Last week we were in amazement that Katerina (the birth mom) had not asked us for any kind of financial compensation during her pregnancy, even though she admitted she was out of a job & had lost her home. We had decided to pay for her cell phone, however, simply because her service would get turned on & off and we wanted to be able to stay in communication with her. We haven't had a chance to set that up yet though. On Thursday we received a request from her via the crisis pregnancy center she's been getting help from. After some consideration (and we're also thinking some major influence from a counselor at the center), she has decided to ask us for A LOT of financial help (ie: rent, utilities, groceries, doctors bills, etc). The grand total she's asking for far exceeds what we're able to give. In addition to the enormous amount of money we've already paid for our legal fees & home study, we'll also incur expensive fees when we finalize the adoption in Maryland (not to mention our travel expenses). All together we simply can't afford to financially support her for the next four months AND complete an out-of-state adoption. Our lawyer has given us an alternative option, which is to move Katerina (and her 2yr. old son) out to California for the remainder of her pregnancy and to deliver the baby. This way we would not have to pay any out-of-state fees, and she could be put on MediCal which would eliminate any medical expenses for us. We would only need to pay for her basic needs like food, rent & cell phone bill. If we can place her transitional housing/community housing, this would also make better sense financially for us than finding her an apartment. Financially and legistically this would simplify our lives- no traveling to the east coast, no additional fees. However, it's quite the committment to move a total stranger across the country and we just don't know what her plan is after the baby comes. We don't want any strings attached, but it's hard to keep it simple after a move like that. We're desperate to sit down with our lawyer & his wife to discuss our options and get counsel from them, but they're out of town for the holiday weekend and unreachable until Tuesday.
In the meantime... Katerina texted us in the middle of the night saying she had no minutes left on her cell phone and that she had no place to sleep. Her son was staying with his father and she was wondering the streets, depressed and alone. We were at a loss. From thousands of miles away, what on earth could we do? We tried to ask her where she was exactly so we could call local police or a shelter, but she never replied back. We were so emotional and we felt completely helpless. We hated knowing our sweet baby & its mother were out on the streets, unprotected. We immediately began praying and texting everyone we knew to pray for her as well. THANK YOU to those of you who were awake & responded in prayer!!!! Zach and I both felt such a peace, knowing God was hearing all our voices and He was watching over Katerina and our baby. This morning at 7am she texted us again and said she was alright. PRAISE THE LORD! She said she will try to call us this afternoon.
We've been trying to call the pregnancy center where she's been receiving help to make them aware of the situation. We'd like them to help her find a shelter or place to stay until we can work things out to help her. Unfortunately they're closed for the holiday weekend. Until we hear from Katerina and get an exact location for her, we have no way of sending her help or money. Please pray God will open a door for us to do this! Zach and I both feel that moving her to CA seems to be our best option. We can't bear to go through this over the next four months, leaving her to the streets and hoping she can find food & shelter from day to day, for her sake & our baby's sake. Also, please pray that if it's the Lord's will that we be able to reach our lawyer sooner rather than later to start discussing a plan of action. We need lots of discernment as we work our way through very new territory.
We love you friends & family for your faithful support. If the Lord is leading you to lend financial support to Katerina, whether with money or giftcards, please let us know. Know that your prayers are always the most powerful and effective thing you can do for us & Katerina!
