On Saturday afternoon in the Cornerstone Church parking lot, Jamie Price saw her husband of six years clean-shaven face for the first time.

“I have longed to see David with a clean shaven face,” Jamie said. “I have no idea what his real jawline looks like.”

But Saturday was about more than a clean-shaven husband. The event was the latest in a series of fundraisers David and Jamie have held to raise $30,000 to adopt a child from China.

The idea to shave David’s beard stemmed from comments on Facebook and a suggestion from a friend.

“A friend suggested that his beard should be turned into a fundraiser,” Jamie said.

After Saturday’s fundraiser, the couple has raised about $21,600 in total.

The fundraiser allowed donors to choose which they would like to see: David shave his beard or save it. Whichever “cause” received the most funding would dictate the outcome.

“The whole idea was people could donate and say whether they wanted to shave it or save it,” David said.

While David vied to save his beard; Jamie was glad to finally see it go.

Other fundraisers include speaking at a mother’s group about adoption and miscarriage, and serving a homestyle cooked meal.

Renewed hope

David and Jamie’s quest to start a family hasn’t been easy.

After nine miscarriages, the couple was almost ready to give up on the dream of having children. After Jamie dreamed that one of her miscarriages turned into an 18-month-old Asian baby girl, she wasn’t ready to give up.

“I woke up and I had such an open heart to adoption,” Jamie said.

It took another year for David to be ready to try for a child again. After seeing the eighth baby with an ultra sound and then losing it, David said he wasn’t sure he wanted to keep trying, as the loss hit him hard.

“I had almost given up, to be honest,” David said. “But through time I guess you could say my heart was healed and I not only became open to it but really excited to the idea.”

The couple has worked toward the adoption for about six months, during which filled out paperwork and raised money. Jamie said there is a seven-year waiting list for a healthy child from China, and they had to go through a checklist of about 60 medical conditions they would or would not be able to take on. Jamie doesn’t foresee getting through the process for at least a year, if not longer.

They are currently going through the home study process, which means working with a social worker and with the China Adoption Program.

After the home study and background checks, the adoption agency starts communicating with China. Once China approves the couple, they are introduced to a child through a photograph. After saying yes, they wait to travel to China.

An outpouring of support

The couple wanted to adopt a child from China because they already love and feel close to the culture. Jamie and David both speak some Chinese, and Jamie has food allergies that are easier to deal with when eating authentic Chinese food. She also traveled to China in college and had Chinese friends.

Raising $30,000 for the adoption seemed impossible at first to Jamie and David, but now the goal is reachable, thanks to community support.

“It seems so obvious to us that we are supposed to adopt because of the outpouring of support from the community,” Jamie said.

The couple has been members of Cornerstone for about two years, and Jamie hopes their story will inspire others to have stronger faith to do what might seem impossible.

“This feels like one more way to trust that God is the provider of all things,” Jamie said. “It’s been awesome to see people donate and have a heart for us to have kids, to want to see us be a family.”