Orientation Call & Priorities

We had our orientation call today. We discussed paperwork, fees, who would be helping us with each step, and what to needed to be done before moving ahead. We had read the paperwork ahead of time so we felt like most of it was reviewing and getting some clarification. We did find out that I was wrong about when our fees were due. We have up to 3 months to pay our first set, but we can't move forward until it is paid in full. So our current goal for our first payment is to come up with/ raise $9640 by August. We currently are at $3600 so we still need $6040. We are trying to focus on one payment goal at a time. There will be a few more to come, plus travel expenses for us and our child.

We have already started making lifestyle changes to help increase our adoption savings. For the last 4 weeks we have only bought food out twice. We had snow cones one night and we grabbed a quick bite from McD's dollar menu one night. We have chosen to cut back buying sodas or going into the convenience stores all together. Josh and I have given up our date night in order to stay home and save the money from the sitter and the extras. Instead it is Netflix after the girls' bedtimes! I am saying all this because in the beginning we thought there was no way we could come up with extra cash in our budget but we have! I have been stressing because we have vacation coming up in July and have already paid for a nonrefundable rental for the week but we have decided that we will cook at the rental house and keep our activities to those that are free or dirt cheap! Plus Josh thinks we need the time to just focus on our girls and make them feel extra special during all this. He is a smart man!

"It is a poverty to decide that a child must die so that you may live as you wish." - Mother Teresa

I read this quote awhile back and I believe when I read it was in reference to abortion. However, the thought that came to my mind was that I spend my extra money and time doing as I wish sometimes with complete disregard for others and their needs. Don't get me wrong we have helped others and given to worthy causes before but we have still blown countless amounts of money and time on things that didn't make our lives better or anyone else's. Our prayer is that our family will use each resource that we are given for the better of others and not just ourselves.

One of my favorite verses and the tag line on my e-mail account:

If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:1-4

If you know me I have lots of favorite scriptures and I am sure I will say that over and over again!