There have been several moments over the past few months when time seemed to pause for a moment and we were reminded again that our family is not complete. There is another child coming that will make our two kids, three, and our family of four a family of five! It’s in those moments that we dive deeper into God’s heart for adoption and find ourselves dreaming of who the newest addition will be. It’s not as much warm fuzzies as it is a feeling of confirmation and destiny. In the Slaton household, we have a deep belief in the spirit and act of adoption. As Gentile believers in Jesus, we understand the significance and depth of us being adopted, or grafted-in, as God’s people (Romans 11). We also embrace James 1:27 which states that the purest form of religion is caring for orphans and widows. There are lots of ways that people can care for orphans, but we believe that part of the destiny of the Slaton family is to take an “orphan” into our home. So, this is what we are gearing up to do!
We believe any form of caring for orphans (through ministry, fostering, fostering to adopt, adopting internationally, etc) is noble and very needed. At this season in our lives the way we feel led to care for orphans is by adopting an infant, through an agency domestically. We are specifying that we want a girl, but we are not specifying race.
Many parent-less children who are not adopted into a healthy, permanent family end up leading very destructive lives. We are excited that we could give a baby girl the opportunity to begin her life as part of a loving, supportive family rather then being tossed around from one emergency shelter to another, or from one temporary foster home to another. Instead of helping her later as a troubled teen, or as an inmate in prison, or as a prostitute trying to provide for herself, we could give her the opportunity to have a stable upbringing so that she can have much greater chances of leading a very fruitful life.
We are currently completing our second round of paperwork with Loving Alternatives Adoption Ministry in Tyler, Tx. Once this application is complete, we will move forward with background checks, a home study and… more paperwork. We suspect that all the paperwork is really to find out how much you actually do want to adopt! It’s a test. Ha!! If you’d like to learn more about Loving Alternatives, click here: Loving Alternatives Website
One of the main purposes of this letter is to fill you in on why we are adopting and update you on where we are in the adoption process, but also to let you know how you can be involved. We are blessed to know several families who have adopted, and we’re so inspired by how their community supported them to make it possible when it probably would not have been possible on their own. Below are some key ways that you can be involved in our adoption:
1. Prayer – We would love for you to consider praying for our adoption. Prayers for the birth mom and father. Prayers for the baby. And prayers that we as parents and our boys as siblings will be ready and prepared in all areas.
2. Wisdom – We welcome any conversations that will lift us up, encourage us, and help us be better prepared for adoption.
3. Finances – Most people are aware that adoption is very expensive. It’s not the most enjoyable fact of the process, but it is a fact. The cost for this adoption (through Loving Alternatives, a local ministry) as it stands now will be between $12-15,000, which is considerably less then most other agencies which charge anywhere from $20-40,000. As a family, we have been aggresively saving money for several months now and have also done a garage sale fundraiser. We will continue to be proactive in fundraising as well as being good stewards of what we have. On our own, it would take years for us to save the entire amount we will need to complete the adoption, but we feel that God is calling us to pursue adoption now, so we are trusting Him to provide what we need in His timing.
** If you would like to financially give towards this adoption there are a couple of different options for you:
1. You can give directly to our family. This money will go into our special savings account specifically designated for our adoption. This will not be tax-deductible for you, but we understand that some people prefer this route rather than going through a third party. Our address is as follows:
Slaton Family
5345 Patton Circle
Tyler, TX 75704
2. You can give through Modern Day. Modern Day is the organization that Marvin works for. All donations given through Modern Day will be tax-deductible to you. You can give by simply clicking on the link that follows and give through Modern Days giving software. Please indicate on the memo line “Adoption”. You will be emailed a giving receipt immediately after your donation.
Slaton Family Giving Link
As I stated earlier, it often takes a community to take adoption from a dream to a reality. It is such an honor to call you guys our community and to be in this together. Each one of you are very special to us! We are very grateful for your love and involvement in our lives! Many blessings to you!
The Slatons
Marvin, Andrea, Judah, Isaiah and ????
