Baby Kawell Adoption

Sam and Hannah Kawell
Sam and Hannah Kawell Madison, Alabama

Hello and welcome!

This is a page for our family and friends who are partnering with us in our adoption ministry. We will post updates and prayer requests, answer questions, and enjoy sharing this journey with you!  Many of you have asked how to support us, and so we created this page! We are extremely thankful for you all.

Here’s a quick run down of the situation:

We have completed an extensive home study with Lifeline Children’s Services, and are now in the waiting and matching phase. It could be a few short months until we welcome baby Kawell into our home, or it could be a few years. No matter the time frame, it presents an opportunity for all sorts of preparation.

Lifesong for Orphans is one way we are prepping for baby’s arrival! Lifesong is non-profit that has come alongside us and offered a $6,000 interest free covenant loan to assist with the unexpected legal and travel costs involved with adoption. This page you are perusing right now is one part of Lifesong for Orphans ministry. This page provides adopting families with a platform to fundraise and share their stories. We are very grateful to be partnering with them, as we can’t fully know what to expect when it comes to fees!

 

Here is what we can expect financially:

In general, we expect our total investment in Lifeline’s adoption ministry to come to about 30k, but extra travel, legal entanglements, and a myriad of other scenarios could lead to a hefty increase in expense. We also will need to trade in our car to make room for more carseats. Yay! We have saved and planned a good deal, and are excited to begin the process!

We are not actively fundraising. However, many of you have asked to support us financially, and so we have partnered with Lifesong, using their platform as both a blog and a means to recieve financial support. Having such generous family and friend support will ease our minds and give us the safety net needed to walk alongside these birth mothers without feeling restrained by funding, or fearing the cost of legal battles.

 

And finally, here is the “why” behind adoption:

We see adoption as one of the main ways Christians can live out the gospel as a family unit. It is practical and tangible. We see it as a way to strengthen our reliance on the Holy spirit for guidance, and grow our trust in our Father. We know it will be a tool in conversation to talk about “why” we adopted, thus leading to the Father’s adoption of us as heirs to his kingdom. And, finally, we know God has given us a good desire for a family full of children. We have both felt a desire to adopt since before we married, and it is finally time. We are looking forward to seeing His sovereign hand over this experience.

 

 

A quick side note:

Adoption is not what the Lord has planned for every family. It is only one branch of Jesus’ ministry while here on earth. However, orphan care is something we should all be concerned about, especially if we call ourselves the children of God. If anyone is interested in practical ways to live out the gospel through orphan care, we suggest picking up a copy of Orphanology: Awakening to Gospel-Centered Adoption and Orphan Care.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by! Please feel free to reach out with questions; we love to talk about adoption and all we are learning along the way!

Sam and Hannah

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STRIPE charges an online processing fee (2.2% +.30 USD per transaction)*. Your donations will be decreased by this amount. You may also send a check payable to “Lifesong for Orphans”. In the memo line please write “Kawell 09908”, to ensure it is credited to our account. Please mail to Lifesong for Orphans, PO Box 9, Gridley, IL 61744.

Lifesong has been blessed with partners who underwrite all U.S. administrative and fundraising costs (TMG Foundation and other partners). That means 100% of your donation will go directly to the adoption.

  • In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to Lifesong for Orphans. This organization retains full discretion over its use, but intends to honor the donor’s suggested use.
  • Lifesong is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization. Individual donations of $50 or more and yearly donations totaling $250 or more will receive a tax-deductible receipt. Receipts for donations under $50 will gladly be sent upon request.
  • *3.5% fee for donations given with an American Express card
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Raised to date by 1 person
 of  $15,000
Campaign Ended

My Story

Hello and welcome!

This is a page for our family and friends who are partnering with us in our adoption ministry. We will post updates and prayer requests, answer questions, and enjoy sharing this journey with you!  Many of you have asked how to support us, and so we created this page! We are extremely thankful for you all.

