Lending a Hand with Both Hands

It is such a special occasion when an orphan is adopted into a new forever family! There are many joys and challenges in what can be a very expensive process. Legal issues bring even more joy and challenges! But, God is faithful. My dear friends, Mark and Diane, are getting ready to welcome to their family of five a little boy and a little girl from Congo! These kids are going to be so blessed!

But first, Mark and Diane need to raise the funds necessary to fly them to the US. And while that’s happening, immigration issues are unmercifully dragging out this already long process! But, God is faithful!

Here are some ways you can help, if you’re so led! If all you can do is pray, then that help is more than enough. If you’re squirming in your seat at the thought of giving money to a family you don’t even know, that’s ok! Help another family who is in the same boat. Trust me: There are many! I don’t know too many people who can just hand over a check and walk away with child in tow.

The adoptive family is having a fundraiser this weekend where they will “Help an Orphan” and “Help a Widow” all at the same time. It’s through a program called Both Hands, via LifeSong for Orphans. Both Hands is an innovative process that helps remove the financial burden of adoption. Mark and Diane have identified a widow who needs help with her home (i.e., painting, repairs, cleanup). For each person who works on the home, letters are sent asking people to donate – or sponsor – the worker. The idea is similar to sponsoring someone who is in a charity run or walk. Kurt and I will spend this Saturday, May 14, working at the house. We couldn’t be more excited, and hope you’ll consider sponsoring us! The fantastic part is that 100% of all the money donated to this project is then given in grant form to Mark and Diane’s adoption fund! Indeed, both hands helping a widow and orphan!

Another fun way Mark and Diane are raising money is through an auction. Visit Sew A Seed of Love to learn more about the item(s) to be auctioned in support of this adopting family!

As Diane recently said, God always brings the right person, at the right time, to encourage when we need it most. God is faithful!

To follow Mark and Diane’s adoption journey, visit their blog: http://goinsgang6.blogspot.com/

To learn more about helping other families with adoption expenses, or to set up your own adoption fund, visit LifeSong for Orphans.

Start an Adoption Fund at your Church

Today there are currently more than 143 million orphaned and vulnerable children in our world. In some ways, it seems like a drop in the bucket when compared to a world population of nearly 6.8 billion. But it isn’t a drop in anything to those children who need a home, a meal, a family to love. Churches across the US recently commemorated Orphan Sunday, in part to acknowledge the crisis, but also to touch the hearts of the Body of Christ and compel them to action.

My church, Zionsville Fellowship, is blessed to have an orphan ministry. And we are thrilled to have nearly 40 adoption stories in our 30 year history. (And those are just the stories we know about!) There are many more families who wait to bring a child into their forever family. It is the Lord who reminds us throughout Scripture that we are a people called to defend the fatherless. And there are numerous ways to care for the orphaned child in addition to adoption. One such way is to walk alongside those families who are on the journey called adoption.

The biggest obstacle for many families who seek to adopt a child is, arguably, financial. Our orphan ministry has partnered with LifeSong for Orphans in an effort to establish an adoption fund and help our members overcome that obstacle. It is the mission of LifeSong for Orphans to bring joy and purpose to orphans. They do that by “mobilizing the church where each member can provide a unique and special service; some to adopt, some to care, some to give.” LifeSong provides adoption loans and grants for those who are called to adopt.

Churches can begin their own adoption grant and/or loan program to help members meet the financial commitment that comes with adoption. Partnering with an organization such as LifeSong for Orphans can take the doubt and fear out of the entire process. For a church staff that already has a full plate, LifeSong will manage/facilitate the adoption fund and carry the administrative load on behalf of the church. For churches that feel uncomfortable or awkward approving or denying their own families (including viewing personal information such as financial documents), LifeSong will provide all the screening, reviewing, and approving/denying as a partner on behalf of the church. For those who feel an adoption fund is simply unfamiliar territory, LifeSong has a passion and expertise in this area. Their knowledge and experience establishes financial integrity and avoids recreating the wheel.

LifeSong for Orphans will create a customized adoption fund to fit the needs of every church. Best of all, there is no cost to the church!

