowly crumble and disappear. The loss of a child is a pain that you carry every moment of every day; the loss of hope feels like all the color and music goes out of the world. With time, you regain the ability to see color, feel hope, and sing again. But the pain doesn’t leave, it is simply no longer all-consuming.
As difficult as it is to write and read our story, the pain and grief that we feel has played an instrumental role in a new vision for our family. We have chosen to adopt from the foster care system. While we have been pulled towards adoption for some time, the foster care system specifically has grown in our hearts over the past year.
As children of God, we ourselves are adoptees, and reap the benefits of a safe and loving family that we did not earn on a daily basis. The reality of this has not been lost on us as we have thought and prayed about how to move forward. In addition, as we have walked through the trauma, grief, and loss of our own children, we have become increasingly aware of the little ones in our community who are going through much of the same pain that comes with a broken family. The difference? They are going through it without ever present family and friends who are fighting for them; without any power to find help and safety on their own. How can we, while surrounded and embraced by the warmth and tireless support of God and loved ones, look on unmoved at the children who have no such love or safety, through no fault of their own? We don’t know how to, and so this holiday season we will be beginning the application process to become licensed foster parents, with the goal of adoption. And we need your help.
Adopting out of the foster care system is nowhere near as expensive as a private adoption. However, there are still some expenses involved. The application process ranges between $1,500 – $2,500; with the expectation that we should be prepared for the highest cost. In addition to the application, we are responsible for the financial cost of preparing our home to welcome a child into our home. For us, the largest cost will be purchasing a second vehicle. We are currently sharing a car, but with Scotty commuting to a job 45 minutes away, and Ema riding a bike around town, we will need a second car for safety purposes. We have already started taking steps toward saving up for these upcoming costs. We have reduced our month-to-month budget as much as possible in order to set aside funds. Our home group, through church, will be helping us with a garage sale, and we have been overwhelmed by generous gifts from friends to help us start accumulating the various items that we will be needing (strollers, carriers, car seats, etc.). Taking all this into consideration, our fundraising goal is $15,000.
We cannot finance an adoption on our own, even, through the foster care system. However, we firmly believe that this is where God has called us – so we are stepping out in faith, and hoping that you will join us. Frederick Buechner described one’s vocation as “the place where your greatest joy meets the world’s greatest need.” We cannot deny the deep desire and joy that God has placed in our hearts for children. Neither can we deny the countless children who are simply waiting to be sought after and loved. We are so incredible excited to meet our child! To hold them in our arms and tell them that they are loved and wanted. Won’t you please join us?
A little over 5 years ago we (Scotty and Ema) started the grand adventure of marriage and life together. It has been a wild ride, full of laughter and tears. At this point in our life, we are ready to move into the next stage of life, and is with immense excitement that we ask you to join us in this next stage of our grand adventure – fostering and adoption!
Our dream for a family has evolved and grown along with us through the years. When we were first married, we were young and bold, full of optimism and hope for the future. So of course, we decided we would wait exactly two years, have three kids and be done by thirty. We were so excited about the future that it never occurred to us that we might not be able to determine exactly how our story would play out; a reality that we have become all too familiar through the years. As many of you know, over the past four years we have suffered five miscarriages, and watched the plans of what we thought our family would look like slowly crumble and disappear. The loss of a child is a pain that you carry every moment of every day; the loss of hope feels like all the color and music goes out of the world. With time, you regain the ability to see color, feel hope, and sing again. But the pain doesn’t leave, it is simply no longer all-consuming.
As difficult as it is to write and read our story, the pain and grief that we feel has played an instrumental role in a new vision for our family. We have chosen to adopt from the foster care system. While we have been pulled towards adoption for some time, the foster care system specifically has grown in our hearts over the past year.
As children of God, we ourselves are adoptees, and reap the benefits of a safe and loving family that we did not earn on a daily basis. The reality of this has not been lost on us as we have thought and prayed about how to move forward. In addition, as we have walked through the trauma, grief, and loss of our own children, we have become increasingly aware of the little ones in our community who are going through much of the same pain that comes with a broken family. The difference? They are going through it without ever present family and friends who are fighting for them; without any power to find help and safety on their own. How can we, while surrounded and embraced by the warmth and tireless support of God and loved ones, look on unmoved at the children who have no such love or safety, through no fault of their own? We don’t know how to, and so this holiday season we will be beginning the application process to become licensed foster parents, with the goal of adoption. And we need your help. Adopting out of the foster care system is nowhere near as expensive as a private adoption. However, there are still some expenses involved. The application process ranges between $1,500 – $2,500; with the expectation that we should be prepared for the highest cost. In addition to the application, we are responsible for the financial cost of preparing our home to welcome a child into our home. For us, the largest cost will be purchasing a second vehicle. We are currently sharing a car, but with Scotty commuting to a job 45 minutes away, and Ema riding a bike around town, we will need a second car for safety purposes. We have already started taking steps toward saving up for these upcoming costs. We have reduced our month-to-month budget as much as possible in order to set aside funds. Our home group, through church, will be helping us with a garage sale, and we have been overwhelmed by generous gifts from friends to help us start accumulating the various items that we will be needing (strollers, carriers, car seats, etc.). Taking all this into consideration, our fundraising goal is $15,000.
We cannot finance an adoption on our own, even, through the foster care system. However, we firmly believe that this is where God has called us – so we are stepping out in faith, and hoping that you will join us. Frederick Buechner described one’s vocation as “the place where your greatest joy meets the world’s greatest need.” We cannot deny the deep desire and joy that God has placed in our hearts for children. Neither can we deny the countless children who are simply waiting to be sought after and loved. We are so incredible excited to meet our child! To hold them in our arms and tell them that they are loved and wanted. Won’t you please join us?
Organizer
Emaline Kerstell
Organizer
Denton, TX