My name is Matthew and my wife, Mary Kendall, and I have always dreamed of having children and shepherding them toward Christ.
Genesis 1:27-28, “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it…’”
The first commandment God gave to Adam and Eve was to fill the Earth with children. It is a simple commandment for those who are one flesh: to provide the earth with a baby that God calls a blessing and then raise them in the way they should go.
On our first date, we went to Primo’s for buffalo chicken pizza, then to an escape game, and finally to Blackbird Bakery. There, we had a conversation to see if our values aligned. We don’t remember everything we talked about, but a few things were clear from the start: we wanted God at the forefront of our lives, we wanted children, and we wanted to adopt. We both separately had a deep desire to adopt one day and when we came together it was truly solidified. After we got married, our plan was to hopefully have a couple biological kids and then adopt down the road. But God had a different plan for us.
After almost 5 years of trying to grow our family and things not going the way we expected, we have decided to take the next step and pursue adoption.
We went through so many questions, countless tests, and multiple treatments in our pursuit to have a child. Along the way, we experienced a lot of heartbreak, grief, and uncertainty. But God stepped in and gave us a strong conviction to step out in faith and pursue adoption, not as a “solution” to infertility but answering a call on our lives to open our home to the gift of adoption.
Even though this journey has been long and frustrating at times, God has given us clear signs through His Word and peace that surpasses understanding, that this is the direction He has lead us.
God has surrounded us with a community of like-minded people, including many who have walked this same path before us, and they have supported and encouraged us during this time. God has truly shown us that we are being called to take this step of faith with courage and trust.
This is where we need your help. The road to adopting a child is very expensive and emotionally taxing at times. We have chosen to adopt through a Christian agency called Small World. They are a non-profit agency that works in Tennessee specifically. Their transparency in all the costs and their desire to show Christ in their process and their Gospel centered values is what led us to choose them. We are currently in the home study process, which includes a deep dive into our physical, financial, and mental health. After the home study, it becomes a waiting game as our agency finds a birthmother and she chooses us. The process can take anywhere from 6 months to two years typically.
We want to be transparent about the finances of this, because it is shocking the price of adoption. The total cost of this process is about 33,000 dollars. We have paid 3,200 so far which was for the application process, home study, post placement fees. Plus a couple hundred dollars along the way in home study process.
Up next immediately, the program fee before matching- 3,000 + $500 (we currently have covered)
Upon matching - remaining- $25,500- 27,000:
-Services & help for birth mother- 5,000+
-Court fees- 2,500-4,000
-Placement fee- 18,000
First, we ask that you pray for us. Pray for us as we prepare our hearts and minds to become parents. Pray for the birth parents who are making a very tough decision, whatever their circumstances may be, they are courageously placing their child into our hands to love and raise them. And finally, pray for the health of our future child and that God will protect them in the waiting.
James 5:16 says, “Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.”
Second, if God lays it on your heart, you can help by giving to our adoption campaign. We know times are tough for everyone, so we ask humbly to give whatever God has placed on your heart. Every gift will go directly toward the adoption fees listed here and is appreciated more than you could ever know. We are looking to hopefully raise 30,000 to go to that 27,000 + 3,000 program fee. This does not include any travel fees and extra small fees we will have to make throughout this process.
We will post regular updates here with photos and bi-weekly updates throughout the process, so we encourage you to follow along and pray with us. We know God is preparing our path even now, and we firmly believe in His sovereignty. He knows our future and holds it firmly in His hand. One day we will hold our precious child, and all the trials and heartbreaks will be worth it. When that day comes, we will celebrate together as one family. So I will preemptively say thank you and remind you of the promise God made to His people, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” We could not do this without our community, all the prayers and the generous support that is received through this process. We cannot express how truly thankful we are for each and every one of you that supports us. We will also be doing a few fundraisers locally, so if you live near us, be on the lookout for those as well!
