Called to adopt

Dusten Harward Cornelius, North Carolina

Dusten and I have some exciting news to share that we want you to join in with us:

We have begun the process of adopting a domestic infant through a local adoption agency! We feel like if we are going to be pro-life in other areas of our life, then adoption is a tangible way we can show the world our message. This agency works with birth mothers who have chosen life for their children, but don’t want to or aren’t able to parent in the way they desire. They have made the courageous decision to create an adoption plan for their child.

Grayson’s so Excited!
Our story begins long before this was ever drafted. When we began dating in 2010, we agreed that we wanted to use adoption as a way to grow our family. Fast forward a few years and our son Grayson was born in 2016 causing some major health complications for Recah. The Doctors were very clear that another biological child was out of the question. After multiple job changes and plenty of heart-to-heart discussions, we are both in agreement that now is the time to move forward on adding to our family! Grayson turned 3 in July and is very excited about having a baby sibling in the house, especially one that has real diapers and a pacifier.

Dusten and I are pursuing a transracial adoption within North Carolina. With our specific agency, we have to raise nearly $30,000 to accomplish this goal. The agency has broken it down into more manageable pieces, but in order to bring our child home in a timely manner, we need to be able to write a check for $11,000 by the end of November. We have already contributed an additional $2,000 toward our goal of being home study approved and are committed to pursuing this adoption debt free. Once we are home study approved, hopefully the end of November, we will be a “waiting family” waiting for a birth mother to select us. Our profile will be shown to birth mothers that the agency feels like are a good match for our specific family. Once we are selected by a birth mother, we will have limited time to raise the additional funds required for the baby to be placed in our family. We are hoping to have those funds raised in advance so we aren’t scrambling at the last minute. Over the next few months we will be launching several fundraising opportunities to assist us in accomplishing our goals. We believe it is possible to adopt debt free especially with the help of our friends and family! So, dear friends and family, would you consider supporting us on this journey?


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 “Harward 09323”, 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.
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Raised to date by 9 people
 of  $4,000
66 days left

My Story

Dusten and I have some exciting news to share that we want you to join in with us:

We have begun the process of adopting a domestic infant through a local adoption agency! We feel like if we are going to be pro-life in other areas of our life, then adoption is a tangible way we can show the world our message. This agency works with birth mothers who have chosen life for their children, but don’t want to or aren’t able to parent in the way they desire. They have made the courageous decision to create an adoption plan for their child.

Grayson’s so Excited!
Our story begins long before this was ever drafted. When we began dating in 2010, we agreed that we wanted to use adoption as a way to grow our family. Fast forward a few years and our son Grayson was born in 2016 causing some major health complications for Recah. The Doctors were very clear that another biological child was out of the question. After multiple job changes and plenty of heart-to-heart discussions, we are both in agreement that now is the time to move forward on adding to our family! Grayson turned 3 in July and is very excited about having a baby sibling in the house, especially one that has real diapers and a pacifier.

Dusten and I are pursuing a transracial adoption within North Carolina. With our specific agency, we have to raise nearly $30,000 to accomplish this goal. The agency has broken it down into more manageable pieces, but in order to bring our child home in a timely manner, we need to be able to write a check for $11,000 by the end of November. We have already contributed an additional $2,000 toward our goal of being home study approved and are committed to pursuing this adoption debt free. Once we are home study approved, hopefully the end of November, we will be a “waiting family” waiting for a birth mother to select us. Our profile will be shown to birth mothers that the agency feels like are a good match for our specific family. Once we are selected by a birth mother, we will have limited time to raise the additional funds required for the baby to be placed in our family. We are hoping to have those funds raised in advance so we aren’t scrambling at the last minute. Over the next few months we will be launching several fundraising opportunities to assist us in accomplishing our goals. We believe it is possible to adopt debt free especially with the help of our friends and family! So, dear friends and family, would you consider supporting us on this journey?


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 “Harward 09323”, 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.
Read more

Waiting can be hard.

June 14, 2021

this first part of the update is from an Instagram post that recah made today:

I saw an Instagram reel recently that said “show a time when the world thought you were fine, but you were breaking inside.”

My friends, this picture, from Friday night, shows how true this statement is. We look happy, but our hearts are broken.

On Monday, June 7th I got a phone call that had the possibility of changing our lives. It did change our lives. An African American baby girl was born, 10 weeks early, in Charlotte and we were 1 of 4 families chosen by the birth parents for closer evaluation. The birth parents asked for a video answering two specific questions and we quickly recorded and sent them a short video. After several days of intense anticipation and little communication, we found out their decision Friday morning.

We were not chosen to parent this precious baby girl.

What do you do when God closes the door?

What do you do when God opens the door in the first place? On Monday prior to receiving the call, I was walking through the baby section at Marshall’s marveling at how peaceful and content I was at perhaps not getting a placement and growing our family. And then our agency called…and our lives changed. My life changed. God changed my heart and opened it up to potential heartbreak by allowing us to say yes knowing we had the opportunity to change some little girl’s life and her family, forever.

That is a miracle in itself. My heart went from peaceful not adopting to peaceful with a placement in a matter of seconds.

I don’t think it will be so quick heal. 💔

In our fundraising efforts we still have our matching grant open and all contributions are matched up to $4000 for a matched total of $8000. So far we have raised a total of $2001 that has been matched to $4002.

We were also notified that we have moved up to the next round of selections for one other grant. Anyone that moved to the second round is very likely to receive funds, but we won’t be selected or given an amount until we receive a placement. This is exciting news because it could easily complete our remaining funds needed to close out the adoption.

At every step God has provided the necessary funds before we needed them and we are exited to watch God doing it again here. Sometimes the waiting is hard, but God is always there showing his provision in the financing as well as in the community of friends around us to support and care for us.

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Comments

$51

Offline Donation

Jun 14, 2021

$250

Kyle

Mar 30, 2021

“Could not be more excited for you! Every blessing, even as you wait and trust and persevere in faith. Kyle & the Good Shepherd Family”

$200

Brian

Mar 27, 2021

$27

Offline Donation

Mar 27, 2021

$38

Offline Donation

Mar 26, 2021

$200

Kathy

Mar 13, 2021

$400

Kevin C.

Feb 28, 2021

“Thanks bro!”

$400

Bill and Cam

Feb 6, 2021

“Thank you for your help and we are praying for the perfect gift of a match for all.”

$436

Offline Donation

Jan 27, 2021