Here’s a quick run down of the situation:

We have completed an extensive home study with Lifeline Children’s Services, and are now in the waiting and matching phase. It could be a few short months until we welcome baby Kawell into our home, or it could be a few years. No matter the time frame, it presents an opportunity for all sorts of preparation.

Lifesong for Orphans is one way we are prepping for baby’s arrival! Lifesong is non-profit that has come alongside us and offered a $6,000 interest free covenant loan to assist with the unexpected legal and travel costs involved with adoption. This page you are perusing right now is one part of Lifesong for Orphans ministry. This page provides adopting families with a platform to fundraise and share their stories. We are very grateful to be partnering with them, as we can’t fully know what to expect when it comes to fees!

 

Here is what we can expect financially:

In general, we expect our total investment in Lifeline’s adoption ministry to come to about 30k, but extra travel, legal entanglements, and a myriad of other scenarios could lead to a hefty increase in expense. We also will need to trade in our car to make room for more carseats. Yay! We have saved and planned a good deal, and are excited to begin the process!

We are not actively fundraising. However, many of you have asked to support us financially, and so we have partnered with Lifesong, using their platform as both a blog and a means to recieve financial support. Having such generous family and friend support will ease our minds and give us the safety net needed to walk alongside these birth mothers without feeling restrained by funding, or fearing the cost of legal battles.

 

And finally, here is the “why” behind adoption:

We see adoption as one of the main ways Christians can live out the gospel as a family unit. It is practical and tangible. We see it as a way to strengthen our reliance on the Holy spirit for guidance, and grow our trust in our Father. We know it will be a tool in conversation to talk about “why” we adopted, thus leading to the Father’s adoption of us as heirs to his kingdom. And, finally, we know God has given us a good desire for a family full of children. We have both felt a desire to adopt since before we married, and it is finally time. We are looking forward to seeing His sovereign hand over this experience.

 

 

A quick side note:

Adoption is not what the Lord has planned for every family. It is only one branch of Jesus’ ministry while here on earth. However, orphan care is something we should all be concerned about, especially if we call ourselves the children of God. If anyone is interested in practical ways to live out the gospel through orphan care, we suggest picking up a copy of Orphanology: Awakening to Gospel-Centered Adoption and Orphan Care.

 

Thanks so much for stopping by! Please feel free to reach out with questions; we love to talk about adoption and all we are learning along the way!

Sam and Hannah

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

STRIPE charges an online processing fee (2.2% +.30 USD per transaction)*. Your donations will be decreased by this amount. You may also send a check payable to “Lifesong for Orphans”. In the memo line please write “Kawell 09908”, to ensure it is credited to our account. Please mail to Lifesong for Orphans, PO Box 9, Gridley, IL 61744.

Lifesong has been blessed with partners who underwrite all U.S. administrative and fundraising costs (TMG Foundation and other partners). That means 100% of your donation will go directly to the adoption.

  • In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to Lifesong for Orphans. This organization retains full discretion over its use, but intends to honor the donor’s suggested use.
  • Lifesong is a 501(c)3 tax exempt organization. Individual donations of $50 or more and yearly donations totaling $250 or more will receive a tax-deductible receipt. Receipts for donations under $50 will gladly be sent upon request.
  • *3.5% fee for donations given with an American Express card
Read more

Show Hope Update

July 7, 2022

Hello all! 

This past week we received the wonderful news that Show Hope has provided us with a $10,000 grant to help cover the cost of our adoption! What an amazing blessing. So much stress has vanished with this joyful news! 

