UPDATE: Phil & Sara and their girls plan to leave for Tanzania April 18. We'll be commissioning them in our worship services on April 11.
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With over 40 million orphans in Africa’s 56 countries there is no one ministry, no one strategy to address the desperate need. The sheer scope of the crisis can lead to a certain paralysis. What can I do? How can anyone make a difference for all these precious children? Rosemary Jensen, the president of the Rafiki Foundation (rafiki-foundation.org/), answers that feeling of helplessness with a question, “If 100 people were drowning in a river, and you had only three ropes, wouldn’t you throw them?”
The Rafiki Foundation is a Christian organization whose goal is to help Africa’s orphaned and vulnerable children become godly contributors to their communities and the world. It was established in 1985 by Rosemary Jensen and others who desired to help the children of Africa. While no one ministry can address the needs of every orphan on the continent, Rafiki’s plan for Africa has the potential of impacting thousands of children through the establishment of Rafiki Training Villages and Rafiki Satellite Villages. Rafiki Foundation provides God's Word and ministries of mercy to children in ten African countries.
The ChildCare Program is designed to provide completely for the physical, educational, vocational, and spiritual needs of several hundred children. Each Rafiki Village will include schools, dining facilities, an infirmary, a playing field, agricultural land, twelve cottages, and four residence halls. Each cottage houses ten children and one African mother. Each cottage lives together as a family—eating, going to church, playing, and working together. The children and the mothers connect as family. When the children enter junior secondary school they move to a residence hall at the Rafiki Village which has a married couple who become the Rafiki mother and father for the children thus providing a father figure for our Rafiki children.
Phil and Sara Nickels first felt God’s call to this ministry ten years ago. After supporting the work in various ways over the years, God opened the door for them to commit to serve as long-term overseas staff in February of last year. Since then, God has provided for their full financial support through churches (including Village Bible Church) and individuals. Phil and Sara, with their daughters Lydia (11) and Audrey (6) will depart for Moshi, Tanzania on April 18. Phil will be serving as village director, while developing the village site’s agricultural land. Sara will be serving as assistant childcare director.
There are many ways to participate in this ministry to orphans. Most of the costs of meeting the needs of the children are covered by orphan sponsorships. For a minimum of $25 a month you can give a gift from the heart that will make a difference in someone’s life. If you’d like to help in a hands-on way, short term mission trips from two weeks to one year are an option. Rafiki Prayer Groups meet monthly to pray for the needs of specific villages. You can check http://rafiki-foundation.org/prayer/prayer_groups.html for more information.
Please continue to pray for Jake and Amy Whipp as they attempt to adopt an abandoned handicapped little boy, named Jean, from Haiti. Below is the latest on their story. If you don't know the story, here's the short version: Amy went to help in Haiti after the earthquake - and returned feeling called to adopt a specific handicapped little boy. She knew from the start there would be a lot of red tape - and that has certainly been true. However, God continues to knock down some amazing barriers. Let's all be in prayer for Jake, Amy and little Jean. Read below for some exciting new news.
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April 9: I was reading today in Mark about the mustard seed, and even though my faith is small, when combined with the kingdom of God around the world, great things are accomplished. This has been such an amazing journey with Jean and Christ grows my love for Jean more and more everyday. I miss him SO much. The LORD has provided so many people to help bring us together. God has used Jean to touch the lives of so many... - Amy
April 7:"I got preliminary approval from Children's Memorial today!!!!!!! :) That's just so cool that he will get access to the BEST pediatric medical care in Chicago. I love it." - Amy
April 6: Lots of red tape. Even if Haiti allows Jean to come to the states on a medical visa, our government won't allow it unless it can be proved that Jean will not be a medical burden on them. So, Jake and Amy are talking with hospitals in the area trying to get one of them to agree to diagnose and treat Jean free of charge while he's here on the medical visa. (Once the Whipps adopt Jake, their insurance will cover those costs, but not until.) "I got the run around from almost everyone except Children's Memorial - they are supposed to get back to me tomorrow, so i am hoping and praying they say yes." - Amy
April 5: No word yet regarding Jean's mom or if Amy's contacts in Haiti have talked to her yet. However, Heather, a missionary at Danita's is currently serving as Jean's personal caretaker. and has been able to email Jake and Amy almost every day with pictures and updates about Jean. She gives him hugs for them they and tells him how much they love him. She is even going to try and Skype in on Saturday with Jean on her lap so they can see him!!!
