$10 Campaign

So this evening, Tom and I drafted a letter that we sent via email to our family and friends sharing about our journey to this amazing young boy.  In that letter, we asked them to consider a gift of $10 to support our adoption fund.  Now, most of you who follow this blog on a regular basis know that we have been fundraising and still have a large amount yet to pay.  But, contrary to what you might think, that financial need (in and of itself) was not the sole motivation for making this request.

I thought it would be fun to see what God could do with $10.  After all, look what he did with the loaves and fishes.  Now, some of you might have some independently wealthy family members. Us? Well, no. Not a one. So, we figured that with the law of large numbers, and a little supernatural intervention, we would set the stage for yet another miracle in a long line of adoption related miracles.

So, take a gander at what our friends received tonight and if it touches your heart, then follow the Lord's leading and send a small gift.  Additionally, if you feel led, forward this to some of your own friends and family.  Allow the Lord to use you for something amazing. Watch how he cares for our son and provides what only he can provide.
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Friends & Family,

Many of you are already familiar with our family's journey to adopt a 13 year old boy from China.  This has been craziest ride that God has ever taken us on!  For those who are not aware, we began the journey of international adoption this past Easter when we felt the Lord leading us to a special boy named Shen (last name), Junchi.  

As we researched the notion of international adoption, we quickly learned that in China, all orphans lose their eligibility for adoption on their 14th birthday.  We further learned that they are also no longer cared for by the government in China after this tender age.  That's right, they are released from their orphanages and foster homes to fend for themselves.  Many of you have, or know children (I stress children) of this age.  Can you imagine your 14 year old, sent out to live on their own with little hope of a job?  

You see, in China, orphans are considered "unlucky" or "cursed".  They have a very difficult time finding employment as most business owners do not want to risk having their businesses cursed by orphans.  What a silly concept that seems to us, in the most blessed nation on earth.  But, this is not TV, this is reality in China.  Additionally, because it is well known that society does not care about these children, they are especially prone to the pursuit by child predators and often fall victim to them. As we studied more and more about the culture surrounding orphans in China, we quickly realized that we had to do something to help this boy.  But, there were so many (EASY) reasons to look the other way.  Tom is too old to adopt. (No, really, he is too old by China's standards). :-)  Adoption is unbelievably expensive ($25-$30,000)!  We don't have that kind of money.  The list of excuses went on and on.  However, despite the fact that it didn't even seem possible, we agreed that weekend to follow the Lord's leading no matter where it led.

So, we started down a road of tremendous paperwork and certain obstacles only to see what was to be the most amazing ride of our lives so far.  Every excuse that we thought of early on was completely eliminated, one day at a time, by God.  This one email is not sufficient for me to share with you each miracle that we have witnessed to date, so if you want to read about our journey in more detail, please check out our blog and start from the beginning.  It truly has been amazing.

Now, to the reason for our email.  So far, since April, we have been able to secure slightly more than $12,000 in grants and dollars raised to offset the early costs of the process.  That, in and of itself is amazing!  Now that we are a mere 4 weeks from possible travel to China, we find ourselves still a little over $11,000 short of the needed funds.  We held a hugely successful community yard sale with the support of so many people.  This month, we are blessed by two sweet consultants with Thirty-One and Scentsy who have offered to fundraise on our behalf and donate their own commission toward our fund.  That gives us approximately 25% of what is sold which will be a blessing.  However, knowing that these efforts alone will not bridge the gap, we are humbly asking for the help of many.  

We could take the "American" approach and slap out a credit card and worry about the consequences later.  But, we feel (and have felt for many years now) that this is not the way God would have us steward our finances. So, we do not have one. Not one credit card. We are truly walking out on faith that this is where the Lord wants us.  That said, we have applied for one more grant through the "A Child Waits Foundation".  We will not receive a decision from them until after we receive our Travel approval. This could, Lord willing, offer as much as $5000 toward our flights. We continue to pray that this would come through, although there are many families around the country who seek funding for these special needs children and there is no guarantee that we will be approved.

So, back to the $10.  As I think about the many times in the Bible that the Lord did much with little, I thought it might be fun to see what He can do with $10.  So, for all of you reading this who feel led to help our son get home, we are asking in humility that you consider sending a small gift of $10.  Additionally, anyone who thinks they might feel led, could forward this email to their (family, friends, bible study, Sunday school class, rotary... you get the point) so that we could watch God multiply that $10 gift.  We will continue to update progress on our fundraising thermometer.  You can all watch along as we get closer.  Our family blog is www.rylandsfamily.blogspot.com  Our mailing address is: (Removed for safety) please email if you need the address or you can donate using the PAYPAL button on this blog.)

As we travel in China, we will be uploading pictures, videos and personal messages/prayer requests.  We invite each of you to follow along on our journey and pray for us as we are so far from home.  Thank you for taking the time to read this epistle and for considering how you might be able to help us spread the word.  We are grateful for each of you and so grateful that we will have Colin Daniel Rylands home with us soon!

Tom, Angie & Tommy Rylands