Our Adoption Dream (Fundraising letter)

Dear Friends;

It is with great pleasure that we write this letter to inform you of an exciting time in our lives. We recently decided to adopt a child. Unlike some adoptions, we are connected with this child and we know her current name and we know her family, which is wonderful. But the unfortunate piece of this puzzle is that in order to bring this child home we have significant legal fees, travel fees, and private agency fees that we are required to pay. It is with that purpose that we write this letter.

Since we have moved to Labrador City two years ago we have discussed that it may be time to grow our family. As a couple, adoption has always been something that has been near and dear to our hearts. Our strong desires to adopt have been with us both since the time we were 18 years old. And this opportunity to adopt and to help a child in need is such a wonderful precious opportunity for us and our families.

Around Christmas of 2012 God started to prepare us for the next step in our lives and the purpose we were to fulfill. During that time we were discussing that the time was close and we thought that perhaps it was time to look into some possibilities.

Then about a month ago we received a call that would change our lives.  This call was one that we did not anticipate but one that we knew was for us at exactly the right time. There is a two year old baby girl residing in Ontario with her great grandparents. There she is well taken care of and is a lovely and lively little girl, but her grandparents are concerned about being able to take care of her much longer. Because her mother is very young and unable to take care of her on her own, her grandparents felt that this would be the next step that they should take. In order to avoid this baby girl being placed in random foster homes for the rest of her life both we and her family desire for her to live with us in order that we may help provide a stable, healthy, Christian home for her to grow up in.

We cannot wait for her to come home. We cannot wait to hold her in our arms. Nothing can express the excitement and the joy that we have felt since we chose to adopt this baby girl. We now can’t imagine our lives without her. We want to be there for this baby girl for the rest of her life.

Would you help us provide all of this for her?

Sincerely,

Ty, Amanda and baby girl Dunham

Our Adoption Dream

It’s hard to believe that six years ago when we were married that we would arrive here at this place. Many years ago, before we married, we shared a conversation about adoption. We discussed how beautiful the idea was and how we could see it happen in our future. Throughout our marriage we revisited the conversation time and time again, knowing that one day we would see it happen.
We didn’t know when it would happen and we didn’t know who would become the third addition to our family. We just knew that someday it would.

Our dream is becoming a reality.

The past two years have been a great adventure adjusting to life in Labrador. As the time went on our thoughts of increasing our family grew, and during the Christmas season we decided we would begin taking the steps in the New Year.

As we prayed and discussed this matter we were given a call that we knew was in God’s perfect timing. When we heard about a little two year old girl in Ontario who needed a new loving home we quickly knew she would become a part of our immediate family. Where her great grandparents and her mother are unable to take care of her any longer, we both felt God leading us as the next step in our lives journey to be there for this little girl. We are ready and prepared to take this on, like no other change we have had in our lives.

This child has come to us through our extended family. And by coming to us through that means, it often feels as if God has placed her in our lives directly. We believe that God chose her for us. We believe that God has provided her a happy home for the last two years, and now it is our job to carry that on. That happy home that she has been a part of, despite her great grandparents being unable to take care of her any longer, has helped her grow into a little happy healthy child. Simply said, I believe she will be more of a blessing in our lives then she will ever know. 

This past month has brought so much joy into our lives knowing she will one day be running through our house laughing and giggling, filling our home with love. It’s been a delight to start thinking about the coming changes in our lives, readying her new room and preparing our house for a toddler. 

This adoption means so much to us to be able to help a child who needs a home. It means that our lives will forever be blessed. It means we get to share in the raising of a beautiful little girl. It means that there will be a continuous joy and laughter and happiness in our home that can only be brought on by the life of a child. Although this is an experience that we have not experienced in our lives up to this point, it’s a journey that we know we are ready to take, and that God has been preparing us for several years as a couple.

These changes have come quickly for us, and knowing that we will have a little Dunham in our house by this summer is so exciting. We are pleased to make this announcement to all of our friends and family, and having you be a part of this journey with us is a true blessing.

Financial Needs

The adoption process must be completed through a private adoption. This includes us completing an application that includes medical assessment, criminal record check, a home assessment and a 27 hour adoption parenting class. Once legal requirements are all fulfilled for both Ontario and Newfoundland, we will then begin the transition period. This transition normally will involve a two week period where ourselves and the grandparents will be together in order to transition our baby girl to become used to living with us. Currently we are anticipating her arrival around June 2013.

In order to complete the whole adoption process there are several fees that incur as we proceed. Therefore our needs are as followed:

First and foremost we are asking for your prayers. Whoever you are and wherever you are, God can hear your prayers. The other is financial. Our goal is to raise $8,000 to cover the fees listed below.

Legal Fees: $3000             Agency Fees: $4000        Travel Fees: $1000

The objective will be this: We will be mailing out 40 groups of letters to our friends and families. From those 40 people they will each deliver a packet to three of their friends or family.  If each person who receives a packet gifted $50 to our cause, then that would equal $200 for that grouping. Therefore if we receive $200 from each of the groups, that would equal the $8000 required to bring our baby girl home.  (4x50=200, 40x200=8000)

You can give to this cause by sending an email transfer to dunhamadoption@gmail.com. This option is normally available through most online banking services where the money is immediately transferred from one bank account to another.  Each email transfer requires a question and password. You may provide us the password by emailing us or calling us in order to protect privacy. If you choose to email us please email us at adunham52@gmail.com or the email above. You may also choose to mail a cheque by emailing a request to forward you our mailing address. 

**We apologize that we are unable to provide tax receipts. Any contribultions will be considered a gift.

We understand this is a lot to ask. We are still thankful and grateful for any amount that you are able to contribute. We trust that God will provide all of our needs to complete this adoption. Please pray that God would move mountains to bring our daughter home by June 2013.

If you need any other following information, please feel free to contact us at the above email address or at the following number 709-944-1777 or 709-280-2442.

We thank you with all the love we have in us, 

Ty and Amanda Dunham