It just doesn’t get any easier than that!

If this sounds like a commercial for LifeSong for Orphans, then so be it. The purpose isn’t to advertise on behalf of one organization. I just happen to know and trust this one. The point is to challenge believers, especially pastors, as we know that the church is the only institution large enough – and the only institution called to deal with this issue.

Consider the aid offered by LifeSong or go somewhere else. Just do something. One-hundred-forty-three million children are counting on it.

LifeSong for Orphans

Orphans Going Hungry

How long do you think you’d survive if you ate only once every two days? I have often joked that I can barely survive eating only every two hours. But there are many places in this world where for many orphaned children, eating one meal every two days is a reality. And according to a recent article in the Guardian UK, tens of thousands in Swaziland will miss out on food aid as a lack of donor funding forces the World Food Program to cut food aid assistance. It seems the food crisis is only getting worse.

The article highlights an elderly couple who lives with their daughter and six orphaned grandchildren. They subsist on the couples quarterly Old Age Grant of $90 each. It has been almost a year since they stopped receiving food aid from the World Food Program, and they can’t understand why they’re left to go hungry.

Resource and economic restraints have made feeding the hungry an almost impossible task. For now, the Food by Prescription program will cover people receiving treatment for TB or antiretroviral therapy and food aid will be supplied to 12,000 orphans and vulnerable children at soup kitchens each day, and 16,000 youth and students under a food-for-training program. Many doubt it will be enough, especially with the current volatility of food prices.

This Sunday in churches all across the United States, congregations will acknowledge the need to care for orphans in their distress on Orphan Sunday. The call is not just for churches. Each one of us should consider how we can help orphans.

In previous blog posts, I have shared ideas on how you can care for orphans. My passion is in supporting the Bulembu Foundation and the orphans in this tiny town in Swaziland. The Foundation has created holiday greeting cards that you can purchase, and with each purchase, you are also helping to ensure a bright future for the orphaned children of Bulembu. Send your friends and loved ones your best through Christmas, Hanukkah, or New Year’s greeting cards and give hope to an orphaned child all at the same time. It may seem like a small, insignificant thing, but to the children in Bulembu, it means the world.

Bulembu Greeting Cards

It isn’t what you think it means

What comes to your mind when you hear the word “adoption”? Like most of the rest of the planet, you probably think adoption means to permanently place a child within the home of another family. But, I’m here to tell you, it isn’t what you think it means. Biblically speaking, adoption means much more than child placement.

The Greek word from which “adoption” is derived is actually a compound of the words that mean “son” and “to place”. So, yes, adoption IS about child placement, but when we look at it from a Biblical perspective, it doesn’t end there. Adoption is also about renewal of creation. (See Romans 8:19-23) Where the Bible is concerned, when you have “adoption” you also have “renewal of creation”. You never have one without the other.

Dan Cruver, from Together for Adoption tells us, “God’s work of adoption will one day result in the comprehensive restoration of all creation so that it becomes the happy home of all of His children. One awe-inspiring day creation will be restored to a home of unceasing communion and fellowship with God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. In that day we will enter into the overflowing and never-ending peace and joy and gladness of our Father.”

It is important to remember that the Christian’s adoption is vertical before there can ever be a horizontal adoption. Once we are welcomed into the family of Christ through adoption, we must then, as a church family, “care for the orphans and widows”, according to Scripture. There are so many ways to do this; to place a child in a home and to create renewal.

One way to discover how to do both is to participate in the National Orphan Sunday, which will be held on November 7, 2010. Visit the link below to find a church in your area that is participating and learn how you can get involved. Check back here often this week as we will discuss more Biblical implications of adoption and how we can all care for orphans in preparation for Orphan Sunday.

 

www.orphansunday.org

 

 

It’s Time to Get M.A.D.

What do the following people have in common?

