Five short weeks ago we launched our fundraising effort to bring Magnolia home: Known By Heart. Incredibly, astoundingly, over $26,500 has been donated so far.
Which honestly makes me want to jump up and down. In fact, I might have done that a few times in the last several weeks, just praising God for His faithful provision through the generosity of the body of believers.
But we are not done yet. Which, conversely, does not make me want to jump up and down. I’d really rather just sit and breathe in all the beauty of what God does when He pricks hearts for the fatherless.
But there is a divinely-created, exceedingly precious child at the end of this journey who needs to come home. Her heart defect is a serious one, we know. Just how serious – specifically, the size and arrangement of her pulmonary arteries and what surgical interventions are possible for her – we don’t know.
And we won’t know until she is home.
So upward and onward. One foot in front of the other, until our girl is safely and soundly in our arms.
$26,500 raised (minus over $12,500 for t-shirt expenses) leaves us with an estimated $14,000 gap between where we are and where we need to be to bring Magnolia home. It might seem impossible to be able to raise $14,000 more before Known By Heart ends. And this may not be the way He intends to provide.
But I have no doubt God can do this. Because He is Faithful and True. And I am reminded of this Truth every single day.
My job? Is simply to do what I can do. And today, I can try my very best.
So we are going all out in this effort. We are going to post to FB, put reminders on IG and, if necessary, send carrier pigeons to everyone we know. We’re going to urge you to participate and help us spread the word as well. If you’re simply not interested in joining us, please don’t feel obligated.
But if the Lord does prick your heart, we hope you hop off the sidelines and jump in with us. And then tell your friends. Share this post on FB. Donate for an extra t-shirt to give to a friend or loved one. Get a few to put in your kids’ Easter baskets and plan to have a really cool conversation with them about adoption. 
So excited to see exactly how He does it, what a blessing to be on this journey of adoption that challenges me to go all out, all in, for Him. Insisting that I focus not on what might be easy or pleasant at the moment, but what matters. What really – at the end of the day, and at the end of my life – matters.
If you’d like to join us in this adventure to Magnolia, there is still time. Pre-orders for Known By Heart end on March 2nd so if there is a size or color you’re especially fond of, be sure to jump in before then.
1. Complete the short form here with your name, donation amount, mailing address and color and size shirt(s) you’d like. It even has sizing charts included to make it as easy as possible. Because easy = good.
2. Then go over to our You Caring page to make your donation.
3. And then help us spread the word. Don’t keep these awesome shirts – and much more importantly, the cause of the fatherless – to yourself. Loving others is what He made us to do.
Exceedingly grateful to be on this magnificent journey with you,
Stefanie