Starting a nonprofit is not like starting a club (I did that in 4th grade…and 7th grade) or starting a blog (I did that in 2008 and again in 2010). There’s a lot more to it…like a whole lot more to it.

When Mark said he wanted to do this, I smiled and thought it was fantastic . . . and thought he was crazy. But, crazy can be good. Crazy kept him going as he got books from the library and researched things online. Crazy kept him going as he wrote bylaws and articles of incorporation.

Finally, after 6 months of paperwork and lots of back and forth with Uncle Sam or, rather, Lois G. Lerner, Director of Exempt Organizations, as of today, we have our 501(c)3 letter making our nonprofit status totally official.

And, of course, we had to celebrate that tonight…with some extra awesome brownies.

Wish we could have enjoyed these with our extra awesome Board–Ashley, Sarah, and Brad. Instead, we had to settle for 4 people under the age of 9 who asked us about 9 x 4 times what the symbols meant on our brownies and why we were celebrating something. Apparently, we didn’t do a very good job explaining since Ashlyn asked us in between bites if the President called us about The Sparrow Fund.

On August 13th of last year, I blogged about a new venture, a website we felt called to start. We bought the domain name and paid for 1 year of hosting in faith. 1 year. That’s all we could commit to. We wondered if it would catch on, hoped it would, and prayed it would somehow over cyberspace serve families considering adoption, in the process of adopting, parenting adopted children, interested in orphan care, or supporting others who have adopted. Families like us. I needed a place like We Are Grafted In.

We set out to post pieces from varied contributors from all different neighborhoods of the adoption community unified by the God-given purpose of sharing, encouraging, fellowshipping, preparing while being real. No sugar coating for sugar coating’s sake. Real. Honest. Vulnerable. With that commitment have come some pretty posts and some not-so-pretty posts. Some of the posts have made me laugh out loud with joy, and some have made my heart ache. But, in each, there is hope. Because as one author so poignantly put it, “I am selfish. He gives generously. I get agitated. He is slow to anger. I am confused and clueless. He is perfect wisdom. I make mistakes. His grace covers me. My love is weak. His love is oh-so-strong. And because I am His, I have access to all that He is.”

It’s work, a lot of work, work that I confess I sometimes do on late nights without joy, wondering why I’m doing this at all. But, I love WAGI. Working with Stephanie as we prayerfully consider posts and connecting with so many from the adoption community as we email back and forth with bios and pictures and permissions. Reading their words. Meeting their children. Encouraging families who are struggling. Helping a hurting mom know she is not alone. Hearing from an author that someone emailed her to tell her that because of her post, God moved in their hearts to pursue adoption. Celebrating new children being grafted into families. Loving what God loves. That’s joy.

We have committed to another year of WAGI, believing that God is blessing the ministry there–a ministry that exists online as a simple website that has grown into personal relationships and connections between authors and readers and families. But, I need to say now that I am prepared to let it go at any moment if it no longer brings glory to God or if God simply makes it clear that the season of that ministry is over. I am okay with that. I do not hold WAGI so close that the ministry itself has become greater than my Lord.

I’m thanking God for the ministry He has given to me right now, and we’re giving it to Him with our hands open to use it as He will.

Head on over to read the 1 year anniversary post on the We Are Grafted In site, a repost of my very first post, one that still gets me pretty excited when I read the words. And, also head on over to this post for a little giveaway. No birthdays are complete without a gift or two. And, keep your eyes open. The most read posts of the year may just be showing up again for a second showing.

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How appropriate that we spent today at a farm, Longview Center of Agriculture. It was an event planned for weeks–nothing spur of the moment about it. But, someone must have known it made sense to go there on this particular day.

The farmer told us about how things grow–how perennials come up every year and how one seed can end up producing a whole lot of fruit, how delicious fruit can be when that growing seed is cared for and protected from harm.

We pulled things right off the plants themselves to see for ourselves. And, they were good, abundantly good.

And, then, we witnessed even more abundance when we journeyed through the blackberry patches to pick all we could manage. We ate more than a few and took home way more than a few. Blackberries in abundance.

I put it out there–my blog, Facebook, and even tweeted (to the empty cyberspace of followers I have, mind you). “God, I know you can provide this.” And, He did.

Sow righteousness, reap love. It’s time to till the ready earth, it’s time to dig in with God, Until he arrives with righteousness ripe for harvest.


Hebrews 10:12 (The Message)

I got an email from Mary Magdalene, the faithful and generous woman we’ve been working with from Kenya. Her rent is due as are school fees from all the women. We need to send them money.

I want to send her $1000 tomorrow. We’re $300 short. $300 is about 20 pieces of jewelry from The Sparrow Fund’s Etsy store.

If you have been admiring the pieces, please go take a look and pick one or a few out today or tonight or even tomorrow morning. I’d love to be able to email Mary and tell her, “God has provided once again!” 

And, I’m tweeting. I know, I know, as if blogging and Facebook were not enough, I’ve officially entered the world of Twitter. And, I’m pretty lonely over there. If you’re in Twitterville, look mkraudy up and make me feel a little less silly for tweeting to a cyberspace vacuum.