Mayhew adoption #2!

Tirzah Mayhew
Tirzah Mayhew Rincon, Georgia

We are adopting again! 

We are very excited to see God write another beautiful adoption story into our family. As we wait to be matched with an expectant mom, we are praying that God will work in us and through us for His glory. We are so excited to be on this journey for a second time. Ever since we adopted our daughter two years ago, we knew we wanted to go through the process again one day.

As an adoptive family, we have been able to see so many amazing ways that adoption shows Christ. He adopted us into His family, He chose us and loved us even when we were broken. Adoption is expensive, but the cost we are looking at pales in comparison to how much God paid for our adoption into His family. 

We have been awarded  $7500 in matching grants from La Via de James Foundation Adoption Fund + Lifesong for Orphans to help pay for our adoption expenses. We are incredibly grateful for their generosity and partnership. This matching grant means that for every dollar you donate to our MyStory page we will receive double. 

Thank you for your support,

Mark, Tirzah, and Emma


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 “Mayhew 11342”, 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 16 people
 of  $20,000
23 days left

My Story

We are adopting again! 

We are very excited to see God write another beautiful adoption story into our family. As we wait to be matched with an expectant mom, we are praying that God will work in us and through us for His glory. We are so excited to be on this journey for a second time. Ever since we adopted our daughter two years ago, we knew we wanted to go through the process again one day.

As an adoptive family, we have been able to see so many amazing ways that adoption shows Christ. He adopted us into His family, He chose us and loved us even when we were broken. Adoption is expensive, but the cost we are looking at pales in comparison to how much God paid for our adoption into His family. 

We have been awarded  $7500 in matching grants from La Via de James Foundation Adoption Fund + Lifesong for Orphans to help pay for our adoption expenses. We are incredibly grateful for their generosity and partnership. This matching grant means that for every dollar you donate to our MyStory page we will receive double. 

Thank you for your support,

Mark, Tirzah, and Emma


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 “Mayhew 11342”, 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

Adoption finalized!

November 8, 2025

We are officially a family of four! 

We finalized our adoption this week in front of a judge. We are so thankful for Caleb and are thrilled to have him officially a Mayhew! As we finalized we thought back to sitting in the waiting room in the hospital on the day he was born. He changed our lives the moment we met him. So much has happened in the past 6 months of his life and we are amazed that God chose our family for this precious baby boy. He is a joy to all of us. 

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Still in Alabama

May 19, 2025

We are still here with no end in sight. It’s hard to be hopefully when it is taking longer than we expected. We all just want to go home! We are thankful to everyone who has supported us financially. That extra money will help pay for our hotel stay and everything we need while we are here in Alabama. Please pray that we will be home this week before Mark has to go back to work. 

 

Emma is making friends with everyone she meets. We have been enjoying finding parks and places to ride her bike. She is a very helpful big sister and wants to be in the middle of anything to do with baby brother. 

Caleb is already outgrowing newborn clothes. He is very happy and content as long as he isn’t hungry. 

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Waiting out ICPC

May 13, 2025

We have moved to Birmingham, Al to wait out the rest of ICPC. This allows us to be closer to home for when we get cleared to leave. We have a nice hotel and have already found a wonderful park for Emma. 

Being in a hotel room with a toddler and a newborn feels like a lot of work, but we know that anything worth doing is hard. 

 

We have seen so many answered prayers last week and are overwhelmed by the amount of people who have reached out and prayed for us. Last week was a difficult week of unknowns, emotional stress, and what seemed like road blocks. But God was with us through it all.   

It would be difficult to explain all the feelings at the hospital when Caleb was born and the joy when he was discharged into our care. He had some jaundice, but his body thankfully took care of it on its own. Tirzah’s dad was with us all last week to help watch Emma. We couldn’t have done it without him! Emma had so much fun with her Pa. And she made friends everywhere. 

 

As soon as we arrived at our hotel in Birmingham we felt a weight off of our shoulders. We can finally relax and try to settle in and enjoy some family time while we wait to go home. 

