Recently our kids decided that wanted to do another lemonade stand to raise money for our next adoption. They had done this during our process with Ellie and were blown away when they raised $800 over the Memorial day weekend that year. They were excited and hopeful about this past weekend, sharing a big goal to raise $1000. They had experienced the kindness and goodness of others through the first stand they did 2 years ago and just wanted to do big things! I love how they truly value the adoption process and are passionate about getting their sister home. So, this past weekend they spent their entire weekend standing at the end of the driveway with signs up, lemonade always ready and smiles on their faces, ready to share about their sister and what they were doing. They were also able to get Team Orphans involved and had plenty of Clara Cookies to sale to help raise money as well. If you haven’t had these cookies, they are so good, totally worth checking out! (https://www.claracookies.com/). For 3 days from 12pm-5pm, they stood outside and did not complain one time, even when they were setting up and cleaning up each day. They were champions for their sister, a little girl across the world, who they have never met and know only from a picture. But do you know what they do know? They know that Ellie has blessed our family immensely, that all children deserve a family and that there are too many children living without a family. So, to work they went!
Throughout the weekend they tracked how many people visited and how much money they raised. They were visited by almost 300 people! We were so excited to see both familiar and new faces and be completely surprised by some of our visitors, so much fun! And are you ready for what they raised? These kids, with their big goals, raised just over $3000 over those 3 days. These kids whose big goal of $1000, that honestly I felt might be a bit to big, raised over $3000. They were blown away! Some customers would come and buy cookies and lemonade, some would just hand them a donation and most always said “keep the change.” We also had so many share their own adoption stories, whether they had been adopted or adopted themselves, hearing them share and providing a space to share with our family their experiences was life giving. Overall, the example set forth by these people for our children was absolutely beautiful. And that’s one of the most humbling and amazing experiences I can share from both of our adoption journeys. We need our village, both filled with those we know and don’t know. We desire for them to come alongside us, to support, pray, grow, learn and perhaps seek to adopt themselves. We want to show others that this is not impossible and even small children can play an amazing role in supporting these things that often times seem overwhelming. And through all of these things people can be changed, forever.
There are moments in our lives where we sit back and are unsure how to actually thank people because there doesn’t seem to words available to even come close to expressing how thankful we actually are and there likely never will be. But we hope we can extend a thank you and express our extreme gratitude for something much more than the monetary donations provided this past weekend. Prior to adopting Ellie we questioned the financial aspects of adopting and whether that was something we wanted to enter into or not. Despite God’s tug at our hearts to move forward we questioned it. Looking back and moving foward into our next adoption we are reminded again through these experiences that when God says “go” and we act He will provide the rest. We pray as we move forward that we can provide a living testimony for others who might be thinking about or questioning adoption. We pray that if they have doubts they will vanish as they see God provide all that is needed in our journey. We pray that they will see the abundant blessings our family has experienced through adoption. And we pray that each person who has come alongside us in this process will know how God worked in their lives to support us as we go where God leads us.
One of my most loved and favorite quotes is by Margaret Mead, “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” This weekend this spoke volumes to me. Don’t ever believe you do not have the ability to make big waves, regardless of number, age, ability, etc. We can all be a part of something bigger then ourselves.
If you ever have any questions about adoption, whether you would like more information regarding experiences, cost or fundraising, we’d be happy to chat with you. Just reach out , we’d love to share and hear where you are in your journey as well!
Gard Family Adoption Adventure 