March 30: Jean's mother is found! Pray that she can be taken to the orphanage so Jean can see his mom again. Pray that the orphanage can explain the situation with Amy and Jake being willing to adopt her son.
March 27: Jake and Amy find someone in Haiti who is willing to attempt to track down Jean's mother.
March 13:World Magazine publishes an article about the orphan crisis in Haiti and specifically about Amy and little Jean - without Amy even knowing about it. Amy then contacted the journalist, Jamie Dean, who ended up being instrumental in helping Jake and Amy find Jean's mom. Doesn't God work in amazing ways? Click here to read the article!
March 4: The next step is to find Jean's mother. Jake and Amy have been told that is their only hope. So there are people trying to find her, but no one knows who she is. Pray that she will make herself known. "I know this will just be one more miracle in the story so that God gets credit for it." - Amy
Feb 17: Amy is given permission by the orphanage where she was serving to adopt Jean. This is a step, but the Haitian government is still not allowing any children to be placed into adoptive families - partly because it will take time to determine if a child is truly an orphan or if they are just temporarily displaced from their parents.
Feb 8: As Amy returns home, she and her husband Jake sense God's call to adopt Jean. They know there will be many hoops but begin to pray that if this is God's plan that He would begin to open the impossible doors.
Feb 1-7: Amy heads off to Haiti with Visiting Orphans to help with the orphanage, Danita's Children. help with the earthquake catastrophe in Haiti. During the week, she interacts with a lot of children, but God grows a special place in her heart for one named Jean who is very crippled, having very limited mobility of his arms and legs - apparently having cerebral palsy.
Jan 5: Passport in 2 hours? After a morning getting nowhere by phone, Jake and Amy decide to head to Chicago and try the impossible - to get a passport hours before the office closes down for the weekend. Long story short, God opens the door and the impossible becomes possible - Amy walks out with a passport in hand and heads to get a long round of immunizations.
Jan 4:Amy receives a text message from VBC asking her if she could go to Haiti to help with children who have been impacted by the earthquake catastrophe. She is open to the idea but has no passport or plane ticket. Is it possible to pull off such an effort in one business day? Amy and her husband, Jake, begin to pray.
Are you interested in learning more about orphan care? Would you have an interest in helping our church continue to grow in this area of ministry?
If you can say yes to either of these questions, then we would like to send you to an outstanding church orphan care conference that is taking place next month. Read more below and if you're interested, please let me know and we'll talk about it!
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JOIN organizational leaders, grassroots advocates, pastors, and ministry entrepreneurs that share your passion.
ENCOUNTER the unparalleled hub of orphan ministry partnership, networking and inspiration for service.
BUILD your knowledge, resources and practical skills via more than fifty workshops and unforgettable plenary sessions.
The Christian Alliance for Orphans and the Lausanne Congress are teaming up to offer a special pre-Summit event in Minneapolis, MN on Wednesday, April 28, 2010.
This event is one of the 12 “Lausanne Conversations” hosted across America this year. These events offer American believers a chance to participate in building toward “Cape Town 2010,” where Christians from virtually every nation on earth will gather to discuss and set priorities on the vital issues facing the global church today.
The Minneapolis "Lausanne Conversation" will center on the Biblical call to care for the fatherless and other vulnerable children. Panel discussion will explore strategic steps that churches, ministry organizations, foundations and the broader body of Christ can take in partnership with each other to meet the physical and spiritual needs of children worldwide through the local church.
“Conversation” Panelists:
Jedd Medefind, Christian Alliance for Orphans (Moderator)
Doug Birdsall, Lausanne Committee on World Evangelism
Vonette Bright, Campus Crusade for Christ
Sharen Ford, Colorado Department of Human Services
Peter Pretorius, Joint Aid Management
Rich Van Pelt, Compassion International
Princess Kasune Zulu, Author - Warrior Princess
No special registration is needed for this pre-Summit event. All Summit attendees and community guests are welcome.
A Lausanne Conversation Wednesday, April 28th, 7:30pm Grace Church, Eden Prairie, Minnesota
It's always interesting to see how God is moving in other people's lives. Below is a link to a video about a family who lives in the Aurora area who sensed God was calling them to care for orphans by adopting some into their own family. Today they are proud parents of three - one from the USA, one from China and one from Haiti. Click on the video below to watch a short video of God's story in their lives.