1. Cyrus the Great
2. Aristotle
3. Alexander the Great
4. Julius Caesar
5. Johan Sebastian Bach
6. Charles Dickens
7. Rudyard Kipling
8. Leo Tolstoy
9. Nelson Mandela
10. John Hancock
11. Gerald Ford
12. Bill Clinton
13. John Lennon
14. Faith Hill
15. Tim McGraw
16. Halle Berry

If you guessed that they were all adopted as children, then you are absolutely right. At one time, each of these celebrities were children who needed a family and someone cared enough to get M.A.D. so they (the children) could make a difference in the world. And I’d say they were pretty successful, wouldn’t you? Oh, and by M.A.D., I mean, Make A Difference.

There are so many ways to make a difference in the life of a child: as a teacher, a parent, a mentor, a coach, a big sister or brother. But right now I want to talk about how you can make a difference in the life of a child who is an orphan.

The traditional definition of an orphan is a child whose parents have died, but actually an orphan may be a child whose birth parents are alive, but he or she has been abandoned or neglected. To make a difference in the life of an orphan you must:

1. Open Your Eyes to the Great Need. In recent blog posts, I have shared with you some astonishing statistics about the plight of orphans across the globe. The need is great. There’s an old saying, “There is none so blind as he who will not see.” And while we “see” the statistics, we also need to “see” the faces that are behind the numbers; the faces of the children who need a place to call home.

2. Open Your Heart to God’s Compassion for Orphans. God doesn’t play favorites. But the Word of God makes it clear that those who are fatherless, the orphans, occupy a special place in God’s heart. If He loves the orphans, shouldn’t we?

3. Open Your Arms to Care for Orphans. Most people automatically think of adoption when we speak of orphans. But not everyone is called to adopt a child. There are many ways to care for orphans including foster care, providing funds for an orphanage in a foreign country, praying for orphans the world over or helping others who want to adopt but may not be able to afford it. Find what works best for you and then do it.

You’ve probably heard this story before but it seems apropos here. There was a young man on the beach tossing starfish back into the ocean so they wouldn’t dry out and die. A man watching him told him that with all thousands of starfish he had to feel like he wasn’t making a difference. The young man picked up another starfish and before tossing it back into the water, looked at the critic and said, “I’m making a difference for this one.”

Are you ready to get M.A.D.?

(Special thanks to Pastor David Dykes in Texas and the Christian Alliance for Orphans in preparation for Orphan Sunday, November 7, 2010)

The Garage Sale of All Garage Sales

My husband, Kurt, and I are blessed to be part of a wonderful church that has a large population of children who have been adopted. And there are lots of adults who were adopted in their youth. We feel like our church embodies James 1:27 which says we are to “look after the orphans and widows in their distress.”

Our church, Zionsville Fellowship, recently started an orphan ministry where we provide information, resources and prayer support for couples and families seeking to adopt. Through our ministry, we have partnered with LifeSong for Orphans, a Christian organization working to bring joy and purpose to orphans across the world. One-hundred-percent of all donations go directly to care for orphans and their needs. Part of their work includes providing grants and loans to those who seek the funds needed to complete their adoption.

Because of our passion for helping orphans and our church partnership with LifeSong, we are hosting the mother of all garage sales in which all proceeds will be donated to LifeSong for Orphans. Our entire ministry team, Larry and Judy, Steve and Jill, Scott and Stephanie, and Steve and Jill would greatly appreciate your support. Mark and Diane also serve on the team and are hosting the garage sale.

Here are the details:
Friday and Saturday (June 11 and 12) from 8:00 am until…
4403 Owl Court
Indianapolis

Please spread the word, come shop and help us as we help the least of these.

Another Adoption Fund-raising Garage Sale – The Thomas Family

Our friends, Rob and Jennie Thomas, are gearing up for their first adoption fund-raising event – a garage sale! Please stop by and visit them Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23 from 9 am until 3 pm at their home, which is located at 3826 South 800 East, Zionsville.

The Thomas family (all nine of them) report that they have 2 Trek road bikes, a barely used Briggs & Stratton power washer, 2 Shop Vacs, 2 gas grills, 4 large silk fichus trees, 2 queen comforters w/pillow shams, 1 queen duvet cover, 2 twin comforters, other bedding, furniture, framed artwork, a child’s green wicker table with two chairs, fishing poles, books, clothing, Little Tykes basketball goal and workbench, and so much more.  Please tell anyone and everyone you think might be interested.

