Adoption assistance

Dear Family and Friends,

It is with hat in hand that we come humbly to you asking that you might consider assisting us with our adoption expenses. Allow me to quickly bring you up to speed.

It was the first Sunday of February this year that Tamala and I got a call from a family we went to church with when we married back in 2005. We ministered to this family the best way we knew how at the time. For reasons unknown to us, they vanished out of our lives just a about the time Hurrican Katrina struck New Orleans . Then they re-entered our lives that fateful Sunday.

The mother informed us that her youngest daughter is pregnant and unmarried. She knew Tamala & I talked about adopting children when we got married. So she asked us if we had already adopted and if not, would we consider adopting this baby. We scheduled a meeting that same day with the mother and daughter and had many questions to ask. After our meeting, while mother & daughter were enroute home, daughter told her mother that she didn't want to interview any other families. She wanted Tamala and me to adopt her baby. She called us the next day and "officially" asked us if we'd adopt her baby and we told her yes. She said her Dr. anticipated her due date around Sept. 1.

Shortly after our meeting, daughter simply "vanished" and no one knew where she was or how to contact her.

Fast forward to Friday, July 15th at 10:30 pm: The Mother called us and said her daughter has re-appeared and wanted to talk with us. We called the daughter at 11pm that same evening and she brought us up to speed on her whereabouts and what had happened these last several months. She had attempted to work things out with the baby's father but had finally come to the conclusion that wasn't going to happen. She asked us if we were still interested in adopting her baby. We asked her many straightforward questions and she assured us she had not put the baby in any kind of danger due to lifestyle choices. We told her yes we'd still adopt her baby. She also told us that her belly had already "dropped" and so had the baby AND she was already dialated to a 3 on her last Dr. visit the week prior! The Dr. said this baby would probably be here in 2 to 3 weeks!

The next day, everything shifted into "hyper warp" drive. The next day we had an emergency meeting with our adoption agency who agreed to conduct our homestudy. They gave us a notebook that normally takes an adoptive couple 3 to 6 months to complete and hand in. We had one week to complete it. This became my full time job the next several days and we had it completed and handed in on Thursday July 21st. When I handed in the notebook I also handed them a check for $1600.00. We had our first meeting with our adoption attorney the next day and handed him a check for $1000.00. We have an outstanding balance of $2500.00 with the attorney.

Monday, July 25th, the birth mother texted me saying she’d had contractions all night long the previous night, and, they were continuing on into the next day. She said, “We may be having a baby today”! She had a Dr.s appointment at 4pm that same day and would let us know how it turned out.

What I haven’t shared thus far is that I lost me full time job in mid-April. I only received unemployment compensation for about three weeks. We’ve completely exhausted our savings account (emergency fund). I sold my pickup truck for cash on June 21st so we’re down to one vehicle. God has proven Himself to be Jehovah Jireh this entire time because we’re never been late on one bill and haven’t missed a meal. God has already moved upon individual’s hearts who have given (sacrificially) and seeded gifts of money into our family’s life. It has truly been miraculous!

Yesterday, I sought wise counsel from our Pastors. The Spirit moved them to seed into our family for the purposes of adoption expenses. They shared that another family they knew sent out an email to select people in their lives and asked for assistance in paying adoption expenses. Our Pastors seeded into the lives of this family and suggested we consider doing something similar.

So, with all of that said, Tamala and I come humbly asking if you would prayerfully consider sharing out of your abundance by helping us with the costs of our adoption? Up until now, Tamala and I have experienced the joy of giving to those with a financial need in their life. We’ve understood what the Word of God says “it is more blessed to give than to receive.” We also understand that someone has to be the “receiver” of the gift from the giver, and now we find ourselves in need to be on the receiving end. We’ve not had to do this before so the act of “asking” is a new and humbling experience! Even gift cards to places like Wal-Mart, etc. will enable us to buy items for the baby.

Our prayer for you is that God will bless you and your family in ways you never thought, dreamed or imagined. As you “plant seed” into our family we ask you to believe God for special things in your own family. The blessing(s) God has for you may come in many different ways; so it may not just be financial blessing. It could take the form of restored relationships, supernatural health, emotional healing or any way the Father chooses to bless.

May the Peace of God manifest itself in your lives and the Joy of the Lord be your eternal strength. We love you and want you to know how much we appreciate your participating the in the creation process of our family.

Shalom!
Kevin & Tamala Palmer
8506 Maurer Road, #311Lenexa, KS 66219

PayPal account registered to: kpalmer944@yahoo.com