Saving Samuel
Donation protected
Let's help this family bring their baby home. After reading this quote from Marina Moore on Facebook, I felt that I/We need to do all that we can to support this amazing family...
We're just a big family living in a small town trying to do the right thing. Even when most of the world thinks we're crazy. How do I explain to you that we feel called to adopt even though we already have 8 kids? How do I explain to you that we aren't just looking for a baby, because we already have one? I guess I should explain how it all began. When Olivia was born she surprised us with Down Syndrome. That didn't stop us from falling in love with her though, deeply, wholly, crazy in love with her. We were smitten. If you had asked me a few years ago if I wanted a child with Down Syndrome, I probably would have told you "No." Oh, what a difference a year makes. Not only do we want her but we feel called to adopt another child just like her. It wasn't our plan to have another child, we were done. We just started settling in and enjoying our last baby but God had other plans. It felt like it was out of nowhere that I was burdened with adoption but in my heart I knew it wasn't. God had been working on me for awhile and He had started with Olivia. My love for her and my feelings about Down Syndrome have grown over the last year. My interest led to research about DS and reading articles about it. It was inevitable that I would eventually come across stories of children with Down Syndrome wasting away in orphanages. These children are not orphans by the traditional standards. They're abandoned at birth and they are left in hospitals. Sometimes their own parents are encouraged to sell their newborn babies to be used as living organ donors. They aren't recognized as people with souls, worthy of love and protection. The 'lucky' ones are sent to government orphanages. They aren't held or talked to or given any human contact. They are utterly ignored. They learn that crying gains them nothing and so they resign themselves at any early age to staring at their own hands and banging their heads against their cribs. They wither away unless someone comes to adopt them. Their own countrymen don't want them and so it's foreigners who occasionally come for them. It costs a lot to adopt one of these precious children. There's no way around it. Most people don't want to sacrifice the time, effort or money to adopt them. I understand that because that was us a few months ago but not now. We cried tears of disbelief and denial when we realized God was calling us to adopt. I'm embarrassed to admit it because it's so true. Even now it feels utterly impossible. We feel like Peter being called out of the boat and told to walk on water. It's terrifying but God has shown us one of these babies in particular, a beautiful little boy with Down Syndrome. If somebody doesn't adopt him he will live a life of neglect and loneliness. His life will be void of love, human touch, or a family. These orphans lack even the basics such as enough food and warmth. We have been asked why we would adopt overseas instead of getting a foster child. Our foster care system, though sometimes lacking, provides the basic family environment for children. These orphans in eastern Europe are transferred to mental asylums at the age of 5 to live among adults with serious mental illnesses. Our children here are getting ready for kindergarten at age 5. Those children are facing a life that is no life at all, for anybody. Some of these children will be sold into human trafficking by the very people who are supposed to be taking care of them. Their misery has no end. Yes, it's a lot of money and no we don't have it but we are willing to work for as much of it as we can. We are willing to sacrifice our time, sell our belongings, and work hard to come up with the money to rescue him. Would you be willing to help us accomplish that? We have already started the process and we only have 5-6 months to get him. The longer it takes to get him, the more damage is done to him. All children deserve to be loved, all children should have a family, all children are worthy. We, as a family, are committed to getting this baby home. It's going to take a lot of blood, sweat, and tears but we believe that he's worth it. Thank you for taking the time to even read this. We understand how hard it is to raise a family when sometimes you don't even know where your next dollar is coming from. We are being called to step out in faith and it's scary. If you aren't able to contribute, we understand. Please pray for us though, and if you wouldn't mind, we'd love it if you would share this page. God bless you,
The Moores
Mathew 17:20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, move from here to there, and it will move and nothing will be impossible for you.”"
1 Samuel 1:27 I prayed for this child and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life.
*We only have a few months to get them AS much as we can so that this dream can become a reality. If you can donate I know that it will be GREATLY appreciated. If you can't I ask that you share this on your page...