Let's turn for a few days to a desire that is on almost every orphan's heart - adoption. Adoption is a life long commitment to provide a family and ongoing love for a child who has neither. This is the ultimate way to care for orphans who are adoptable as it removes their orphan status and gives them a home.
Adoption is often considered a long drawn-out and expensive process. While you will find the process to certainly be a lot of work, the average time frame for adopting ranges from 24-36 months. The cost for adopting a child from the US averages $15,000 and public adoptions from the foster care system have very little cost associated with them. After the Adoption Tax Credit of $12,000, the cost is comparable to that of giving birth in a hospital.
In the days ahead we will highlight some Christian adoption agencies and financial assistance programs designed for people who want to adopt but can't afford the upfront costs.
A great place to learn the basics of adoption is Steven Curtis Chapman's site, www.HowToAdopt.org. If you're interested in caring for an orphan (or two or three) by adopting them into your family, click here.
Safe Families for Children is an opportunity for volunteers to have a powerful impact in the lives of others while practicing biblical hospitality, extending the love of Christ to people in need — all from their own home!
Volunteers open their homes to children whose parents are experiencing a short-term emergency, such as hospitalization, or a longer-term crisis, such as drug abuse. Designed to extend and strengthen the community safety net for at-risk families, Safe Families is a positive alternative to the state child welfare system, allowing parents to work out their problems without having to worry about losing custody of their kids. The program's goal is to reunite children with their biological parent(s) in a home that is more stable and healthy, in part because of the contribution of the Safe Families intervention.
Parents experiencing a temporary crisis can arrange for their children (newborn through 16 years old) to stay with Safe Families volunteers while they address the issues that led to the instability in their lives. Children are matched with families in their own community whenever possible, and placements average from one day to three months. During that time, Safe Families caseworkers are available to provide volunteers with support and answer any questions they might have.
Biological parents maintain custody during the placement and are encouraged to be actively involved in their children's lives, as well as develop a relationship with the volunteer family. Safe Families caseworkers keep in close contact with the parents and the referring organization to determine when families can be reunited.
Safe Families is an alternative to child welfare custody, significantly reducing the number of children entering foster care. In fact, the program’s effectiveness has caught the attention of state officials, who are impressed that our volunteers serve without any financial compensation. State child protection workers routinely encourage parents to place children with Safe Families as part of a safety plan in order to avoid the state taking custody of their children.
Safe Families is about more than temporary child care, however. It's also about resurrecting biblical hospitality and demonstrating to the world that the Christian family, in obedience to Christ, is a powerful source of change in our society. We encourage you to be part of it!
Your Opportunity:
Safe Families brings many opportunities to help children who are at risk. Much like a changing to a healthier diet and beginning to exercise helps to reduce the risk of health problems, Safe Families acts as a very effective medicine to preventing children from becoming orphans. Isn't that a great way to be involved in orphan care? And Safe Families can utilize your skills and passions and give you an opportunity to care for at-risk children without a life-long commitment.
Safe Families Fox Valley needs:
families to volunteer to be a safe family to provide a safe place for children as needs arise.
many other components for families and individuals that want to serve; such as errand runners, babysitting, organizing donated items to our 'Closet' (a storage facility we have with lots of children's items we give out for the placements)
professional services, such as doctors, dentists, hair care professionals, mechanics, electricians, handymen - you name it. They always have needs and for people willing to provide their services for a reduced rate or pro-bono for a Safe Family.
"We can certainly get folks that might not be willing to take in a child plugged in as well!" I think that means there's probably a role for you.
Interested? Attend the Safe Families Informational Seminar this Saturday, 2/27, from 10 am - 1pm. Call the church office if you're interested in attending.
Crystal took her first short-term missions trip to Uganda during the summer of 2000 - between high school and college. She left with a passion to return to Uganda as soon as she was done with college. The Lord had given her a heart of unquenchable compassion for orphans in Uganda.
Meanwhile, in 2001 Matt prayed that God would give him an opportunity to go to Africa to be a laborer for Christ's harvest. God immediately answered that prayer and over the next few years he would serve in Uganda of four trips.
Crystal had been attending and serving at Village during college. As she neared graduation, she came to church one day sharing that the summer trip to Uganda was probably not going to happen because she hadn't been able to raise the support she needed - and the trip was leaving in three days. The need ended up being shared with the church family that morning and all of her support was raised before she went back to school that day! Little did we know that Crystal and Matt would both be serving on that trip... (2004)
Six months later, they married (February 2005) and knew God was leading back to Uganda. They spent a year working and raising support to go back.
