Lifesong for Orphans Fundraiser Letter

If this is your first visit to my blog, welcome! Basically I use it to update family and friends on our adoption process. If you came here to help us bring Savannah home, here is the link: http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/donation.html. You will be directed to a paypal button. Please type: "Butler Family/#2673" in the Purpose box. Your donation will be tax deductible. The following is the letter we sent out by snail mail when we began this fundraiser.

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Dear family and friends,

Many of you who are receiving this letter know our story.


Some of you may be wondering what has prompted us to adopt, and thinking, “What are they THINKING?!” Well, primarily, we’ve felt clearly directed by God to adopt. We want to obey Him, and we also desire to give an orphan child a family that she probably wouldn’t otherwise have.


God desires for orphans of all nations to be loved, cared for and adopted into Christian families – ultimately so they can become saved, and be adopted into His eternal family through Jesus Christ! Of course, not all are called to adopt – but we know beyond the shadow of a doubt, that God has placed that calling on our hearts.




We followed the Lord’s leading in 2006 and began the process of adopting a little girl from China. Little did we know, it would take six years to complete the adoption. The entire story can be found at www.adoptionvoyages.com/Savannah/, and frequent updates to our status can be found here. This journey has been very long, tedious, and trying. But it has also been full of amazing joy and miracles. More than once, God has shown us his power and His grace through our obedience to His plan for our family.


We write this letter to ask you to consider doing some things for our family. First and foremost, we covet your prayers. Please pray with us that Savannah Grace LuKuan Butler is safe, and well
cared for until we can bring her home. Pray that God protects her, and that her transition into our family be a smooth one. Imagine being plucked out of the only environment you’ve ever known and dropped into a place with new sounds, sights, smells, and tastes. You’d be shocked and devastated, to say the least. This is what Savannah will experience. She will likely be around 16 months old when we finally meet her and bring her home. Her transition will be a challenge.
Pray that she will trust us, and bond with us quickly.


Secondly, please pray about the possibility of helping us bring her home. Honestly, it’s a little difficult (because of our pride), to make our needs known to the Body of Christ around us, but we also know it’s very Biblical to do so. We appreciate your friendship very much and would like you to pray and consider helping us in our adoption. Our adoption will cost a total of around $35,000. We have already paid $21,000 in fees to various agencies. The Lord has blessed us greatly by providing for all of our needs each time a payment was required. Truly, His provision has been miraculous. Again, we know that He will provide what we are lacking. Perhaps He
will use you to help us finish what He has begun. We are lacking the final funds we need in
order to travel to China to bring Savannah home. We expect to find out when we are approved to travel to China within the next six weeks. We are in need of about $10,000 in order to make the trip. This includes airfare, hotels, food, provincial legal fees, guide fees, etc.


Will you please consider making a tax-deductible donation to help us pay the remaining $10,000 in adoption expenses, to bring Savannah home? If you would like to be a part of God bringing Savannah to Himself through our family, you can send your tax-deductible gift between now and May 25 to the address below. Lifesong is a trusted organization administering the funds on Savannah’s behalf, and will pay adoption expenses out of funds received.

1. Please make checks payable to: Lifesong. You may preference how the donation might be used by writing “Preference: Butler / #2673” in the memo section of your check. There is a paypal option for those of you who prefer – but paypal charges a fee for this. They will deduct their 1.9 to 2.9% fee from your donation.

(*Note: In following IRS guidelines, your donation is to Lifesong which retains full discretion
and control over its use.)

2. Mail checks to:
Lifesong for Orphans
Att: Butler/#2673
PO Box 40/202 N. Ford Street
Gridley, IL 61744

Thank you for investing in the Kingdom through prayer and finances– it will be an investment with an eternal return! (Matt6:20) You can follow our journey at either of the web addresses listed above, and we’ll be posting on facebook as well as we travel to bring our daughter
home!

In Christ,

Kenneth and Jami, Lauren and Matthew Butler
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I'd like to thank Lauren Clement, affectionately know to many as "Lo," for arranging the 24 hour fundraiser.