Here is a breakdown of the costs for this adoption:
Pre-Adoption Expenses (Estimated)
USCIS Fee
$890.00
Home Study
$2,500.00
Adoption Education
$300.00
FBI Fingerprint and background checks
$200.00
Medical Exams
$300.00
Documents, Notarization, Certification, Authentication
$500.00
$4,690.00
Inter-Country Adoption Fees
Agency Fee
$4,950.00
Foreign Facilitator Fee
$5,000.00
$9,950.00
Travel Expenses (Estimated)
Round-Trip airfare 2 adults
$4,400.00
In-Country travel (train/bus)
$600.00
Child's airfare, 1 way
$700.00
Airport Transfer
$50.00
Hotel/ Apartment
$800.00
Food
$1,000.00
$7,550.00
In-Country Costs (Paid in country)
Driver/Translator $20 per day when needed
$300.00
Travel within/out of region for paperwork
$300.00
Facilitator lodging/food per day
$60.00
Facilitator transportation to and from region per day
$150.00
Child's Visa
$325.00
Child's Medical Exam for U.S. Embassy
$215.00
Passport
$400.00
Possible Miscellaneous Fees
$200.00
Orphanage Donation (required but can vary)
$1,000.00
Notary/Legalization/Expedite Fees
$1,500.00
$4,450.00
Total (Estimated):
$26,640.00
We're just a big family living in a small town trying to do the right thing. Even when most of the world thinks we're crazy. How do I explain to you that we feel called to adopt even though we already have 8 kids? How do I explain to you that we aren't just looking for a baby, because we already have one? I guess I should explain how it all began. When Olivia was born she surprised us with Down Syndrome. That didn't stop us from falling in love with her though, deeply, wholly, crazy in love with her. We were smitten. If you had asked me a few years ago if I wanted a child with Down Syndrome, I probably would have told you "No." Oh, what a difference a year makes. Not only do we want her but we feel called to adopt another child just like her. It wasn't our plan to have another child, we were done. We just started settling in and enjoying our last baby but God had other plans. It felt like it was out of nowhere that I was burdened with adoption but in my heart I knew it wasn't. God had been working on me for awhile and He had started with Olivia. My love for her and my feelings about Down Syndrome have grown over the last year. My interest led to research about DS and reading articles about it. It was inevitable that I would eventually come across stories of children with Down Syndrome wasting away in orphanages. These children are not orphans by the traditional standards. They're abandoned at birth and they are left in hospitals. Sometimes their own parents are encouraged to sell their newborn babies to be used as living organ donors. They aren't recognized as people with souls, worthy of love and protection. The 'lucky' ones are sent to government orphanages. They aren't held or talked to or given any human contact. They are utterly ignored. They learn that crying gains them nothing and so they resign themselves at any early age to staring at their own hands and banging their heads against their cribs. They wither away unless someone comes to adopt them. Their own countrymen don't want them and so it's foreigners who occasionally come for them. It costs a lot to adopt one of these precious children. There's no way around it. Most people don't want to sacrifice the time, effort or money to adopt them. I understand that because that was us a few months ago but not now. We cried tears of disbelief and denial when we realized God was calling us to adopt. I'm embarrassed to admit it because it's so true. Even now it feels utterly impossible. We feel like Peter being called out of the boat and told to walk on water. It's terrifying but God has shown us one of these babies in particular, a beautiful little boy with Down Syndrome. If somebody doesn't adopt him he will live a life of neglect and loneliness. His life will be void of love, human touch, or a family. These orphans lack even the basics such as enough food and warmth. We have been asked why we would adopt overseas instead of getting a foster child. Our foster care system, though sometimes lacking, provides the basic family environment for children. These orphans in eastern Europe are transferred to mental asylums at the age of 5 to live among adults with serious mental illnesses. Our children here are getting ready for kindergarten at age 5. Those children are facing a life that is no life at all, for anybody. Some of these children will be sold into human trafficking by the very people who are supposed to be taking care of them. Their misery has no end. Yes, it's a lot of money and no we don't have it but we are willing to work for as much of it as we can. We are willing to sacrifice our time, sell our belongings, and work hard to come up with the money to rescue him. Would you be willing to help us accomplish that? We have already started the process and we only have 5-6 months to get him. The longer it takes to get him, the more damage is done to him. All children deserve to be loved, all children should have a family, all children are worthy. We, as a family, are committed to getting this baby home. It's going to take a lot of blood, sweat, and tears but we believe that he's worth it. Thank you for taking the time to even read this. We understand how hard it is to raise a family when sometimes you don't even know where your next dollar is coming from. We are being called to step out in faith and it's scary. If you aren't able to contribute, we understand. Please pray for us though, and if you wouldn't mind, we'd love it if you would share this page. God bless you,
The Moores
Mathew 17:20 He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, move from here to there, and it will move and nothing will be impossible for you.”"
1 Samuel 1:27 I prayed for this child and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life.
*We only have a few months to get them AS much as we can so that this dream can become a reality. If you can donate I know that it will be GREATLY appreciated. If you can't I ask that you share this on your page...
Here is a breakdown of the costs for this adoption:
Pre-Adoption Expenses (Estimated)
USCIS Fee
$890.00
Home Study
$2,500.00
Adoption Education
$300.00
FBI Fingerprint and background checks
$200.00
Medical Exams
$300.00
Documents, Notarization, Certification, Authentication
$500.00
$4,690.00
Inter-Country Adoption Fees
Agency Fee
$4,950.00
Foreign Facilitator Fee
$5,000.00
$9,950.00
Travel Expenses (Estimated)
Round-Trip airfare 2 adults
$4,400.00
In-Country travel (train/bus)
$600.00
Child's airfare, 1 way
$700.00
Airport Transfer
$50.00
Hotel/ Apartment
$800.00
Food
$1,000.00
$7,550.00
In-Country Costs (Paid in country)
Driver/Translator $20 per day when needed
$300.00
Travel within/out of region for paperwork
$300.00
Facilitator lodging/food per day
$60.00
Facilitator transportation to and from region per day
$150.00
Child's Visa
$325.00
Child's Medical Exam for U.S. Embassy
$215.00
Passport
$400.00
Possible Miscellaneous Fees
$200.00
Orphanage Donation (required but can vary)
$1,000.00
Notary/Legalization/Expedite Fees
$1,500.00
$4,450.00
Total (Estimated):
$26,640.00
Organizer and beneficiary
Savanna Knapp
Organizer
Lompoc, CA
Marina Moore
Beneficiary
