Kandace and I are excited to share with our friends that we have matched with a little boy; a huge step in our adoption journey! One year ago today in a small town in India our son was born. A few days later he would be dropped off at a police station, and taken to the orphanage where he now lives. Today he celebrates his birthday with his care takers and friends in that orphanage. He has no idea who we are, that we are coming, where his life will be taking him, or that these strangers he will one day meet will be his family.

It was such a surreal and joyous moment when Kandace and I found out about our son. Everything we had been doing was leading up to this moment of finding out who would be our child. I received the phone call on the beach while I was visiting my parents and siblings. It was the first day of school for Kandace at her new school in Alabama so were not together. I believe I called here five times, and texted her to call me immediately. She called me right back, thankfully! I ran through Andrew’s medical needs and all the information I had, and we both said “yes” to our son.

Later that week we received a current picture of Andrew. We cannot share that with you yet, but we can confidently tell you that he is the cutest little boy. I often find myself staring at his picture. I think to myself, that is my son and I already love him so much. It does not feel quite real most of the time. I wish I could hop on a plane to India right now, but that’s not how the adoption process works. I wish I could just put him in my arms, but there is still paperwork to be one. I wish we could just bring him home and introduce him to family and friends, but we still need court approval. I hate waiting, especially now that I know who I am waiting for, but I trust God’s timing. I trust it even when it does not make sense to me or Kandace.

When Kandace and I were picking out names for either gender we could not settle on a girls name. We thought for sure that our baby would be a girl, so I was not looking forward to the back and forth of picking a name. We simply could not find one we liked or agreed on. However, I think we had really just one discussion on a name if it were a boy. It’s funny how God sometimes surprises us.

Our son’s name is Andrew Fuller Cornutt. Andrew Fuller was a Baptist missionary who lived in a place called Kettering (England). Charles Spurgeon once called him the greatest theologian of his generation. Fuller was friends with a man named William Carey and together they helped form the Baptist Missionary Society. William Carey was the first missionary to India and is celebrated (rightfully) for his work among unreached people in India. However, if it were not for Andrew Fuller then William Carey may have never been able to achieve all he did. From Fuller’s diary:

Our undertaking to India really appeared to me, on its commencement, to be somewhat like a few men, who were deliberating about the importance of penetrating into a deep mine, which had never before been explored. We had no one to guide us, and while we were thus deliberating, [William] Carey, as it were, said, ‘Well, I will go down if you will hold the rope.’ But before he went down, he, as it seemed to me, took an oath from each of us, at the mouth of the pit, to this effect, that [we] ‘while welived, should never let go of the rope.’ You understand me. There was great responsibility attached to us who began the business.

Fuller kept his promise to hold the rope. He traveled all over to raise money to support William Carey’s work in India, and other missionaries as well. He helped train missionaries in the Baptist Missionary Society and he devoted his life to the unreached people. There are Christians in India today because William Carey was faithful to go, and because Andrew Fuller was faithful to his promise to keep him there.

Our sons name may not be a traditional Indian name, but it certainly has Indian roots. It also has gospel roots and points to a man who feared God and devoted his life to him. I look forward to the day I get to share with Andrew the reason of his name.

I want to thank everyone who has prayed for us and supported us thus far. Your support has helped us on this journey and we are eternally grateful. You are a part of the story of our son, and we will make sure he knows that. However, our journey is not complete yet and we will need your help. Here are some ways you can pray for us and Andrew:

(1) While we have reserved Andrew in the India system, and are finalizing paperwork nothing is official. India could come back and say no through the judges when we have court. Please pray for our paperwork to go through smoothly and for favorable judges. We believe this is our son and cannot wait for you to meet him.

(2) Pray for Andrew. He has some medical needs we will share at a later date. Pray for wisdom for his doctors and care takers when it comes to his medical situation and his needs. Pray that he continues to grow and enjoy life until we are able to bring him home.

