Dear Family and Friends,
Many of you know that we have been
called by God to give a young orphan girl a “forever family.” Through years of hopeless moments, endless
questions, and ultimately faithful prayers, we know God has called us to adopt
a little girl from Bulgaria. At some point during the next year we hope to
travel to Bulgaria and bring our daughter “Sophia” home to us. Sophia literally means “God’s Holy Wisdom”
and that is the promise that we are clinging to throughout this journey.
Through years of infertility, and therefore
praying and searching God’s Word we have been greatly convicted of God’s call
to adoption. We know that through Jesus
Christ we are adopted as Children of God and therefore we have a great
responsibility to care for the orphans of this world. We desire to be obedient to God’s Call and we
also want to give a child a home she might otherwise have never had.
Prayerfully, we will provide a loving home for our daughter Sophia; one that
provides for her needs and wants and teaches her the love God has for her.
There are over 147 million orphans
worldwide and 120,000 children currently in the U.S. foster care system. It is
estimated that less than 10 percent of these children are adopted into
evangelical Christian families.
The biggest challenge is not opening
our hearts and home to a child, but it is finding the finances to make this
happen. The approximate total cost for the adoption is $30,000. Obviously we do
not have that money but throughout this journey we have seen God provide the
exact amount we have needed at the exact time it was needed. To this date, we
have paid nearly $13,000 of the total cost but between $15,000 and $19,000 will
still be due at some point in the process.
Those of you receiving this letter
know how private we are as a family and know that is difficult for us to ask
for help. However, we humbly ask for
your help in one or two ways.
1. Please pray that God would bless
Sophia and her birth mother in Bulgaria until we are able to bring her
home. Please also pray for us as we
begin the journey of being parents.
2. Will you please consider making a
tax-deductible donation to help cover the remaining expenses to bring Sophia
home? Our goal date is June 28, 2013,
but funds will be accepted until our adoption is complete.
Please make checks payable to “Lifesong for Orphans”. In the memo, note “#3586/Pippen” to assure it goes to the correct account.
Please mail to Lifesong for
Orphans, PO Box 40, Gridley, IL 61744. Lifesong has been blessed with a partner
that underwrites all U.S. administrative and fund-raising costs (TMG Foundation
and other partners). That means 100%
of your donation will go directly to the adoption.
Another
option is to give online. Go to www.lifesongfororphans.org/give/donate.
Select “Give to an Adoptive Family.”
Complete the online form and fill in “Family Account Number (#3586)” and
“Family Name (Pippen)” Fields.
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.
Individual donations of $250 or more and yearly donations totaling $250 or more
will receive a tax-deductible receipt. Receipts for donations under $250 will
gladly be sent upon request. Lifesong is a 501(c)3 tax-exempt organization.
Thank you for investing in the
Kingdom through prayer and finances—it will be an investment with an eternal
return! We’ll give you an update with a picture of Sophia and details as we
receive them. Please pray this entire process will glorify God and fulfill His
purposes.
In Christ,
Brian and Dawn
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