Julie Gumm - Author

Window Decals Are Back! – Ethiopia, China, Uganda and more

by //

UPDATE: Window decals are now sold out of my Etsy Shop here.

I’m rolling back out the window decals to help raise funds for my brother’s adoption of a beautiful new niece from China. Ethiopia is pictured below but just 1 of 11 countries available.

ETHeart2

Olivia will join these two crazy kids – my niece Julia and nephew Rion.

img_0047

One of my greatest joys has been watching my brother get married (he’s the oldest but was the last to get married) and finally become a dad. Rion has only been home since May 2012 and they weren’t really planning on adopting too soon. But when God put 2 year-old Olivia Jade in front of them there was no turning back.

So now it’s fundraising time. (We’ll have t-shirts next week.)

Decals are $6 (free shipping) and available for:

China, Ethiopia, Uganda, DRC, Ghana, Haiti, Guatemala, India, Liberia, South Korea and United States.

Buy here

Vote for your favorite adoption t-shirt design

by //

My awesome brother and sister-in-law are adopting their THIRD! Their first two adoptions brought Julie and Rion into the family and I can’t imagine life without them. Phil & Trish fully funded those adoptions themselves and had a savings plan in place for #3.

Only “problem” is that God brought #3 along WAY quicker than expected. So this time they’ll be doing some fundraising. Luckily, they know someone who knows a bit about that 🙂

I’ve been toying with a t-shirt design and would love your opinion.  Check them out and then vote below.

#1

LoveCrosses-China

#2
LoveCrosses-China2

#3

LoveCrosses-China3

VOTE

Why do people give toward adoption?

by //

Many people are hesitant to fundraise for their adoption because they wonder why on earth someone would want to help them? After all, if they made this choice, isn’t it their responsibility to cover the costs?

But, as I mentioned in this post on the pros and cons of fundraising, fundraising allows us to share our story with others. To give them the opportunity to be part of caring for an orphan. To give them the chance to experience the joy of giving.

Adoptive mom Tracie Loux enlisted the help of some of their friends to answer the question “Why I Gave a Boatload of Money to Adoption.” If you haven’t read this series of posts, you need to!

I loved this quote from Brian Beattie, who wrote Part 2.

“On the other hand, a dollar given to a family that is caring for redeemed orphans goes right to work in Kingdom purposes. It is a cup of cool water offered in kindness to allay thirst. It is clothes for the naked. It is a visit of comfort in a prison of unmet need. It is so real. It’s so now. It is 24×7 365.”

P.S. If you have a moment, say a prayer for Tracie’s son Mattie. He’s 2 and a half and was admitted to the hospital for RSV and pneumonia.