(3) Pray for Kandace and I. To remain at peace with the timing of God. We know God’s timing is best, but some days are harder than others. We know he is our son, we know his needs, we know what he looks like, and we know where he is. Still, we have to wait. I pray that this is the only birthday we have to miss, but we could potentially miss another depending on the process. We hope it is not but again we trust God. Prayers regarding that are much appreciated.

(4) We have paid and raised about half of all of our financial needs regarding the adoption. Pray that we will be able to continue to save and raise money to bring Andrew home. If you would like to contribute please contact me or you can make a tax deductible gift at this link: https://adopttogether.org/families/?fundraiser=cornutts-

Thank you all, and happy birthday to Andrew. We will see you soon, son.

Over the time since Kandace and I have started the adoption process I think the number one thing that has jumped out to people is the cost of adoption. Typically a response like this is given, “With so many children in need of homes in the world why don’t they make it more affordable?” There are a lot of answers for that question. One reason is that they so want to make sure people are serious. Unfortunately we live in a world where people harm and exploit children. These costs then help weed out people who may want to do that. Other factors include government fees (i.e. red tape), travel costs, paying for the home study, and other agency fees.

More than that, you’re also paying for your child’s life up until that point. Their care  their meals, their clothes, their doctors visits, their surgeries, and everything else. When you think about all the costs that go into raising a child it adds up fast. However, when we think about these costs compared to the cost Christ paid to adopt us, well it is not that big. In order for Christ to adopt us the God-man became like us. He lived a life that was perfect though he was tempted in every way that we are tempted, but never failed. He was wrongly accused and was beaten and eventually killed on our behalf. He took our sins to the cross so that the we can be sons and daughters of the living God. In love He adopted us, and it was through the sacrifice of His son.

Adoption is a picture of the gospel and a picture of redemption. We are excited that this will be a part of our child’s story, and that we will get to tell the story of God when we tell the story of their adoption. Yes, adoption is expensive and costly, but it is worth it.

So how much will it cost Kandace and I to adopt our child from India? It is estimated to roughly be $37,000-$40,000. So far we are in for $7975. That seems like a lot of money, but when compared to the total figure it’s really just a drop in the bucket. So how will we pay for it? We will continue to save money and make payments when they come, and we will be applying for some grants as well to help offset the costs. Another way we hope to fund the adoption is by the support of our family and friends.

We have partnered with an organization called “Adopt Together” They are a 501(c) company that helps adoptive families raise money. When you give to our adoption through this website it is considered charitable giving and can be used as a tax write off. We know that giving, especially sacrificial giving, is hard to do and wanted to make it beneficial for those who give.

The first $20,000 we are trying to raise will cover our agency fees and our third party legal fees. You can see on the attached picture where you can “buy a number” for our fundraising. If we are able to get friends, family, and strangers to buy every number on the sheet we will raise $20,000! You can buy multiple number if you like (for example, you may want to buy numbers 1-15) or just one. If you would like to write a check please message Jared privately for instructions. Of course, if you would like to give beyond the $200 you can do that by simply contributing whatever amount you would like to on the website. We are thankful for you even considering to give, and hope you know that every dollar given will help bring our son or daughter home. We pray you will consider helping us bring home our child. Even more, we pray that you will know the story of God’s adoption personally in your life.  That you are His child and have been redeemed. If you have any questions about that please, please reach out. Thank you and to God be the glory!

Here is a link to the website:

http://adopttogether.org/families/?fundraiser=cornutts-

Here is our adoption fundraising sheet:

 

The adoption process is long, filled with paperwork, and often slow; painfully slow. We were talking through everything last night with Kandace’s mother who is in town to visit. As we were discussing everything she made an interesting statement, “I often lay awake at night and wonder about my grandchild.” Truthfully, this is something I do, and I know Kandace does too.

I lay awake wondering where my child is right now. I lay awake wondering if my child is being loved and cared for daily. I lay awake wondering if my son or daughter has enough to eat each day. I lay awake wondering if he or she feels hopeless. I lay awake often wondering, asking, and filled with anxiousness. How long has my  child been there? Is my child scared? Is my child hurting? Is he or she kind, are people kind to him or her?