For those who may be interested in the finances of adoption, here is a brief sketch of the set financial resources out there and available to us personally:

Federal Adoption Tax Credit: $14,500  

Show Hope Grant: $10,000

Adoption Reimbursement from Sam’s work: $3,000

These are wonderful, and a total of $27,500 is a big deal. The general expectation is that a domestic adoption with Lifeline might tally at about 30k. Potentially a few thousand more, depending on the legal fees and out of state travel. So, for us personally, this might leave only 5-10k for us to cover! How awesome is that! (I will say very awesome, considering that we will need to trade in our car for a used minivan, and in the current market. ufff)

For any adopting family, many grants are available. Some are nation-wide, some are specific to your state, and some are specific to religious affiliation. During our education and home study process, Lifeline provided us with a list of resources to explore and see what would be best for us. We applied to two grants, as I mentioned in the last post, and have yet to hear back from one of them. Hopefully, that letter will come soon!

It is important to note that both the Federal tax credit and the work reimbursement are only available after the adoption is complete (or at least once placement has occurred; it often takes months for adoptions to finalize in the legal sense. Placement refers to the physical placement of baby into our care. Placement typically happens just following the initial hospital stay, but that depends on the mother’s preference).  Tax credit is obviously applied for during the tax season post-placement, and the financial assistant from Sam’s job would be applied for post-placement as well. So, while these types of resources are fantastic for adoptive families and might cover the majority of the cost in a domestic adoption, it is still necessary to have the funds beforehand.

 

On that note, wouldn’t it be wonderful if the church could gather together to get families started on the path of adoption? Or sponsor a family with a heart for foster care? Or create a space for that conversation within church walls? Or provide for the initial adoption expense, so that the adoption process might begin in earnest, and the delay of tax credits might not impact the process?

It would be easy if it were built into the culture of the church. If there were at least a small group in the local church dedicated to fostering (ha, get it?) an awareness of adoption and foster care, and maintaining resources for those interested. A place where churchgoers could come to learn the ins and outs, the finances, the timelines, the ministry, the everything. To chat about the redeeming moments and the trauma, expenses, experiences, and emotional roller coasters. To be encouraged and taught.

I know this culture is present in many churches, and the subject well discussed in many places. But I do wish it was more common. Just in sharing our adoption progress with our wonderfully encouraging Sunday school group, we have chatted with many who “have thought about it” and “might do that in the future”, which is wonderful! Just talking through our brief adoption journey has brought the ministry into view for others. Perhaps there is an opportunity here to form a group with a heart for adoption and foster care, and support families both emotionally and financially. With church support, more people in our congregation could afford to take the plunge, instead of holding back due to the ever famous reaction, “wow, isn’t that expensive?” reaction.  More people might realize the practical feasibility of adoption and foster care, and how with a little support, it is more accessible than we think. More of us would feel that while it can be good to send our money to pregnancy resource centers and trauma care and women’s centers and the like, it is imperative that we BE the hands and feet of Jesus by using our own hands and our own feet to care for our those in need: embrace the orphan, welcome the child, support women with broken homes and hearts, foster and adopt.  

It would be wonderful, I think, for more Christians to be known for opening their homes in compassion and love, supporting women and children in need. It would be wonderful, I think, for more Christians to realize how much more possible it is to foster or adopt than they ever imagined. I pray that the conversations we continue to have within our family and community will bring adoption and foster care into focus, and that it becomes more a part of the body of Christ everywhere.

 

Much love,

Hannah and Sam

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Grant Applications

May 14, 2022

Just a quick update:

We have applied to two separate grants, both of which were created specifically to assist adopting families. One is called Show Hope, and the other is called Always Endure. We should hear back from them either this month or the next. A potential grant could range from a couple thousand to perhaps 10k. We are praying that at least one of these grants will work out. 

We will update when we hear back! 

Nothing new to report on the wait for a match. Our ongoing job is to pray for those mamas making tough decisions, such as making an adoption plan for their little one. It is also our job to learn patience… so if anyone has truly figured that out yet, let us know 🙂 

Much love, 

Hannah K

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Comments

$100

Lisa

Jan 5, 2022

“We are so excited for y’all! We will be praying for you and your future little one as you go through this process. Clay & Lisa Pennington”