Dear Family and Friends,
Just as the God-Man put on flesh and walked among us
to bring us into the family of God, so we are called to put feet to the Gospel
to expand His mission. Adoption is a
beautiful symbol of the loving redemption provided to us by our Father. We were not only outside of the family of
God, but were indeed enemies to the King.
Nevertheless, God loved us and sacrificed to bring us into His family
and to give us hope, joy, and peace. He
adopted us.
Since we have been adopted by God, we also are
called to love others and bring them into the family of God. God tells us to pay special attention to
loving the “least of these”. James 1:27
tells us that before God, pure and undefiled religion involves caring for
widows and orphans. Adoption allows us
to mirror the love of God in the world by taking in those who do not have
families, who are poor and in need, and by offering them love, hope, and a
future.
We have desired to adopt since before we were
married. During the time we both spent
overseas, our hearts were impacted by the plight of orphans. Now, just as God’s family is comprised of
people from every tribe, tongue, and nation, we want our home to represent both
the love God has shown to us and the diversity of the Kingdom. Because of this desire, a few months ago we
began the adoption process through One World Adoption Services to adopt two
children from the Democratic Republic of the Congo. At this time we have completed all the
necessary paperwork, and are waiting for referrals for our children. We are excited as we await our referrals
because shortly thereafter we will be given a court date, travel to meet our
little ones, and bring them home to be Henrys.
While we are so excited to share the blessings God
has given us with our soon-to-be children, we truly believe that “It takes a
village to adopt a child.” Not only do
we hope that in the months and years ahead each of you will be involved in
expressing the grace and love of God to our children, we pray that you will
consider starting now. There are two
ways we ask you to consider joining with us in this aspect of the mission of
God.
First,
we ask you to pray. Please
pray for our little orphans. They will
need the grace and provision of God, especially in the time before we bring
them home. Also, pray that God will be
preparing us to parent them well, and that our family and home will be a
faithful testament to the Gospel. Finally, pray for the remainder of the
adoption process as there will be more waiting, the bureaucracy of a court
date, and the difficulties of international travel with which to contend.
Second,
we ask you to consider supporting our adoption financially. We believe God has led
us to pursue adoption, and so we have moved forward in faith, trusting that He
will use His people to help us accomplish this.
Thus far we have been able to contribute $8,500, and we have been chosen
to receive a $7,000 grant from another organization. We are so thankful for this provision;
however, in order to bring our children home we need to raise an additional
$13,000. To help us meet this goal, Orphan
Care Alliance and Lifesong for Orphans has graciously agreed to match funds we
raise up to $2,500. Will you please
consider making a tax-deductible donation to help us pay the remaining amount
to bring these little ones home? If you
would be willing to join with us in this work, you can send your gift to the
address below. Lifesong is a trusted
organization administering the funds on our children’s behalf, and will use
100% of the funds received to pay our adoption expenses.
Please make checks payable to Lifesong, and include “preference Henry #2443 Adoption” in the
memo section, then mail to:
Lifesong
for Orphans
Attn:
Henry #2443 Adoption
P.O.
Box 40/ 202 N. Ford St.
Gridley,
IL 61744
We have added a Donate button to the blog as well. That will route you to a Paypal donation page through which you can give to support our adoption, if you would prefer to give online.
Thank you for investing in our adoption through
prayer and financial support. We are
beyond excited to have little shoes to fill, and look forward to the day when
we will have little feet to accompany them.
Grace and Peace,
Chris and Sarah Michael
*Note: In following IRS guidelines,
your donation is to the named non-profit organization. This organization
retains full discretion over its use, but intends to honor the donor’s
suggested use.
