Counting Up the Cost of Adoption
Meet Jay and Sarah.
Faithful followers of Jesus, fierce adoption advocates, and loving parents.
They brought home their oldest home in 2015 with help from a Lifesong matching grant. And they couldn’t wait to give him a sibling. But what they expected to be a quick process turned into years of opened and closed doors.
The adoption process cost financially. But it also took a toll emotionally.
Thankfully, no matter how you calculate the “cost” of adoption, nearly all adoptive families will give you the same reply: It is worth it.
Sarah remembered her experience in the following testimonial.
We experienced three failed placements in between our two boys.
We flew home from Arizona with an empty car seat three times before meeting our second son. While we grieved the loss of a dream of being those children’s parents, we were confident in God’s plan to put us in their path and support their birth families for that time. Those failed placements left us wondering at God’s timing and sovereignty over families, but clinging to the truth that He is good even in the midst of loss.
When it came time to say yes to our son’s birth mother, we couldn’t have done so without the support of Lifesong and others.
This photo shows the moment we most clearly saw God’s provision in our adoption:
This photo was taken on December 31, 2017—the day we were fully funded!
Six months before this, I was sitting with my head down at the dining room table, calculating the fees and expenses associated with a second adoption. In that moment, I was discouraged, perplexed, and questioning if this was really God’s call.
But here we are on New Year’s Eve 2017, fully funded through a matching grant with Lifesong! The joy of this moment was no comparison to the seemingly small hardship of fundraising.
Throughout both our sons’ adoptions, I clung to the truth that He owns the cattle on a thousand hills. So a few (several) thousand dollars was nothing to God.
Sure enough, He provided through His church, through His people, and through granting entities like Lifesong.
Lifesong helped us bring home both of our sons.
Both were infant domestic adoptions. It was not an easy road that led us to our sons, but God, through the means of Lifesong and generous church family and friends, provided our every need.
Lifesong made it possible for my home church to support our adoption, as well as gave an avenue for friends and family worldwide to make tax-deductible gifts that went directly to cover our adoption fees. With so much speculation about ethical adoption funding, this gave peace of mind and clarity to our supporters.
Lifesong was above and beyond gracious with our failed placements.
As a social worker in the field of adoption, I always encourage adoptive families to apply for a Lifesong grant. I believe their care and intentionality are the best, bar none.
We specifically felt blessed and supported with how Lifesong reimbursed all adoption-related expenses. It was such a relief to our family during one of the hardest years of our lives.
Going through the adoption process?
We’re here to help. Lifesong awards matching grants, interest-free loans, fundraising support, and a FREE fundraising platform to help adopting families overcome the financial hurdles of adoption.