The family will also have a coffee bar serving Ethiopian coffee as well as desserts, home-made jewelry pieces and wooden swords and daggers made by one of their kids (with help from granddad) in an effort to raise money for his own plane ticket to Ethiopia to retrieve their newest family members.

Won’t you join them in this wonderful adventure? At the very least, please keep the Thomas family – and their future children – in your prayers!

To keep track of their adoption story, visit their blog at http://www.oliveshootsandmuddyboots.blogspot.com/

Brothers Seeking Forever Family

My husband, Kurt, and I are honored to serve on the adoption/orphan ministry at our church, Zionsville Fellowship. At our monthly meeting last night, we had the privilege of hearing from someone with ABL Adoptions, which is in Zionsville. She shared a heart warming story of three brothers who are in need of a good, caring, Christian forever family.

The boys lost their mother to murder and the father is not in the picture. They have lived with their grandmother since 2004, and due to illness, she is unable to continue to be their provider and care giver. She’s trying to do the right thing by providing them with a future before she becomes too ill to do anything about it. Here are some details about the boys who are Caucasian:

Alex – 11

No meds
Enjoys sports (soccer, basketball, swimming) – getting ready to run Track/Field
Enjoys attending and participating in church
Has attended week-long – all night church camp
Loves to read

Xavier – 10

ADHD – current medications

• Daytrana 30 mg patch (for ADHD)
• Zyprexa @ night 30mg

Enjoys sports (soccer, basketball, riding bikes, swimming)
Participates in Tech Club (computer) weekly after school
Has attended week-long – all night church camp
Loves to read
Enjoys church

Zeus – 8

Seizure disorder (none since 2006)

• Oxcarbazepine 300mg 3x-day
• Zypreza @night 30mg
• Budeprion 150mg *will be taken off of this within the next few weeks
• Intuniv 30mg *this is brand new, working well
• Focalin XR 15mg

Here are the details on the cost of this adoption:

$6500 agency fee
$1500 case management
$3800 legal if in Indiana or $4800 in out of Indiana
For a total of$11, 800 for an Indiana family or $14,000 out-of-state of Indiana family (includes ICPC)

If you are interested or know of someone who would be interested in adopting these really terrific young men, please contact Cara Ratay at ABL Adoptions.

Cara Ratay
ABL Adoptions
A Licensed Child Placing Agency – Indiana and Louisiana
140 1/2 South Main Street
Zionsville, IN 46077
317.873.3841 Adoptive Couples
317.873.4926 Fax
866.650.5683 Birth Parents Only

cara@abladoptions.com

Thanks and God bless!

Summit VI – Christian Alliance for Orphans

If you or your church have ever wanted to get involved in an orphan ministry, this is a wonderful opportunity!

You and individuals from your church community are invited to attend the Christian Alliance for Orphans’ national Summit VI!   This national conference is designed to help Christians start and grow orphan ministry in the local church, including adoption, foster care and international orphan initiatives.

Summit VI on April 29-30 in Minneapolis, MN will bring together grassroots advocates, pastors, orphan experts from across America and beyond—as well as many new to the issue seeking to learn how to engage.

Featured speakers include national champions of orphan care and adoption, including John Piper, Doug Sauder, Mary Beth Chapman, Jedd Medefind, Tom Davis and Al Mohler.  Compelling voices from the global church will address attendees as well, from Africa and Eastern Europe to Central America.   Music will be led by Steven Curtis Chapman and other artists.  Meanwhile, more than fifty workshops will deliver practical know-how for orphan ministry—from supporting families with post adoption challenges, to effective models for church foster care programs, to partnerships with indigenous churches for overseas orphan care.   In addition, families in the adoption process will have the opportunity for five “Hague Hours” from national experts such as Dr. Karyn Purvis at no additional cost.

If God has stirred hearts in your church for the plight of orphans, Summit offers the biggest and best opportunity of the year to learn how to act upon your convictions.  Many churches will send multiple individuals in order to fully access the full range of resources, workshops and other opportunities available.  To learn more and register now, visit the Christian Alliance for Orphans website at www.christianalliancefororphans.org.