In 2006, they had raised their needed support and returned to Uganda to serve with Juna Amagara Ministries - a ministry that cares for orphans in communities destroyed by the HIV/AIDS epidemic, poverty and war. JAM serves over 250 orphaned children throughout Uganda by operating 3 schools, leading 3 skills training programs, and caring for 40 precious children in an orphanage.
Matt felt called to begin a ministry that would focus on equipping and discipling the high school graduates of Juna Amagara Ministries. In the summer of 2008 he began the ABIDE ministry to do just this thing.
Additionally, as Matt and Crystal served and cared for children, God developed a passion and dream to care for babies born with HIV/AIDS. Through a number of devastating circumstances babies are abandoned before they are even given the chance to live. In July of 2008, that dream became a reality as they welcomed their first abandoned baby into their home – and named him Stephen Twinomujuni. (They have since legally adopted Stephen.) Then on January 1, 2010, they welcomed their second abandoned baby into their family. A precious baby girl, abandoned at 2 months and HIV+. They named her Jerusalem Amy Kehn. After beginning the adoption process, they were excited to have three beautiful children in their family. But sadly within one week, her health deteriorated and they lost her... Their burden continues to be caring for more precious infants in need.
So how does Matt & Crystal's story provide opportunity for you to care for orphans?
Send some love in a box to a child - send a care package to a child that Matt & Crystal serve.
Send a care package to Matt & Crystal - something fun like cheesecake (Click Here)
GO - travel to Uganda for a week or a month to care for children being helped by their ministry.
PRAY for their ministry. Click Here for their most current praises and requests.
Learn More: Attend the 2010 Juna Amagara Celebration Banquet on March 7th at the in Oak Brook. Ben Tumuheirwe, the founder of JAM and the person who convinced Matt to take his first short-term trip to Uganda, will be speaking. Click Here to RSVP.
There are orphans around the world who can not be adopted by law. There are many many orphanages in the world that are striving to meet the physical and spiritual needs of such orphans and abandoned children. They need our help: our prayers, our financial support, and our involvement in their ministry. Involvement means developing relationships with orphans who need the presence of Christ, who need people to care for them by writing or visiting them - people who will speak the gospel to them and hug them. Over the next few weeks, we'll highlight a few orphanage ministries and consider ways we can get involved in helping them.
I want to share a ministry with you that I would like to ask that you begin praying for on a regular basis. It's the ministry of a young lady who is exhibiting a "Crazy Love" for Christ - a young lady who clearly is serving God out of her delight in Him, not out of a felt duty. A young lady who has a really neat story - and who is serving in a really tough situation.
Katie Davis - Amazima Ministries
Three years ago, Katie Davis had just turned 18 years old and went on a short-term missions trip to Uganda for the first time. God captured Katie's heart for the children of Uganda. (Dec 06)
Six months later, she decided college could wait a year and followed His lead to move to Uganda to teach Kidergarten. (Summer 07)
As she walked the children home from class each day, she was shocked to see the sheer number of school-aged children sitting idly on the side of the road or working in the fields. God laid it on Katie's heart to start a child sponsorship program, matching orphaned children who are unable to afford schooling with sponsors anywhere in the world. She started Amazima Ministries International, which is now providing 400 orphaned children education, school supplies, 3 meals a day, and medical care and providing lunch and dinner for another 1,200 displaced Karamojong children. Wow! (Fall 07)
Five months later, she turned 19 and sensed God was calling her to adopt a little girl. College, love and marriage could wait a little longer... (Nov 07)
Over the course of the past two years, God has called Katie to even more. And she has followed. Today she she is called "Maamaaaamammaaa" by 14 beautiful girls! Did I mention she's 21 years old? (Nov 09)
This young woman is quite the story of loving God and following His lead. Quite the example of a heart demonstrating a Crazy Love for God... On Katie's blog, you can see a lot of the joy God has brought into her life as she has served Him (#1 & #2 below are good starts).
The things God calls us to, however, are rarely an easy bed of roses. A week ago, Katie posted an entry to her blog (#3 below) in which she journals some of her struggles. Below is one paragraph from that blog entry. The words below are raw honesty describing some of the challenges Katie faces as she strives to abandon a pursuit of earthly gain in trade for making an eternal Kingdom impact. Certainly, some of the most powerful words I have read in quite some time.