 

Please pray that we would be able to go home soon and that we can enjoy our time here. If you have any suggestions about things to do in Birmingham let us know! 

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Family of four!

May 8, 2025

We are excited to announce the birth of our son, Caleb. He is a wonderful, healthy baby boy. We are so in love with him and love being a family of four. His sister is over the moon about her new baby brother! 

We will be in Alabama for ICPC for another two to three weeks. Please pray that the paperwork goes smoothly between the States and we can return home soon. Follow along as we post updates on our time in Alabama. 

We are so thankful to everyone who has been praying and reaching out! 

If you would like to support our adoption, we still need $3400 to fill our matching grant! 

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What’s next?

April 30, 2025

As the due date comes closer we are making plans for traveling and meeting with the expectant mom and baby. We will be traveling to her State and will have to stay there until ICPC is completed ( Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children). This legal process between States ensures the safety of the child. It could take anywhere from two to three weeks or longer. We will plan to stay at a hotel or rental with Emma and the baby during this time. 

This adoption placement will be more expensive than we had planned on.  We are so thankful for everyone who has financially supported us and helped match our grant from Lifesong. Our matching grant is for $7500 and we have raised over half already! We still need $3,500 to meet our match. We would appreciate you considering to partner with us in this adoption. 

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It’s a boy!

April 12, 2025

 

We are excited to announce that we have been matched with an expectant mom who has a baby boy due in May. We are thankful that she chose our family. God has amazing plans for this child and we are so thankful that He has chosen us to be a part of that plan.

 

We would appreciate your prayers for the expectant mom and for us. Please pray that she would have peace and feel God’s presence. And please pray for us as we get ready to welcome a new baby into our family.

 

Thank you for your prayers and support!

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We love it when you ask, but we don’t know how to answer

March 22, 2025

The emotional roller coaster of being an active waiting family is complicated. When you ask how our adoption is doing we don’t know what to say. We could tell you about all the maybes and nos and neverminds. We could tell you of the stress of planning how we will make ICPC work in another state only to hear that we were not chosen. Will we have support when we need it? Will we make it to the finish line? Will we have to renew our homestudy? We should start scheduling doctors appointments and background checks in case we need to renew everything.

As Emma closes her eyes and folds her hands and prays that God would be with her brother or sister, my heart melts. She has faith that God will give her a brother or sister one day.

What we can do during this time is pray. Pray for the Birth Moms making difficult decisions. Pray that they find God’s peace in what they choose. Praying that God will protect their babies. Praying that God will reach them where they are and that they would feel His presence.

 

Thank you for praying with us and supporting us!

 

Romans 8:28, “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.”

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Comments

$1,350

Hidden

Feb 25, 2026

$1,340

Joseph

Feb 21, 2026

“Thank you for helping to make adoption more affordable!”

$130

Zach

May 14, 2025

$500

Hidden

May 13, 2025

“Love you all, it is such a joy to watch your family grow through the blessing of adoption. Praying that the process is smooth and that you all will be able to return home and settle in as a family of 4 very soon!”

$100

Joseph

May 8, 2025

“Congratulations from the Andersons!”

$50

Joanna

Apr 29, 2025

$50

Linda

Apr 20, 2025

$50

Kristin

Apr 12, 2025

“We love you!!!!”

$150

Brandy

Apr 1, 2025

$400

Corey

Mar 11, 2025

“Praying for yall! - Love, the Cooks”

$1,700

Joseph

Feb 22, 2025

“We are excitedly waiting for God's answer to our prayers!”

$500

Hidden

Feb 21, 2025

$100

John

Feb 16, 2025

“May God richly reward you in this endeavor! Love John and Louise”

$250

Tabitha

Feb 15, 2025

$100

Phil

Feb 15, 2025

$100

David

Feb 14, 2025

“I wish you guys the best. It's been awesome watching God bless such wonderful people. Love you guys”