These are the thoughts, and many more, that fill my head daily. I just want to hop on a plane and go get my child. To tell them I have loved them before I knew they were my child, and always will. To hold, care, and provide for my child. But that’s not how the adoption process works, so we wait. We wait helplessly wanting to get to our child to end the life they now know for the one that we will share together.

I eagerly wait for the day when I can hold my child with teary eyes and say, “We got here as soon as we could.”

A few weeks ago my wife Kandace and I announced that we would be beginning the adoption process. We are thrilled with the response we have received thus far from our friends and family. We want to take this introductory blog to explain why we are doing this, how we are going to do this, and how you can help partner with us.

Why adopt?

Do you not want to have children of your own? Can you not have children? These are a couple of questions we have received. I do not believe these were intended as rude, but general curiosity. Let’s walk through each of these questions.

Do we not want children of our on? Of course we do! And that is why we are adopting. The child we adopt will be our own child. Admittedly, he or she will not look like me or Kandace. However, I do believe, in time, you will see them in us.

Are we adopting because we are not able to conceive a biological child of our own? While this is an extremely personal, and for many families, hard question I do think it should be addressed to explain our process.Simply, we do not know. One day we will try I am sure to have children biologically. However, this is not our aim for our first child. It may be that we are never able to get pregnant, but for now we simply do not know.

Why India?

-There are over 20 million orphans in India, most in the world.

-India is the third largest HIV positive nation in the world.

-By 8 years old chidren are being taken into sex trafficking.

-20% of female children are forced into prostitution.

-82 girls go into sexual trafficking everyday.

-Over 15 million children are forced into labor.

-India only makes up 7% of US related international adoptions .

As you can see by just a few stats, there is a great need in adoption from India. Whether it be for children to get the medical care they need, prevent them from being trafficked, or any other reason; the need is great. When Kandace I looked at these facts and more our hearts were burdened for India. We spent time praying about where the Lord would call us to adopt from and it was clear, India.

Sometimes people ask the question, “why adopt internationally when there is such a need here in the US?” This is another personal question but one we will answer. I agree, there is a need in the US. This is why we are licensed foster care parents in North Carolina. Still, one child’s need is not greater than another’s. At the end of the day it is a child in need. Our system is not perfect, but we felt called to international adoption.

The Gospel

One reason we feel so compelled to adoption is because of the Gospel. We believe that adoption reflects the heart of God. The book of James tells us that pure religion is one that involves care for the orphans. The gospel is that Jesus came to us when we were orphans, when we didn’t even know we needed help. He came to us and God adopted us as His children into His family. He chose to bring us into His family.

Likewise, we will go and get our child who does not even know we exist. In their need we will bring them into our family and offer love and compassion. We will guide, protect, and sacrifice for that child; our child. We will have the opportunity one day to tell that story to our child. That they were not plan B, they were not a backup plan. No, instead we chose them, we came and got them, and we called them our child.

We pray that the gospel will remain the centerpiece of our adoption journey.

How You Can Partner With Us?

There are many ways you can partner with us. The number one way is to pray. As Christians we believe that prayer is important, and that prayer in community is powerful. Please consider praying with us and for us in the days, weeks, and months ahead. Here are a few ways you can pray for us:

-Pray that the home study with be a smooth and quick process.

-Pray as we decide upon which special needs our family is open to.

-Pray that we will match quickly, enabling us to bring our child home quicker.

-Pray for strength for us as we go through the process, fundraise, and have to wait.

-Pray for our child.

-Pray that God is glorified through every step of this, He receives all honor, and much is made of His name.

In the days and weeks to come we will also do some fundraising to help with the costs of our adopt. If you are familiar with adoption then you know this is a very expensive process. Please pray if that is something you might consider.

You can stay up to date by checking our Facebook, this blog, or signing up to receive our newsletter (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Wve5S_XDNxCbbJfab64tgD30DzruB4UjWfAGr89jkUk/edit?usp=sharing). We are waiting with anticipating for the day to bring our child home, and are excited to share this journey with you.

For His Glory Alone.

Jared and Kandace