A few days ago an American woman who had spent about three days of her life in a third world country looked at me and said, "I would SO love to do what you do. I would do it in a heartbeat. Oh, I would take 14 kids in a second!" It is a good thing that I was having a graceful day, because I said, "Aw that's nice." But my not so graceful heart was angry. And the not so graceful voice in my head wanted to say to her, "Ok then, do it. I can have you 14 orphaned, abandoned, uncared for children tomorrow. So here is what you have to do: Quit school. Quit your job. Sell your stuff. Disobey and disappoint your parents. Break your little brother's heart. Lose all but about a handful of friends because the rest of them think you have gone off the deep end. Break up with the love of your life. Move to a country where you know one person and none of the language. And when you are finished, I will be here waiting with your 14 children!" I wanted to ask her what was stopping her, knowing that the answer would be her comfort. I wanted to look at her and tell her that my life was full and joyful and WONDERFUL, but I also wanted to tell her to COUNT THE COST. Because my life IS full and joyful and wonderful, but it is NOT easy. My life is NOT glamorous. I do not expect it to be. I do not think that anything about carrying a cross was easy or glamorous either.
So how does Katie's story provide opportunity for you to care for orphans? Well, a great place to start would be to pray for Katie's ministry to orphans. Really pray. Then allow her story to cause you to contemplate what's next in your own life. Allow her story to drive you to prayer as you seek God's direction - as you seek eternally impacting opportunities - and as you strive to follow. You could also consider partnering with Katie and her ministry by sponsoring a child for $300 which will allow them the provide education and meals for a year for another orphan child. www.amazima.org
When it comes to orphan care, there are three different approaches we can consider as a church and as individuals.
All Christians are called to advocate for the fatherless (James 1). So the question isn't, "Am I called to orphan care?" but it's, "How am I called to orphan care?".
Some families are called to adopt.
Others are called to do missions trips to care for orphans. There are orphans around the world who can not be adopted by law, but they still need the presence of Christ, they need groups who will come and love them, sepak the gospel to them, and hug them.
There are others who can use financial resources to empower another family to adopt.
The number of children worldwide without families to love and care for them is overwhelming. There are 5.5 million orphans in Africa, 3.5 million orphans in Asia, 1.5 million orphans in Eastern Europe, 400,000 orphans in Latin America, and 135,000 children available for adoption in the U.S. foster care system.
It’s easy to forget that each and every one of these orphaned children is precious to the Savior. Throughout Scripture we see God as “ … the helper of the orphan” (Psalm 10:14). Christians should be leading the international dialogue about our responsibility to provide a home and a family for those who have none.
As adopted children in God’s family, believers should be the first to reach out to orphaned and abandoned children around the world. Yet many are unaware of the great need, or of God’s call on the church to be actively involved in helping the fatherless.
We cannot escape the words of James 1:27a: “This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father, to visit orphans … in their distress.” Nor can we turn a deaf ear when we know the heartbeat of the Father resonates with the needs of the fatherless (Psalm 10:17-18).
In his book, Fields of the Fatherless, C. Thomas Davis writes, “If you searched the Bible from front to back, you’d find many issues close to God’s heart. But you’d also notice three groups of people coming up again and again. They appear so many times, in fact, you have to conclude that God mentions them purposely to make sure they are at the top of our priority list.”
Who are these three groups of people? They are orphans, widows, and aliens (or strangers). These are three groups of people that especially matter to God. Deuteronomy 24:19 illustrates God’s care and provision for these three groups. When you are harvesting in your field and you overlook a sheaf, do not go back to get it. Leave it for the alien, the fatherless and the widow, so that the Lord your God bless you in all the work of your hands.
In addition, Proverbs 23:10-11 demonstrates another one of God’s attributes specifically as it relates to the fatherless: Do not move an ancient boundary stone, or encroach on the fields of the fatherless. For their Defender is strong; He will take up their case against you.
God doesn’t stop at caring for and defending those close to His heart. He tells us that we must do so as well if we want to practice pure religion. James 1:27-28 says: Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.
Not only has God commanded that His people care for those in need, but He has also modeled and ordained the institution of adoption. Anyone who has placed their trust in Christ has been adopted into God’s family. Ephesians 1:4-5 tell us: … In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will.
Adoption is a legal transaction that redeems another. God did that for us through His son. We have the wonderful opportunity to do that in the life of a child.
