My “Guest Blog” Post on AddictedtoSaving.com

**NOTE** This originally appeared on AddictedtoSaving.com, but many have asked it be posted here as a reference point since blog posts are updated so frequently there and tend to get “lost.”

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I’m excited that Liza is letting me “guest blog” today, primarily because I get to do two things for my wife that I know she would never do herself: brag about how awesome she is and make a plea on her behalf.

Liza is naturally a very private person. Yet in these last couple of years, I have seen Liza struggle with grit and determination to let her guard down and be more open, and it has paid off in making AddictedtoSaving.com successful beyond our wildest dreams.  Yes there are bigger blogs and more popular sites, but can I just brag on my wife for a minute?

Liza works tirelessly – I mean 60+ hours a week since November 2009 when she launched Addicted to Saving. (And honestly, there are weeks when it’s more like 80+).  She’s had over 4.6 million hits, 1.6 million unique visitors, and 8.8 million page views.  She’s given dozens of seminars and has helped thousands of people learn the art of stretching the dollar. I have seen countless emails of thanks from single moms, widowed dads, families struggling to make it, and have myself, literally been brought to tears over the gratitude of others, lives whom my dear wife has touched.

In short, my wife is awesome.

Yes, she is flawed.  She married me, for one. But I’ve seen her mature into an open, trusting, loving, winsome, passionate, and persevering woman of God over the last three years, which nicely compliments the hard-working, beautiful, complicated, elegant, sensitive, and caring qualities she already possessed.

And so, I want to make a plea on her behalf.  Over the last few years, many of you have asked Liza, “How can we help you?”   First of all, by coming to AddictedtoSaving.com, you do help Liza, and we are so grateful for it. But there is something else I’d like to specifically ask for: I am asking for our sake that you will help us bring home a child.

Many of you know we have not yet been blessed with children, and are adopting two children from Ethiopia and from Haiti.  However, we’ve been presented with an opportunity to bring home a little girl this August by way of domestic adoption.  This will be our third adoption, Lord willing.  So far we have given over $20,000 of our own money to make these adoptions happen.  Each adoption costs about $30,000.  Three adoptions means $90,000. As of now, our funds have been depleted and we estimate we will need to raise about $60,000 to make these adoptions happen.

This is my plea on Liza’s behalf: will you help us raise the money we need to adopt these three children?

We have set an audacious goal of raising $60K in 60 Days. We have placed our fund-raising thermometer on the right hand side of AddictedtoSaving.com so you can track our progress.  Technically this campaign will run from June 1 – July 31, but we wanted to get an early start and let you all know.

Over 100,000 unique visitors come to AddictedtoSaving.com each month.  That means if each visitor gave just one dollar, we could raise the money almost overnight.  But we know that not everyone will give.  After giving it some thought, Liza and I are humbly asking that if you have been blessed at all by Liza’s site, would you consider giving a gift of $20 to help us reach our goal?  We only need 3000 readers to give $20, and we will have the $60k needed to fund our adoptions.

On the one hand, it’s very, very difficult asking for money.  But we are in a position that we don’t have a choice, and so we are humbled in asking for your help.

We know that there are many abuses of money in the world today.  We want to promise you that these funds will only be used for adoption expenses.  We have set up a separate account for these funds, and you may give securely via PayPal or with your credit card, or you may send a check as well.  If you’d like to give a bigger donation, we can also provide you with a tax-deductible receipt, if you so choose, but this will go through a separate channel.  Instructions on how to do this and more information can be found HERE.

In short, Liza and I need your help.  We believe that adoption is God’s Plan A for us, and He has given us a heart and love for the world’s orphans.  In fact, in the future we would like to help raise money for other families to adopt as well.

So if you are moved by orphans, have been blessed by Liza’s site, have a heart for kids, or just want to help, we would like to thank you in advance for your generosity.  May God richly bless you for your sacrifice and willingness to give on our behalf.