how you can support our adoption {part 1: financial support}

I wasn't going to devote a post of its own to donations, but many of you have asked, so here goes...

Here's the reality: bringing home Zoe Amanda will cost somewhere between $20,000 and $25,000, once you add together everything: court fees, travel costs, paperwork expenses, translations of documents, and so on. We had some money set aside and a savings plan in place for adoption, but we weren't planning to start the process until late fall 2012 and we were expecting a typical slow process rather than the fast-tracked (and exciting!) one set before us.

In other words, we don't have all the money we hoped to have saved and we don't have a long process in which to make up for that through a variety of innovative and carefully spread out fundraisers.

If you had asked us two weeks ago about our plans for adoption, our answer wouldn't have sounded anything like the exciting news we posted on Tuesday. Everything has developed so far in ways we never could have imagined and with speed we didn't know was possible in international adoption, and we are trusting that the finances will come together too. (God has already moved mountains to bind us to Zoe Amanda, so what's one more?)

Today and next week I'll be posting about prayer and practical support you can offer without a single penny. We've been asked enough times in the past couple of days about donations, though, that I figured it was time for a post to share how you can offer that kind of support if you are interested and able to do so:

Morning Light Home offers a way for those who wish to help with our adoption expenses to make a tax-deductible donation. A check can be written to "Central Missionary Clearinghouse" and mailed to the address below with an attached note that the funds be applied to "Deana and Luke Pan at Morning Light Home in Taiwan," and you will then receive a tax receipt for your donation. To make sure the donation is credited to our adoption, please send an email to Jeff Land at mlhadoption@gmail.com with our name (The Dingles) and the amount of the donation. Unless you indicate otherwise, Jeff will share your name with us so that we can thank you, but we will not know the amount given. The address for donations is:

Central Missionary Clearinghouse
P.O. Box 219228 
Houston, TX 77218-9228 

From my experiences with fundraising for the NC Children's Hospital and a couple other non-profits, I know small amounts can add up, so we'd appreciate any gift, no matter the size. Just make sure a separate note is included with the check so that the money is directed to Morning Light Home and an email is sent to the address above with our name and the amount so that our adoption is credited with the donation.

Also, we'll be having a silent auction in conjunction with the one fundraiser we have planned - our Chick-fil-a fundraising night (March 22 from 5-8pm at Chick-fil-a at Falls Village) - so if you know anyone who could donate something - like an item, gift card, service, or week at a beach or mountain home - please email me at shannon@dinglefest.com. 

The greatest gifts you can give us, though, are prayer and encouragement. Thank you for already providing that!

oh so very thankful

Today was an exhausting day, but the sweet encouragement I received from each of you carried me through. I have loved reading your texts, emails, and comments about our news. I am moved to tears right now even thinking about it. Y'all have reached through the computer and virtually hugged us, and we rejoice that our Zoe Amanda is being covered in prayer by you already.

Thankful.

Last night I had the opportunity to chat with one dear friend on the phone and two others over a latte at Jubala, allowing me to take a break from the paperwork and the cleaning.

Thankful.

After posting yesterday that we could use a crib, I had seven offers of cribs.

Thankful. 

A friend stopped me in the hall at Bible study yesterday to offer her daughter's baby girl clothes to Zoe Amanda. I'm not sure we'll need them, because Jocelyn had a plethora of baby clothes and we've saved them all, but it was still touching.

Thankful.

Lee's bosses gave him today off so we could spend all day on adoption paperwork and so that I could attend a meeting a church.

Thankful.

Precious friends of ours cared for Jocelyn and Robbie while our social worker came to evaluate our ability to parent the girl we already consider our own.

Thankful.

Our social worker scheduled us right away and will have the first draft of our completed home study ready on Monday for us to review to make sure everything is accurate and for our adoption coordinator to review to make sure it includes everything the Taiwanese courts will want to know.

Thankful.

The project leader for the Treasuring Christ curriculum included lunch in our team meeting today, which was the first food I had all day in the midst of all the busy-ness.

Thankful.

Our pediatrician and our family practice doctor each made sure we got the paperwork we needed right away to complete our home study.

Thankful.

GPS helped me get to the pediatrician's office after I discovered that it has moved. (Jenelle, when did that happen?)

Thankful.

The planning team for this weekend's special needs ministry respite event has stepped up in a major way, so that we can focus on bringing Zoe home instead of concerning ourselves with every detail for this weekend's event.

Thankful.

This gift arrived in the mail today. Taitung City on the southeast coast of the country - just labeled "Taitung" on the map below - is where Zoe Amanda lives now, and now I can wear it around my neck until I have her in my arms.

Thankful.

And now? I think a warm bath, a hot mug of coffee, and a good book are in order, followed closely by an early bedtime.

Thankful.

