Lifesong for Orphans Fundraising Support

As I mentioned previously, we received a grant from our church AND Lifesong for Orphans agreed to help us with Fundraising support (i.e. you can send money to them with our information, and get the tax deduction for charitable giving on your 2012 taxes).  It was right before Christmas that we received word, and we just didn't have time for awhile to get our letter together.  Now, we've been mailing them out slowly over the past month, but it's slow going.  So, I wanted to post it here, so all could read it.  If you received a letter already, I'm sorry for the double post.  And also I wanted to clarify that the date says March 1st, but they will continue receiving support for us after that.  Thank you for all who have given so far.  We are up to over $20,000 already!!!!!!

Dear Family and Friends,

January 16, 2012

“ A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families”  Psalms 68:5-6

         Some of you know we have felt called and directed by God to adopt a “fatherless” child into our family.  We are adopting a little boy from Uganda, and will be matched with a specific child sometime in the next 3-6 months, from what we’re told.  Then we will travel to Uganda hopefully this fall or winter to bring him home!  As a family, we’ve been excitedly praying for him!

         Some of you are probably wondering what has prompted us to adopt.  Well, primarily, we’ve felt so clearly directed by God to adopt that we want to obey Him, and we also desire to give an orphan child a family that he probably won’t otherwise have.  God desires for orphans of all nations to be loved, cared for and adopted into Christian families – ultimately so they can become saved, and be adopted into His eternal family through Jesus Christ!  He very clearly spoke Africa to us, and we’ve felt a connection to Uganda as friends of ours have adopted there and are supporting an orphanage.  There are so many things God has used to prick our hearts and move us to adopt; here are a few:

       Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world… James 1:27

      Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will – Ephesians 1:5

       I (Misty) had been praying last winter if God was calling us to adopt.  He had pricked my heart and it was like an open wound anytime I saw pictures or heard stories of orphans and of what their lives consisted.  I had asked Eric to pray as well, but we hadn’t talked much about it.  One day, it hit me.  God was most definitely calling the Newsome family to this, and it was hard to hold it in.  I prayed that day (late March 2011) that He would as quickly call Eric to this so we could begin the long journey.  Little did I know that he already had!!  Eric came home the SAME DAY saying he knew we were going to adopt!  

      The biggest challenge for us is not opening our hearts and home to another child, but it is in finding the finances to make this happen.  We estimate our total cost for adoption fees, document preparation, home study, airfare, travel, attorney fees, etc. to be $25,000 - that’s certainly money we don’t have, but we know God is faithful and is leading us to trust Him.  By God’s grace we’ve been able to fundraise and earn the first $19,000, with no debt! 

       Honestly, it’s a little difficult (because of our pride), to make our needs known to the Body of Christ around us, but we also know it’s very Biblical to do so.  We appreciate your friendship very much and would like you to pray & consider helping us in our adoption.  There are two ways you can help:

      1. Prayer – Please pray God would tenderly care for our new son in Uganda until we are able to bring him home, that God would prepare Cara, Micah and Anna for the upcoming changes to our family, and that God will give us wisdom, discernment, and insight as we raise all our children to know Jesus Christ.  

      2.  Financial support -   Will you please consider making a tax-deductible donation to help us pay the remaining $7,000 in adoption expenses, to bring him home?

Lifesong  (www.lifesongfororphans.org) has graciously set up a fundraising account for us to raise funds to help pay the “ransom” to bring our son home.  If you would like to be a part of God bringing our new son to Himself through our family, you can send your tax-deductible gift between now and March 1st to the address below (They will continue to receive support after this time).  Lifesong is a trusted organization administering the funds on our behalf, and will pay adoption expenses out of funds received.

  1. Please make checks payable to:  Lifesong. You may preference how the donation might be used by writing “preference Newsome  #2412 Adoption” in the memo section of your check.   (*Note:  In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to Lifesong which retains full discretion and control over its use.)

 2. Mail checks to: Lifesong for Orphans
Attn:  Newsome #2412 Adoption
PO Box 40 
Gridley, IL  61744

Thank you for investing in the Kingdom through prayer and finances – it will be an investment with an eternal return!  (Matt 6:20)   We’ll give you an update with a picture of the whole family and details as we receive them.  Please pray this entire process will glorify God and fulfill His purposes!

In Christ,

Eric, Misty, Cara, Micah, Anna and prayerfully-soon-to-be-home little boy Newsome

*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.

Here is a link to the letter from Lifesong and Kingsland Baptist about us as well.