Stocklin's Adoption Adventure!

We are adopting!

When Ruthie and I first laid eyes on each other 24 years ago, we knew our lives would change forever. Well, at least I did ☺️! This May will mark a 20-year journey of memories, adventures, celebrations and deepened desires. A journey we have grown to cherish, protect and love. A journey that has crossed paths with so many incredible people. Through these incredible relationships, Ruthie and I have watched families grow, multiply and blossom. We have watched women become mothers and men become fathers. These relationships have shown us never to lose sight of our deepest desire. A desire we both were created for. A passion for the greatest of responsibilities. The real legacy of life.

Over the last 20 years, Ruthie and I have cried together, laughed together, fought for each other and dreamt together. This year we embarked on the journey towards making our dreams a reality! We are adopting!

It likely comes as no surprise that we have always had a heart for children. Ruthie worked with foster children, was an adoptee herself, and as a nanny for most of her life and Stephen was always willing to give the kids sugar. Which I deeply regret; please don’t feed my kids sugar. We love being involved in the lives of our friends' children and have the honor of being aunt and uncle to some of them as well. Being the “cool” aunt and uncle has been a privilege we hold very dear to our hearts. Through our company, we have the privilege of giving a percentage of every project to an organization that does amazing things for amazing kids. Marked has been serving the underprivileged and orphan community in mexico. Providing food, clothing, education and medical support to thousands of unreached children. Now with over 1 million meals served, we are proud to partner with the impact they are making in the lives of the children.

We are determined and eager to do everything we can to find our baby and bring him/her home, maybe even twins lol; we know God is the true author of our story. As we work towards a plan, a timeline, all the documents and getting our home ready, we believe God will orchestrate each step along the way. At this point, you may have many questions. We do too! While we don’t have all the answers yet, we are taking it daily and intend to share more details of our journey with friends and family as we move forward.

We cannot wait to share this adventure with all of you. We know that welcoming a new baby into our lives will require the love and support of those around us. We want to personally invite you to be a part and play a role in our journey! There are two significant ways you can support us:

Prayer: Please pray for us, for our baby, for the brave mother who will entrust her child to us, for the legal team and for God’s will to be done in this process.

Financially: The process of adoption is long and stressful. Combined with the most daunting, it is expensive. The average cost for adoption is $40,000 to $70,000. Some small grants and funding programs are available, the distribution amounts are minimal and are given to only small percentages of adoptive families each year. The majority of adoption costs end up being paid out-of-pocket by the adopting family.

These costs vary and include (but are not limited to): documentation preparation and authentication, home study fees, agency application fees, counseling for the birth mother, medical expenses for the birth mother and baby, legal fees and travel expenses. While we continue to do our very best to prepare for this journey in every way possible, we humbly ask you to consider donating to help us bring home baby Stocklin! Here is the breakdown:

Consulting Package: $4,198

Home Study: $3000

Profile Book: $1000

Applications: $2000; this is for applying to multiple agencies

Adoption: $49k-$55k

Travel: $7000 This will cover airfare, lodging, rental car, and meals. We can be called upon at any moment once matched or for a baby-born case which can cause expenses to be higher.

If you have any questions about the more in-depth breakdown of these costs, please feel free to ask!

Regardless of how much you choose to support us, we thank you from the bottom of our hearts! We know that baby Stocklin is already so very loved!

With Sincere Thanks,

Stephen & Ruthie