Narra Tree of the Philippines Puzzle Fundraiser

We are so excited to announce that our family is growing through adoption! After many years of seeking and praying, we have been led to the Philippines! We can't wait to watch it all unfold as we trust in Him every step of the way.

We have thought a lot about fundraising for this adoption. For our family, the financial aspect of international adoption was our number one concern. I am still writing the official backstory as to what led us to adopt (it's a long one, but I'll post it soon), and what led us to international adoption in the Philippines (also a long one), but it's time to hit the ground running with this puzzle fundraiser. Here's a little glimpse into our story so far... 

Narra Tree - National Tree of the Philippines 

The initial plan was to launch our crowdfunding site through Adopt Together, but as I prayed through some different ideas this past few weeks, this puzzle fundraiser was laid on my heart, and I know God is going to show up BIG TIME!! Our goal is to raise $10,000 within the next TWO weeks by June 10th. It makes me nervous a little bit writing that, but I know that with God all things are possible, and we give Him all the glory! Every time I lay my fears and concerns down at His feet, I am reminded that His economy is a whole different kind of economy. We hope that as we share our journey, it will encourage other families considering adoption, but hesitate due to the financial strain that can come with it. 

I wasn't planning on sharing this next part, mostly because I'm not quite sure how it will all turn out, but it's an important part of the story and why we are beginning our adoption journey sooner than we originally planned...

Matt and I were not planning to start our adoption journey until after our move to Utah this summer. Logical right?! A few months back, we began researching adoption agencies and a big area of concern for us was if they would make the Special Home Finding (SHF) list available to us (some agencies do and others do not). The Special Home Finding list is made up of children that have a harder time being adopted like sibling groups, older children, and children of all ages with special needs. Even though we were planning to go through the "regular route" (more on this later), it is very important to us to be shown the SHF list every month to keep all options open. As we interviewed and spoke with different agencies, I was sent the SHF list for January just to get an idea of what it was like. I bawled my eyes out scrolling through and reading the small amount of information provided about the children on the list. I went about my day but one child kept coming to my mind. I would go back and look again and again reading over the information and I was overwhelmed with such a sense of familiarity every time I'd see this child's face. I sent the photo and information to my husband and asked for his thoughts, kind of expecting him to remind me that we weren't planning on beginning until we moved, but surprisingly, his heart strings were majorly pulled too. He agreed that we should begin our home study and see where it all leads. Either this is the child God has planned to be in our family, or He is using this child as a catalyst to start this process much sooner than we were planning to in order to prepare us for the child that is meant to be in our family. We have to take it one step at a time and trust Him with the timeline. Although we are doing everything we can to complete our home study and pursue this child, it is important to note the Philippines' adoption process can be very lenghthy and unpredictable. They are very "child focused": if multiple families pursue the same child, then a committee would decide which family would be the best fit for that child based on family dynamics, experience with special needs, matching hobbies and interests, etc. We have no way of telling at this time if someone else is pursuing the same child that we are. This is initially what made me hesitant about the Philippines program, but over time, I have learned to let go, and I have gained so much respect for the way the Philippines matches children. Even though it is unpredictable, even though we might be told some "nos" along the way, we trust the decisions they make for these beautiful children, and know that it will ultimately lead us to the child that we are the best family for and the child that is meant for us. We are giving it all up to God, going with the flow, and trusting! I am going to list what fees we will be able to pay with the money we raise through this puzzle fundraiser. It is important to note, that no matter which child we end up adopting, and no matter what our adoption timeline looks like, these fees will remain applicable. We are committed and know that our child is in the Philippines. We want to be as transparent as possible, and will update with all of the details as we know more along the way. We appreciate your encouragement and prayer though this marathon of a process! 

Here's a breakdown of the fees we have coming up:

Home Study through Joyful World Ministries Inc-

Application, Pre-placement International Hague Home Study, Expedite Fee: $2,700

International Adoption Agency - All God's Children International (Philippines Program)-

Application - $350

Agency Fee 1 - $3000

Program Fee 1 - $2500

IAAME Accreditation Fee - $500

Initial Home Study Review - $350

Referral Fees - $600 towards the total which will be closer to $5,000

Total: $10,000

Here's how the Narra Tree of the Philippines Puzzle fundraiser will work! 

1. We have our 1000 piece Narra Tree Puzzle we had made at Puzzle You.

2. We are "selling" each piece for $10. You can buy 1, 2, 3, or 10! There is no limit!

3. To purchase you can send money through my PayPal at the link: https://www.paypal.me/SymeFamilyAdoption

4. Once you purchase a piece, we will write your name on the back of one of the puzzle pieces!

5. Once every single piece has been "sold", we will put the puzzle together and hang it in a double-sided glass frame for our child's room so that they can always look back and be reminded of who had a "piece" of bringing them home. 

So why the Narra Tree?

The Narra Tree is the national tree of the Philippines. Sturdy and durable, it symbolizes the indomitable spirit and strength of character of the Filipino people. We want our child to stay deeply rooted in who they are and where they come from. We will always honor their Filipino heritage. Every year, as the Narra Tree blooms, it gives a majestic sight of a tree filled with fragrant yellow flowers. They fall off rapidly and fly away bringing joy to the people who take to the streets relishing and playing in the golden flowers. 

We are thankful for prayers and for everyone who is able to purchase even one puzzle piece to help us bring our little Narra Blossom home from the Philippines to their forever home here with us in the United States of America. We are eternally grateful. 

xoxo

Steph