The Jeffers Family Adoption
Welcome, friends and family! After many years of prayer, we are excited to share that we are moving forward with adoption. Thank you for taking the time to learn a bit about our family’s story and how you can walk with us in this season.
Our Story
Most of you are aware of our story and trajectory over the past few years. It has been nothing if not a whirlwind at times, but in the midst of it all, we moved through every phase and place together. Even before marriage, we knew our lives would be shaped by serving others. In 2016, we moved to East Asia, where we lived and served for four years. Those years deeply formed our hearts for the vulnerable, the poor, the displaced, and the orphan. In 2020, we returned to Kentucky, where we continue to call home.
Adoption has been on our hearts for over 15 years, even before we were married. Through serving overseas, working in orphanages, and walking alongside refugees both abroad and here in Louisville, the Lord has continually confirmed this calling. We desire to see our family grow again, and now feels like the right time to step forward in faith through adoption.
Why Adoption?
After welcoming three biological children, we now feel led to grow our family through adoption. With so many children in need of a loving home, we are eager to offer ours. We have chosen to pursue adoption in the U.S. It is not clear yet how old the child will be, but we are likely going to be bringing a child who is anywhere from a newborn to 6 months old. We love fiercely and would be privileged to love another child who does not/will not have a family of their own. We believe that God has moved in our lives and placed this desire in us, so we are choosing to be faithful in that.
This journey has already stretched us more than we imagined, from paperwork to training to finances. Yet through it all, God is teaching us patience, trust, and dependence on His perfect timing. We are confident the journey is worth it—to welcome another child into our family, love them unconditionally, and point them to Christ.
Costs and Fundraising
Adoption is beautiful, but it is also costly. For many, including us, one of the biggest barriers in the adoption journey is the cost. Our total expenses are expected to reach up to $60,000, covering home study and various application fees ($8,000), agency fees ($12,000), attorney fees ($15,000), birth-mother expenses ($16,000), counseling services ($6,000), medical expenses ($3,000), and travel to pick up the child (up to a two-week stay). We have already covered around $8,000 using our own money. We have been applying to granting organizations and will also have fundraisers.
The Lord has already blessed us with an $8,000 matching grant administered by the La Via de James Foundation. This means that every dollar we raise up to the first $8,000 will be matched!
We have committed some of our own funds to help pay for the adoption, and we continue to rely on his divine provision. The cost of adoption can be overwhelming at times, so we are continuing to lean into Him to provide for us while we are in this season.
How Can You Partner With Us?
We are inviting you to partner with us in two ways:
Pray – Please partner with us by praying for clear steps forward, a speedy placement process, for our future child’s safety and good health, and for our hearts to grow more like our Father’s—kind, patient, wise, and gentle.
Give – Adoption is a beautiful and sacred thing, but it also comes with a heavy financial burden. We are trusting God to provide through our community and are seeking to raise $52,000 to cover much of the adoption costs, as we cannot pay it on our own. Financial support is not just a provision, but a partnership in faith—joining hands with others who share our heart to see children placed in loving, forever families. We will be updating our journey along the way, so check out this page periodically for our next milestone. First up, Phase 1!
Phase 1 – Agency and attorney fees due: $27,000
Phase 2 – Birthmother expenses: $16,000
Phase 3 – Counseling services, medical expenses, and travel: $9,000
Friends, thank you. Thank you for supporting us throughout our journey. We are exceedingly grateful for you. Thank you for caring for us deeply and being the type of community to which we can come with this request. We love you!
Ryan, Alyssa, Lydia, Abel, and Juliana
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 “Jeffers 11937” 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