Sunday, August 25, 2013

Little Girls With Big Hearts

Yesterday, a little girl named Hope and her friend named Brooke set up a lemonade stand in front of their house to raise money to help bring our children home from the Philippines.

Isn't that the sweetest thing ever? 

I cannot help but cry with joy at the beautiful hearts of these girls. What an example of Christ's love! How compassionate and selfless of them to sit out in the hot sun for hours on their Saturday trying to help us raise money for our adoption.

Hope and Brooke raised $38.76 at their lemonade stand, and by sending that to our matching grant, they really helped raise $77.52 for our adoption proving that no one is to young to help make a big difference in the lives of others.

Thank you Hope and Brooke for your heart for orphans, for your hard work, and your generosity. I pray that God will bless both of you along with everyone who donated to your lemonade stand. Thank you for  your example girls; you are an inspiration.

If you know of anyone else that is advocating for our adoption and fundraising for us, please let us know so that we can thank them and share what they are doing. My email is: the.bestul.family@gmail.com

Friday, August 16, 2013

MATCHING GRANT from LifeSong

One of the things that often deters people from adopting is the cost. Despite the cost, we have trusted that the Lord would provide a way if we took the step in faith, and He has blessed us abundantly.

There has been $20,135.00 raised so far towards our adoption. Alleluia! Thank you to each and every one of you who has contributed; we are so grateful to you for your support. Unfortunately, we are still in need of $21,769 to completely fund our adoption. (If you would like to see the breakdown of how much it will cost to adopt a sibling set of seven, click here. If you would like to read about how we came to the decision to adopt seven children from the Philippines, please click here.)

Well, the Lord is continuing to move the mountains, and we are so excited to announce that we have been given a matching grant through Lifesong for Orphans funded by We Care for Orphans! "Lifesong for Orphans is a non-profit Christian ministry dedicated to help meet the needs of orphan children around the world, and to obey God’s call to 'visit the fatherless…in their affliction' (James 1:27)." While "We Care for Orphans was started to help families with the resources needed to make their adoption a reality." Through the help of these two amazing organizations, they are able to offer us: a matching grant for $4,000!

Can you believe it?! That means if we can raise $4,000, Lifesong will also contribute $4,000 which would be $8,000 closer to bringing home our children! WOW!

We are honored that Lifesong has selected our family to help in this tremendous way, and we are so grateful to We Care for Orphans for their generosity and heart for orphans!

Lifesong has given us a goal date of October 18th to have our funds raised, but funds will be accepted until the children are home.

If you are interested in contributing towards the $4,000 we are raising to be matched here are the details on how you can give:

Checks should be payable to "Lifesong for Orphans. In the memo, note please include our account number: Bestul/#3802 to assure it goes to the correct account. Please mail to Lifesong for Orphans, PO Box 40, Gridley, IL 61744. Lifesong has been blessed with a partner that underwrites all U.S. administrative and fund-raising costs (TMG Foundation and other partners). That means 100% of your donation will go directly to the adoption.

To pay online go to www.Lifesongfororphans.org/give/donate. Select "Give to an Adoptive Family." Complete the online form and fill in "Family Account Number" (Bestul/#3802) and "Family Name" (Bestul) fields. Note PayPal charges an administrive fee (2.9% + $.30 USD per transaction). Your donation will be decreased by the amount of this fee.

NOTE: In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to the named non-profit organization. This organization retains full discretion over its use, but intends to honor the donor's suggested use. "Individual donations $250 or more and yearly donations totaling $250 or more will receive a tax-deductible receipt. Receipts for donations  will gladly be sent upon request. Lifesong is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization.

We would also ask for your prayers for our adoption process: that the board would look favorably on our package, that our children's hearts would be prepared for the transition (both the children in our home and the ones in the Philippines), and for provisions for the completion of the rest of the adoption expenses. Thank you for your prayers. May the Lord bless you for your generosity, your prayers, and your support.

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Mysterious Mail

As I pulled into my driveway the other day, I stopped to check the mail and found a mysterious envelope with no return address, and the address on the front of the envelope was stamped on it.

 "Hmmm...that's unusual," I thought. "I wonder who this could be from"

When I opened the envelope, there was $100 in loose bills with a short note (which also was typed). The note read, "For the adoption."

My eyes started to tear up as I stood there in my driveway. What a beautiful gift someone sent! The generous individual also took the time to ensure that he/she would remain anonymous.

"...when you do a charitable deed, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, that your charitable deed may be in secret; and your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly." Matthew 6:3-4

Lord, I thank you for your provision for our adoption and for the individual(s) that were an instrument of Your provision. I ask for You to please bless the individual(s) that took the time to send this special gift of love to our family. I pray that you will reward them for their obedience and their generosity, and that You would bless them abundantly. I pray this, humbly, in Christ's name. Amen.

Thank you, whoever you are, my mysterious mailer, and thank you to each and everyone who has contributed to our adoption fund. Thank you for your donation, and thank you for your reminder that God is in control of everything. Even though I haven't gotten to setting up the next fundraiser, God is still working on providing for our adoption through compassionate and generous followers of Christ like you! God bless you!