Adoption News!

We are on the brink...the edge of a scary yet exciting cliff...ready to jump off!

It all started with an email late on Feb 8 last week. My friend Christina told me she met a woman through a mutual friend at a school board meeting that owns her own local adoption agency here in Utah. It was obvious to my friend that this woman was anxious and she soon found out he reason was because she has around 40 birth mothers coming to her agency choosing to give their babies up for adoption that are all due between now and July. She also had a baby girl already born that she couldn't find a home for yet and she was extremely anxious to get her placed so that she wouldn't have to turn her over to DCFS. In the end, I found out that they got a home for the baby girl but that they do indeed have many birth mothers due over the next few months and not enough adoptive families waiting. Especially not enough families wanting to adopt bi-racial or African American children. People like us are apparently still rare in this day and age. This agency sends a lot of money in marketing around the country which is why they are able to get so many birth mothers interested in their agency. In a nutshell, we decided to go where the greatest need is. Our other agency in Florida is wonderful, but they only have birth mothers from their state to work with which makes them limited.

This was a huge decision and required a ton of paperwork since last week! I was so exhausted from the time of the email until I completed our 40 document list for the agency, I was sick by Friday morning. I'm feeling better today, but I have a lot of work ahead of me trying to conjure up ideas for donations towards our adoption. Yes, there is a federal tax credit (which I've heard may be on the chopping block in congress soon) with up to $11,000 towards adoption expenses. This means that when we do our taxes next season we will be able to be credited what we have had withheld this year which doesn't mean that a check will be handed to us for $11,000. I wish it worked out that easily. We will also receive our first child tax credit next year. Since the adoption starts at $20,000 we still have to raise that amount in order to be placed with a baby. Unfortunately, we do not qualify for a home loan either.

So we are putting the word out that we need donations. We have set up a donation account through PayPal which is located on our donate button on the top Right side of this blog or click on "ChipIn" and this also goes to our Paypal account. We can control the money better by having donations sent here rather than to our agency.

So far this year we have been able through your donations, pay for our home study for $500, and an adoption application fee for $250. Since most of the people we know can barely afford groceries in these economic times, we are asking you to just put the word out to relatives, businesses, organizations, or anyone you can think of that could help through a donation of any kind.

We know we are called to adopt, and this won't be our last one either. We plan to adopt again in a year or two, but it is a financial hardship (and is for most families desiring to adopt). Yet there are people who make a wonderful living but aren't called to adopt. If you know any of those people, please feel free to pass along our info.

Thanks you for your prayers and support!
Jen & Jefferson Martin