We have an announcement!!

This is a letter that Richard and I have just sent out to our family:

 

Hey all!!

 

     Richard and I have been talking and praying for sometime now, and I think we are FINALLY ready to begin this next ADVENTURE in our lives and we want you ALL to be a part of it!!  We are very excited to share this with all of you and we want YOU to be excited too!  I know you are thinking "get on with it already!!" So here it is....our big news....our next big adventure.  Richard and I have decided to pursue ADOPTION!!  This has been on our hearts every since the day we were married.  We knew that no matter how many (if any) children we had on our own that we STILL wanted to adopt. 

 

    I will be honest with you all about a couple of things.  FIRST...this is equally terrifying as it is exciting.  SECOND I have been very hesitant to share this with anybody.  Why you ask?  Well, we are SO early in this whole process (and when I say early, I mean EARLY) that I'm kind of afraid of failing before we get started.  I didn't want to tell everybody so early on, and this all ending up not working out.  Then we would have to go back and tell everybody again...oops sorry never mind!!  However...my mind has been changed.  First by my husband who keeps begging me to just get this all out in the open.  Second, I have been following the blog of  an amazing couple who has just finalized the adoption of their beautiful baby and they shared some reasons for THEM telling people so early on in the process.  Listening to them tell their story has got me so excited that I have decided to let everybody else in on this excitement. 

 

    First of all we just want to say that we are SO excited about this whole idea that we can hardly stand it!  Which is one major reason we are telling you all right now...because we just can't hold it in any longer!!  Another Reason we are telling you so early on is because  we know what an amazing and scary journey this will be and we can use all the prayers & support possible! 

 

    Some people have raised the questions, "Why adoption?", "Can you not have any children on your own?"  So why adoption you ask?  Richard and I have always had the desire to adopt.  The only thing I can say is that this desire has to be from God.  I think God has instilled in me this desire since the day he created me.  Growing up as a child I remember that I have always had a big heart for the "under dog" the one who is less fortunate than myself, the one who nobody else ever gave a second glance towards.  As I got older I went on several mission trips to a third world country.  Seeing all those children without parents, mothers trying to GIVE their babies away to the Americans...I knew right then that I was meant to adopt.  And for God in His perfect design to pair me up with a wonderful Christian husband who feels the same way about adoption is just icing on the cake!

 

    "Can you not have any children on your own?"  Well, to be honest, I don't know.  I CAN tell you this.  Richard and I have been married for 3 almost 4 years and we don't have any children yet :)  But I'm not worried about it.  I don't feel the need to go to the doctor for all that infertility testing business.  If God wants me to have biological children...then I will.  If God chooses not to bless us with biological children, then we are okay with that. 

 

    Some of the "equally terrifying" part of this process is the financial part.  Turns out children are really expensive!! (ha-ha) Through all the research we have done, we have found that with the kind of adoption we want to do (domestic infant of any gender and of any race) the average cost is $25,000.  WOW!!  I know!!  $25,000 is TERRIFYING!!  How are we going to do this?  We obviously don't have $25,000 in spare change just laying around.  We are trusting that if we are meant to adopt, then God is going to make it happen.  We are going to pray, fundraise, pray, save every penny, pray, cut other costs as much as we can, did I mention pray??  Because that is how all this is going to happen.  We are putting God at the forefront of this adoption.  We want God to get ALL the glory through this process.  And we want everybody on the outside to SEE God working in our impossible situation.  Which is another reason we are telling you all so early.  We want God to get the glory in EVERY STEP forward in this adoption process. 

 

    Right now Richard and I are trying to settle down on an adoption agency out of a couple that we like, then after we do that, the REAL fun begins.  We are so excited!!! We want to you be involved and equally excited in this process.  We want you to share the excitement in the ups and we want you share the painful tears in the downs.   

 

    We love you all.  We invite you to take part in this process.  We pray that all involved will see how magnificent God is.  We thank you now for all the prayer support you will be giving us.  We will keep you updated!  Thank you all for being so amazing!!

 

Love always

Richard and Amber Nuzum,