This is just too beautiful of a story to keep to ourselves. Jeremy and I have long thought we may adopt some day. When the time came to take the first step, we agonized over whether or not we could afford it, especially on one income. However, we felt God calling us to adopt, specifically from Korea, so we made a purposeful decision to follow our hearts and trust that God will provide for us.
We began the adoption process in Dec. of 2008 by putting our names on a wait list with our agency. Sam was only 9 months old, but we knew it was a long process. A year later, we were able to officially apply and began the Home Study process, which is full of lots of paperwork and home visits from our social worker (who is wonderful, by the way). Once we were approved, the official wait to be matched with a baby began. Up to that point, we had paid a few thousand dollars towards the adoption, but we knew the real "chunk of change" would come when we accepted a referral for a baby, which we were told should come by the end of 2010.
Lots of people ask how much does it cost and we don't mind sharing. It ended up being over $33,000. (Yes, that's a lot of money, but keep in mind that some people have cars that cost much more than that!) We opened a flex line of credit with our bank, and just resolved ourselves that we would pay what we could each month for as long as we had to. However, God had another plan.
Friday, December 17th, 2010 we got the call, Hee Young would be our daughter! When we accepted Hee Young's referral right before Christmas of 2010, we mailed in a check for almost $27,000. Some of that we had saved and the rest was borrowed from our flex line of credit. As news of Allie spread, amazing things began to happen that were completely unexpected. First, a few days later, two close family friends donated towards the adoption. We were so shocked and so very grateful to have their help.
Then, on Christmas Eve, we arrived home from church joined by Jeremy's parents and brother. I grabbed the mail, only to be confused by a Christmas card with no return address. Inside the card was an anonymous note which indicated that in the spirit of the season and in anticipation of her arrival, a donation had been made to our account. Sure enough, a large sum of money had been put into our bank account, which significantly cut down on what we owed on the flex line. We were shocked and so amazed that God put someone in our lives who cared this much for our baby. We have no idea who that person is, but we will be eternally grateful for their love.
At this point, we just couldn't believe our luck. The amount we owed had been more than cut in half and we were rejoicing. But the story didn't stop there. Christmas Day brought more monetary gifts from family members. Finally, about two weeks after Christmas, we again opened the mail to see a check from a family member. The amount not only paid off the rest of what we owed, but also allowed for some extra money for her for future use. This all happened in less than one month's time from when we first saw her face! A huge burden has been lifted from us and now we can just focus on her and the joys she will bring.
Aside from the monetary miracles, we have also been so amazed by the process of adoption. Doors have just opened for us all along the way and we are humbled. This is a story written by the hands of God. Good people do exist, good things do happen, and we are just overwhelmed by the generosity of our friends and family. We believe fully that Allison Hee Young is supposed to be a part of our family and we cannot wait for her to hear this story and know that she was so loved even from halfway across the world. Thank you everyone for your support, love and prayers. Miracles do occur!
