Hello friends and family:

As some of you already know, the Richardsons are adopting!  We are so excited to see the child that God has picked out for us.

2018 was a really exciting year as we started this adoption journey.  In January, we began the year with a fast about when to start a family.  Towards the end of this fast, we were talking about what we were both thinking and realized both of us had been praying about adoption without knowing the other was doing the same!  We sought much advice, spent a lot of time in prayer, and decided this was something that not only God was calling us to, but something we were very excited about.

While we still hope to try for biological children, adoption is on our hearts right now and we have been pursuing it seriously since last spring.  We have completed all the paperwork, finalized home studies and other background checks, and we just got matched a few months ago!

For anyone who knows about adoption, it is not an inexpensive process.  We have already saved thousands by renting our guest rooms on Airbnb, tightening our budget, and through a generous donation from a couple who has been praying through this process with us.  We still need to raise about $10,000 for lawyer and court fees, birth mother expenses, and some other adoption-related costs as we bring home a child in the near future.  We are excited to do this fundraising via AdoptTogether as it will give donors a tax deduction for all gifts towards our cause.  Besides financial support, we really appreciate all prayers for patience and wisdom as we wait for a match and become parents.

They say "it takes a village to raise a child" and we have been so grateful for our 'village' of family and friends who have already been so supportive and who we know will be crucial in bringing up our children.  Thank you for everything that so many have already given to us!

With much love,
Jacob and Anna Claire