But before I go, know this: thankful doesn't cover it. You all are rallying around us while we fast-track everything to bring home Zoe Amanda, a baby girl we love now but we didn't know existed two weeks ago. While we are heeding God's call in these verses,

learn to do good; 

seek justice, correct oppression; 

bring justice to the fatherless, 

plead the widow's cause 

{Isaiah 1:17}

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}

you are doing so as well as you pour out encouragement on us. You are expressing your love for an orphan on the other side of the world. You are affirming with us the meaning of her name - "life worthy of love" - as you pray with us. When you gush with us over the chubby cheeks in the pictures we have of her and accept with us the unknown prognosis stemming from her diagnosis of cerebral palsy, you are agreeing with us that she is - in the words of Psalm 139:14 - fearfully and wonderfully made.

I said I'd be posting today about ways you can support us, but that will wait for another day. Because y'all have overwhelmed us with love and support already. 

Thank you. 
Thank you. 
Thank you.

did you know...

Did you know that the abortion rate is higher than the birth rate in Taiwan?

Did you know that in Taiwan an estimated 90% of pregnancies to unwed mothers end in abortion? (source)

Did you know that only a handful of crisis pregnancy centers operate there, each supporting unwed moms who choose life for their child and each doing so in the name of Christ?

And did you know that our third child is named Zoe Amanda, is three months old, has cerebral palsy, is living in a home affiliated with one of those crisis pregnancy centers, and will be coming home as an official Dingle family member sometime this summer?

(I apologize for my little man's sullen look. He was running a fever when we took this!)

Yeah, we didn’t know any of that either until January 28^th when a friend contacted us and asked us to pray about adopting Zoe. We agreed to pray, fully expecting to say no. But we prayed. And God moved our hearts and plans and minds.

This was not the timing we planned, the country we planned, the age we planned, the special needs we planned, or… well, suffice it to say, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” {Isaiah 55:8-9}

This is crazy. And exciting. We’re still in a bit of shock about all of this, but we can’t wait to meet our little girl and hold her and bring her home.

I’ll share more details in future posts on our family blog, but please pray. Pray for Zoe, pray for Taiwan, pray for us.

Thanks, y’all.

did you know...

Did you know that the abortion rate is higher than the birth rate in Taiwan?

Did you know that in Taiwan an estimated 90% of pregnancies to unwed mothers end in abortion? (source)

Did you know that only a handful of crisis pregnancy centers operate there, each supporting unwed moms who choose life for their child and each doing so in the name of Christ?

And did you know that our third child is named Zoe Amanda, is three months old, has cerebral palsy, is living in a home affiliated with one of those crisis pregnancy centers, and will be coming home as an official Dingle family member sometime this summer?

(I apologize for my little man's sullen look. He was running a fever when we took this!)

Yeah, we didn’t know any of that either until January 28^th when a friend contacted us and asked us to pray about adopting Zoe. We agreed to pray, fully expecting to say no. But we prayed. And God moved our hearts and plans and minds.

This was not the timing we planned, the country we planned, the age we planned, the special needs we planned, or… well, suffice it to say, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” {Isaiah 55:8-9}

This is crazy. And exciting. We’re still in a bit of shock about all of this, but we can’t wait to meet our little girl and hold her and bring her home.

I’ll share more details in my next post, but please pray. Pray for Zoe, pray for Taiwan, pray for us. I’ll also be sharing information about specific prayer, financial, and practical support we’d appreciate (for example, anyone have a crib to spare? we don’t anymore. we thought we were done with babies in the Dingle household, so we gave that away! update: praise God, we now have a crib!), though prayer is our greatest need.

Thanks, y’all.


P.S. - If you see me around, ask to see Zoe's picture! I can't post them publicly here, but I have a couple of pictures I can share in person and via email. 

disability ministry weekly round-up {2/6/11}

I'm tingly with excitement about some wild and crazy news I'll be sharing tomorrow.

Tingly.

And a little giddy.

But for now, I have to leave you wondering for one more day. If the suspense is killing you, please channel that into prayer. We would love the radical work God is doing in us and our family to be bathed in prayer. Thanks!


And now... on to the links for the week...

Parish's acolyte ministry includes those with special needs I just love this story. I think it's a mix of my fond memories of serving as an acolyte in my Lutheran church as I grew up and the joy I feel when people with disabilities are serving as full members of the body of Christ.

Pondering Psalm 139 {A post from my wife Ashley} Ashley's words cut to the core: " If you had been my parents and you knew that you carried a baby with a deformity, a baby who may have other unseen disabilities, and the doctor muttered the words to you “there’s something wrong with her"... would you have aborted me?"

Transplant may be in sight for girl with intellectual disability An update on a major pro-life story that's been big news in the disability community in the last couple weeks.

The Five-by-Five Approach to Differentiation Success Great tips for teaching anything, including Sunday school!

Raleigh church offers exciting ministries for those with special needs Here's an article about my church and some of what we have going on.

Dear Family A powerful blog post by a mom, thanking her family for specific ways they have served her and her son with autism and for their affirmation of John 9:3.

A Special Place for Special Needs I love finding articles of churches and ministry who are reaching out to adults with disabilities. Here's one (though the divorce stat used in the article is incorrect).

Burts believe strongly in inclusion This church is having monthly topical meetings for parents related to special needs and providing care for their children during the meetings.

Hope you're having a great week!