Some really, really big news....
The kind of news that you want to shout from the rooftops!!
But, you don't. Because that's weird. So instead you find an incredibly talented photographer, rent an adorable little pair of wooden shoes, spike your hubby's hair up, and find a way to announce it to the world.
My friends, it's been a really long couple years. Really long. And it's finally starting to feel like we're on our way out of it... like there are only good things in sight for the Loedings. FINALLY.
So, with great nerves and even greater panic (seriously, panic), we'll share our story with you, the whole world... If you care to know more of our lives, our story, or how to help, please read on (and check back every couple weeks)... This is your invitation. We invite you into being a part of our story, a part of our family, and a part of our future.
So here goes the first of many adoption related posts... the letter we recently sent to many of our family and friends.
Friends and family.
We pray that this finds you
well! As you may have guessed from
our totally adorable photo, WE’RE ADOPTING! A surprise for some of you and for others of you, the
permission that you finally needed to be able to talk about it! This really
awesome, super fantastic news doesn’t come without sadness but we are overcome
with joy and thanksgiving about the opportunity that God has given us to invite
a child into our home and into our hearts.
I have been scouring the
internet for almost a month looking for “sample adoption letters” or the
“perfect example letter” or even “a pathetic attempt at writing an adoption
letter”… Google
failed me on all search accounts.
I did find a couple suggestions though… be heartfelt and honest about your story, invite
people into your lives, and pray that God blesses BOTH parties in the
process. So, here goes nothing…
It has been a rough couple of years
for the Loedings. Lots of house
issues, numerous health issues, two foot surgeries, and, (the cherry to top it
all off) Jeremy and I have been trying for over two years to get pregnant. As you very quickly noticed, our
announcement was not about pregnancy.
After a year of monthly tears and another year of invasive testing, failed medication, failed insemination,
and two failed rounds of in vitro, God has finally gotten his point
across. We’re meant to adopt a
child that God has already created; one that desperately needs a family. (I
wish we would have understood this before the hundreds of very expensive and
painful needles!!)
So, here we are: in the middle
of this long and messy and stressful and WONDERFUL process of waiting for a
baby to find his or her way to our home.
The problem is, we don’t have the funds to do it alone. As you may or may not know, the process
of adoption is quite expensive (around $20,000)! As awkward as it feels to ask: we need help. As the people
that have always surrounded US with your encouragement and prayers and love,
we’re asking for your help. We are
thrilled and honored that we’re able to be a family to a baby that needs
us. A baby that will need loved
and cherished and supported and appreciated for the true gift that he or she
will be. Our current reality is that we are still approximately $10,000 short
after draining our savings account and saving every extra penny that we could
for the last couple years. We’ve given up much – and will continue to give up much – in the hopes of saving enough
money for this adventure but life circumstances have happened (time and time
again!) and we’ve fallen short.
Would you consider coming
alongside Jeremy and I as we look to
bring home the “missing piece”
of our family?
We are looking for help in any
of the following ways:
1. A donation toward our
upcoming “end of summer” garage sale.
That’s right, we’re looking for the stuff that you have laying around the
house and have been meaning to get rid of! Or, if any of you are super crafty or artistic and have the
desire/ability to make something that we could sell at our garage sale, that
would be awesome! Crafts,
paintings, food, lemonade stands… the possibilities are endless! Please contact us
if you have anything that you would like to donate or if you would be willing
to help before, during, or after the garage sale.
2. A financial donation (specifically
for our adoption) to Bethany Christian Services. Any amount, no matter how small, would be incredibly
appreciated. Your can send your donation directly to Bethany just please
remember to include our names on the memo line! The address is 617 Franklin Street,
Suite 207, Pella, Iowa 50219.
3. A financial donation directly
to us (to go toward current adoption loans/fees that are outside the “Bethany
realm”). Two options: directly to
our PayPal account at juiekloeding@gmail.com or by sending the donation to our
address. 809 East 3rd
Street, Pella, Iowa 50219
4. Finally, prayer! Please pray
for us during this time of applications, our home study, and waiting (there is
not set time frame – it
could be a couple months, it could be a couple years!).
Pray that the process and waiting would go quickly. Please also pray for the biological mom
that is carrying or will be carrying our baby to be! Prayers for her physical health, for the health of our baby,
and for the mother’s mind as she’s struggling through this incredibly difficult
decision.
Thank you, everyone, for your
constant support and love. Thank
you too for your joy and excitement about our “big news”! We are truly blessed
to have you in our lives.
With love and excitement,
Jeremy and Julie Loeding
809 East 3rd Street, Pella, Iowa 50219 :: 641-780-4300 (Julie) :: 641-231-1545 (Jeremy)
809 East 3rd Street, Pella, Iowa 50219 :: 641-780-4300 (Julie) :: 641-231-1545 (Jeremy)
