Dear Family and Friends,
We write to you to share some exciting news! In God’s perfect plan, He has led us to our newest
daughter, Maelee. Maelee lives in Chengdu,
China. Lord willing, we will travel to
bring her home in October. She is
chosen, loved, and prayed for. We thank
God that our daughter will be home soon.
We are sure you have a lot of questions. Questions like, “Are you seriously going to
grow your family again?” “Why
China?” “Why her?” “Don’t you have a lot of stress already?”
“How do you know this is God’s plan for her?” We don’t have all of the answers,
but God has been very clear on His direction and we are faithfully following.
Our
journey to Maelee started quite unexpectedly.
Although we were open to adding to our family again someday, we had no
immediate plans. Our family life was busy,
crazy, and difficult. Then in February, Maelee’s
picture showed up on Deanna’s Facebook while at a conference. Deanna had an immediate connection and called
Matt right away. Matt had some
hesitations. One of the big concerns was
her special need. Maelee has lower limb
paralysis. Other concerns revolved
around her adoption agency (new to us) and the daunting fee schedule. But God calmed our fears by connecting us
with several families of wheel chair bound children and with families who gave a
good review of our agency. He also eased
our financial concerns when the orphanage agreed to waive their standard fee of
$5600. We give glory to God! What blessings! Soon we came to know that God already had a
plan in place and He would lead us on this journey. Within a month, we were ready to move forward
and submitted the adoption application.
We humbly ask that you join us on our journey back to China
and our ministry in our home. First, we
ask for prayers. Please pray for Maelee
as she mourns the loss of her culture, language, and caregivers in China. Please pray for Nathan, Micah, Claire and
Hannah as they welcome a new sibling.
Please pray for Matt and Deanna.
Pray for endurance, adoption details, travel safety, and many opportunities
to share the gospel. We know that God
answers prayers and we thank you for lifting up our family!
Secondly,
we humbly ask for your financial support.
Up to this point, God has provided the funds through our savings
account. Maelee’s adoption will cost
over $25,000. To help with these
expenses, we are partnering with our local church, Bethany Baptist. Bethany has graciously offered us a $4000
matching grant. Would you be willing to
help support us as we do God’s kingdom work in China and then back here at home? All money raised will go towards the costs
involved with the adoption process and help ensure we have enough money left
over to provide the medical care Maelee will undoubtedly need when she arrives
back in the States. No contribution is
too small. It all counts!
We thank you for your time and support. We are happy to answer any questions or
concerns.
With Christ’s love,
Matt,
Deanna, Nathan, Micah, Claire and Hannah Marquette
309-360-2796 309-369-0423
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our
hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of
Jesus Christ. – 2 Corinthians 4:6
Note: In accordance with IRS
guidelines, your donation is to Bethany Baptist Church (7422 North Heinz Lane. Edwards, IL 61528) who retains full
discretion and control over its use. Please put
“Preference Marquette Family” in the memo line of the check.
The Bethany Fellowship of Churches is actively obeying the call of God in Scripture to care for the fatherless and the orphan. To facilitate this, Bethany has formed the “Open Hearts, Open Homes” orphan care ministry to assist families who are pursuing adoption or foster parenting in response to God’s call to care for these children. To assist the ministry, Bethany is partnering with Lifesong for Orphans (www.lifesongfororphans.org) a non-profit Christian ministry dedicated to obeying God’s call to “visit the fatherless… in their affliction” (James 1:27).
God’s word tells us that He hears the cry of the orphan and abandoned children (Psalm 10:17-18) and He has made a way for them to be cared for through adoption. As believers, He has adopted us into his family through Jesus Christ, and did not leave us as spiritual orphans.
We believe adoption at its core is evangelism and a vital part of the Great Commission is bringing the mission field home. God desires orphans from all nations to be adopted into Christ-honoring families so they may ultimately be adopted into His eternal family through Jesus Christ. God calls all of us to care for orphans but He has not called all of us to adopt. Some are called to pray, some to give financially, some to visit orphanages on mission trips, and some to adopt.
The Marquettes have sensed God’s call to adopt… and have joyfully stepped out in faith and obedience. As you may know, adoption can cost $30,000 or more and prevents many godly families from adopting. Bethany and Lifesong for Orphans believe God has raised up the Marquette family “for such a time as this” and we have committed to helping them in a variety of ways, including financially.
One of the ways Bethany is helping them is by setting up a fund to which their family and friends can contribute. Additionally, Bethany has partnered with the Marquette family by providing a $4,000 grant for their adoption. If you would like to partner with Bethany to help this family raise the funds necessary to complete their adoption, please follow the instructions on the accompanying letter. All donations for the Marquette adoption are tax deductible and the contribution amount is kept confidential. 100% of all funds raised will go directly to cover adoption costs; nothing will be taken out for Bethany Fellowship of Churches administrative costs. If you would like to contribute by check, please mark “Preference Marquette Family” on the memo line of your check.
Will you invest financially in the life of this child? It will be an investment with an eternal return.
God bless you for laying up your treasures in heaven.
Respectfully,
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