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I’ve known Justin since he was a very little boy and prayed with him when he accepted Christ - I’ve known him, and his entire family.  I’ve known his wife Amanda since she was in High School and she too loves God with all her heart.  God laid this on their hearts and I want to make you aware of them so you can help if you feel led.  Whether through prayer or financial assistance or simply encouragement - I want to share this with you.

Within the last year Amanda and I began to have serious conversations about growing our family through adoption. We didn’t know when exactly, but assumed it would be years in the future after we were done having biological children.

Several months ago we began feeling as if our child may already be born and we didn’t know it yet. Then in August, Amanda was connected through Facebook to a family that had just completed the adoption of a boy from Eastern Europe who had Down Syndrome. She read the mother’s blog and found out that they had found him through an organization called Reece’s Rainbow which advocates for the adoption of special needs kids, particularly Down Syndrome.  She went to the site and began to pray for the faces of the children listed there until she saw a picture of a boy named Broderick.  Broderick does not have Down Syndrome, but he does have special needs and health concerns. She immediately knew that was him; that he was our son.  She spent 3 days praying for him and for me, unsure of how I would react, before she showed me his profile.

When I saw him I knew. Still, we agreed to pray for 2 more days for any opportunity for denial. There was none. I have told many people that when I saw both of my boys after they were born there was no need for me to ask God if they were mine.  I knew. Amanda and I shared that same amazing feeling about this boy.

This is not what we would have chosen for ourselves.  We have no expertise in raising an adopted child, much less one who is older than our kids, has special needs, and doesn’t speak our language. This is not the comfortable life that is described in the “American Dream”, but he is our son and we have to go get him.

We have completed a mountain of paperwork, answered a thousand questions, read books, and grilled couples who have gone before us.

Now, we need some help.

We budgeted to raise $25,000 to complete this adoption and to date we have raised nearly $12,000 through our own savings, donations from friends, and garage sales.

While we would love to have more time for active fundraising, our time has run out.  Our paperwork has been filed with Broderick’s government and we could hear from them any day.  When they contact us we will have as little as one week to arrange travel and go. The bulk of our remaining needs are travel costs, accommodations for our 3-4 week stay, and final documents to make him a US citizen.

How can you help?

Visit our blog at www.positivelyhopefilled.wordpress.com, read more about our story, and, if you are willing, contribute to our fund at Reece’s Rainbow.  Any contributions through Reece’s Rainbow are tax deductible and paid to us in full.

Lastly, this is our cause and we understand that it may not be yours. Find your cause.  Fight for those who face hardship and together we will enact true change for the better.

Thank you. Justin & Amanda Sadler