After our
first fundraiser towards creating our family, I am complete overwhelmed.
Overwhelmed
with gratitude.
Overwhelmed with love.
Overwhelmed with hope.
I wanted to
not only thank each and every one of you from the bottom of my heart, but let
you know that you are all such a blessing to us. From the deepest depth of my
soul, I am grateful. WE are grateful. (I just happen to be the writer &
poster, so I will say “I” a lot when I absolutely mean “we”--- forgive me.)
There is no way we could possibly ever express our gratitude and love for all
of you. Not only to those who donated gifts and services towards the gift
basket, not only those who purchased raffle tickets, and not only to those who
just “liked” our posts on social media, but all of you. Those who have reached out and said “Don’t give up.” Those
who have prayed for us along the way. And mostly, those who kept the hope and
faith when we lost it for a while.
I just wanted to tell you all what you did for us
during our first fundraiser. Because what you did was amazing! I know amazing
is a strong word, but not nearly strong enough. I am lacking the words to
really explain what your purchase did. It moved us. It gave us so much strength. So much incredible
hope and faith. It made us realize that so many people want this for us as much
as we want it for ourselves! We know God is doing big things in our lives. We
have seen Him show out for us so much through this journey that it is unbelievable.
But seeing Him show His love through our friends and family, is miraculous. Sometimes it’s the simplest acts of kindness that have the
most lasting effects. Sometimes ordinary things impact people in extraordinary
ways. And you have all impacted
our lives in lasting, extraordinary ways the past 5 years. And that feeling is overwhelming.
A sweet friend gently reminded me early during this decision that the
money we fundraise for is not for us, it is for our child. It has nothing to do
with us and everything to do with that precious little soul that God will place
in our lives one way or another. There are a lot of mixed feelings about asking
for help for funding fertility treatments and/or adoption. I understand if you
do not agree with it. That is your right. I understand people have the opinion
of “nobody helped me with my baby or starting my family, so why should I help
someone else?” But some people are not as easily blessed as others. Please open
your minds and open your hearts for a moment. Please try to realize something
for me. Some people have been through the hardest journey of their lives just
to start a family. Just to achieve what is considered “normal”. Some people have spent their entire savings.
We have spent more money than most make in a year just to achieve that “normalcy”…
and some still don’t have that family yet. Fundraising and donating is not for
us. It’s not for shopping sprees or even for buying ourselves anything. It’s
for the child we want. The family we want. We are just hoping for “normal” and unfortunately
for us, that will cost us tens of thousands of dollars. I pray people can understand
that and see it that way as well!
So for those who have supported us and helped us, thank
you for putting your heart and money towards something so dear to us. Thank you
for loving us! So far you have helped us raise over $1500.00 in just 2 weeks!
If you only knew how much that really means to us! If you only knew how
overwhelmed we are. If you only knew how grateful and hopeful we truly are!
God is amazing and incredible, and if you didn't already know that, I
hope you do now! This has been just one tiny way He has proven His faithfulness
to us. Thank you for being a part of our story. Of our child's story. Thank you
for giving generously and without reservation. Thank you for your kind words
and support. Most importantly, thank you for your prayers and love. Thank you
for seeking God on our behalf and asking Him for His blessings. He surely hears
them and he surely is answering them! We love you all!
xoxo,
Jill & Daniel
