For Matt and Lisa

This is the email I sent to everyone on my mailing list on Sunday January 1st, 2012.  For instructions on how to give, scroll to the bottom.

Dear Friends,

I'm writing to ask for your help.  In 2012, Emily and I will welcome our 10th child into our home (1st human).  It's already been a crazy experience for both of us, and being apart only makes it harder.  But making a baby is the easy/fun part.  We know that the real challenge will come when we actually become parents.  Well, imagine trading the nine months of baby-growing, for one to two years of interviews, house-inspections, reams of paperwork, and fingerprinting, and then going straight to crying and diapers!  Emily and I have two very close friends who've done exactly that.  

We had the good fortune of meeting Matt and Lisa Maxfield when they showed up at our church about two years ago.  In addition to the two of them, we got to meet their beautiful daughter, Koral who they had adopted from the island nation of Vanuatu.  They selflessly opened their home to a baby they didn't have any part in creating.  And, as though that weren't amazing enough, they're about to do it again!

This time they'll be rescuing a child from poverty, and a life without a family, in Ethiopia, and they're well into the process already.  Emily and I have been supporting them financially for several months now, but they still have a long way to go.  The price-tag for adoption is never exact because of the numerous variables involved, and the various hoops which must be jumped through, but the estimate for this particular adoption is about $30,000.  

It doesn't sound like much.  I mean we all know people driving around in $30,000 right?  Not Matt and Lisa.  They sacrifice a lot to make miracles like this happen.  That's why Emily and I have not hesitated to make sacrifices ourselves to ensure they reach their goal on time, and make sure they're prepared to handle any unplanned expenses.  Matt and Lisa thank us profusely, and constantly ask what they can do to show us how grateful they are.  But the truth is, they are the ones who have blessed us.  By inviting us to be a part of this journey, they have offered us the chance to give life and hope to a child that might not have otherwise lived to see adolescence.  Of course we're not the only ones.  It takes a lot of support to come up with that much money in a year or two.  This is where you come in. 

Emily and I want to invite you to be a part of this story.  But we want to make it easy.  And we want to make it irresistible.  We want to make you an offer you can't refuse.  So, to start 2012 with a bang, for the entire month of January Emily and I are going match, dollar for dollar, every single contribution you make to Matt and Lisa's adoption fund, up to $10,000.  This is complicated math, so let me explain.  That means if you send us one dollar, we will send them two dollars.  And if you send us $500, we will send them $1000.  And I dare you to pull out your checkbook and send us a check for $10,000...  It will take a us a little while, but if that happens Emily and I will give Matt and Lisa $20,000 and probably pay for the rest of their entire adoption!

Seriously folks, this should be an easy decision.  Not only can you double your giving power here, you will get to help us literally save someone's life.  How much money would you be willing to give to bring your own child home from a foreign country?  That's exactly what we're dealing with here.  Help us make it happen!

Are you in?  Here are the rules:

1.  Checks can made for ANY amount.  Funds will be matched up to $10,000.

2.  Once the adoption is covered completely, any surplus funds will go into an adoption fund and be used specifically to place more orphans into loving homes.  Maybe Emily and I will adopt one day!

3.  Make checks payable to "Adoption Ministry Of YWAM" (YWAM means Youth With A Mission, an organization that Matt and Lisa have traveled with)

4.  DO NOT write Matt and Lisa's names anywhere on the check (very important, this is a legal thing).  We will ensure the money goes into their adoption account.

5.  Mail the check by January 31, 2012 to: 

     Emily Gelzinis

     349 Archie St.

     Spring Lake, NC 28390

6.  Visit the Maxfield's blog at justlove127.com where you can leave a comment and let them know you're praying for them.  Just don't mention this fundraiser!

IMPORTANT: Share this email with your friends.  We will match contributions from ANYONE!  Forward this to everyone you know except Matt and Lisa.  I've actually removed them my mailing list for the moment and they will not be receiving this email.  We want it to be a surprise!  We'll post video of them crying when we hand them the check. :-)