Greetings from Michigan! We are Steve and Holly Schutter. Right now we are a family of three. Steve is a trooper with the Michigan State Police and Holly is a busy trying to keep up with our adopted son, Samuel, as a stay at home mom. Sam is a high energy three-year-old who never stops moving and learning. He loves playing with other kids and is very much looking forward to having a baby brother or sister.
As for Holly and I, we have always wanted our home to be a safe haven for children in need and have always shared a love for adoption. As Jesus told the disciples (and all his followers) to let the children come to him, we have longed to show his love to children in the way he would if he were here in the flesh. Several years ago, we became foster parents for this purpose and eventually adopted our beautiful son Samuel out of foster care.
Throughout this journey we have hoped to bring a baby home from the hospital. The Lord has not seen fit to give us this gift biologically but has been gracious to us by giving us a passion for adoption before we knew it was likely our only avenue for babies. Through the pain of this journey he has been by our side in so many ways. He has given us a son that we cannot imagine loving more if he was biologically ours. Though we do not know what child he will allow us to adopt, we already feel God’s blessing on us and love for this little person he will knit together for us to raise.
We are currently working with Faithful Adoption Consultants, a consulting agency that will assist us through the process and present our adoption profile to expecting mothers in five states. Their slogan is, “a heart for mothers, a hope for families, a home for children.” They seek to come alongside women who are in some level of distress about their pregnancy, provide help for them and a home for their child if they decide to give that child up for adoption.
We would be honored if you would prayerfully consider how you might be a part of our village. We are asking for a lot of prayer during this process as there is a lot of paperwork and bureaucracy to get through.
Financially there are many obstacles we are staring down. The cost of domestic adoption totals between $40,000 and $60,000+. Our up-front cost, over the next two months, to begin the process $6,000-$7,000. This includes a home study required by law and the first part of the paperwork; amongst other required items. Despite the high cost and obstacles involved, we are thrilled to be starting this process and are confident that the Lord will provide for his plan. We are trusting in him and asking that you prayerfully consider whether he would use you to help bring our baby home.
To DONATE BY MAIL, please make out the check to ABBA Fund (do not write the family name on the physical check, which will invalidate the charitable aspect of your gift ... instead either print out this page to send with it or include a separate note to request that we preference your gift toward the family profiled on this page) -- then mail your check and preference request to:
ABBA Fund, PO BOX 868049, Plano, TX 75086-8049
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**AN IMPORTANT CLARIFICATION FROM ABBA FUND ABOUT YOUR DONATION**
Using the online form on this page automatically submits a request to preference your gift to the family profiled on this page as part of ABBA Fund’s Christian Family Adoption Grant Fund. ABBA Fund administers this fund and maintains full control and administration of all donated funds. We also strive to honor our donor’s preference requests in accordance with IRS and Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) guidelines.
The IRS allows donors to state a preference of how their contribution is used and request that the gift support a particular family — and it allows the charitable organization (ABBA Fund) to fully consider that request as long as the donor understands and acknowledges for charitably given tax-deductible gifts that the ultimate authority regarding the disposition of your gift is at the discretion of the charitable organization. By using this online form, or other method described above, you are acknowledging an understanding of those IRS guidelines.