Caring for the fatherless is not simply a compassionate and kind act, and adoption is not merely an additional means of growing our families to the desired size. Caring for the fatherless and adoption are at the very heart of God. Caring for orphans is about obedience . . . it is about knowing the God whom we serve.
Perhaps God is calling you and your family to change a precious little one’s life today. What an awesome opportunity we have to reach the world for Christ, one home, and one child at a time.
Vindicate the weak and fatherless; Do justice to the afflicted and destitute. —Psalm 82:3
Many orphans and waiting children worldwide have lost their parents due to armed conflict or disease, such as AIDS. In some countries, however, children are increasingly abandoned at alarming rates due to poverty, restrictive population control policies, disabilities or perceived disabilities, and cultural traditions that value boys more than girls.
Global Orphans
Over 140 million orphans and waiting children under the age of 18 have lost one or both parents.i
Over 13 million "double orphans" (have lost both parents) under the age of 18.ii
Sub-Saharan Africa, with 48.3 million orphans, has the highest proportion of children who are orphans at 12%
Asia has the largest total number of orphans with 73.7 million orphans, which represents 6% of all children
Latin America and the Caribbean has 10.7 million orphans, also representing 6% of all children.iii
Over 15 million children have lost a parent due to AIDS, and that number is expected to rise to over 20 million by 2010.iv
Without AIDS, the total number of double orphans in sub-Saharan Africa would have declined between 1990 and 2010. AIDS, however, will push the number of double orphans in the region from 9 million to more than 10 million by 2010.v
Orphaned children are much more likely than non-orphans to be working in commercial agriculture, as street vendors, in domestic service and in the sex trade.vi
Orphans are more vulnerable and at risk of becoming victims of violence, exploitation, trafficking, discrimination, or other abuses.vii
Domestic Orphans
More than 500,000 children are in United States foster care.viii
Over 120,000 children in foster care are waiting to be adopted.ix
Only around 50,000 children, or 18% of those waiting in foster care, are adopted every year.x
On average, children in foster care wait over 2 years to be adopted.xi
Adoption
More than one-third of Americans have seriously considered adopting, but no more than 2 percent have actually adopted.xii
Only 4 percent of families with children (1.7 million households) contain adopted children.
Between 118,000 and 127,000 children have been adopted in the United States every year since 1987. Of these adoptions, approximately 20,000 are international, 50,000 are from foster care, 25,000 are domestic agency adoptions, and 25,000 are private, independent adoptions.
Remember, these numbers represent children. Sons and daughters. Children that need care and children that need parents. Each of us can do something to make a difference in their lives. For some it will be visiting them with aid, for others it will be reducing the number of double orphans through adoption, one, two, three at a time!
1.) The UNICEF orphan numbers (145 million) are only for deceased parents. If you were to factor in single parents in general, we'd be talking a number many times higher.
2.) The majority of these children are in countries with inadequate social services/support. An ostracized/disenfranchised widow in Kenya has very little hope of feeding and educating her children, compared to a single mother living in the projects of Baltimore.
3.) Many of these remaining parents of "single orphans" are themselves suffering from the same ailments (or under the same death sentence) that took their spouses. They are incapacitated.
4.) Many of these remaining parents of "single orphans" have to work 12 to 18 hour days to survive, thereby leaving kids to roam streets or raise themselves.
5.) UNICEF/WHO estimate 100 million street children (either abandoned, runaways, market kids, or effectively left to their own devices by parents). Some organizations state that that number is closer to 150 million to 200 million. It's clear that many of the "single orphans" fall into this category, based on the circumstances above and related circumstances. They may have a surviving parent, but they're essentially on their own.
6.) The UNICEF orphan numbers DON'T include abandonment (millions of children) as well as sold and/or trafficked children. Are the millions of kids abandoned in China not orphans?
7.) The UNICEF orphan numbers DON'T include many non-reporting nations (namely, Middle Eastern Islamic nations) where shame and divorce abandonment are rampant. 200,000 + orphans in Iraq, for instance, are not part of the count.
8.) In many cultures we work in, the children taken in by extended family are denied education and are used as domestic servants or, worse, abused. Sure, they're "in a family," but they have no hope, no dignity.
9.) In many other countries, children are institutionalized. Yes, they're in "care," but are also ill-prepared to integrate into society and are often in abusive and vulnerable situations themselves.
Given the above, I think we're looking at a number quite higher than 15 million "double orphans." We often communicate that the real number of kids that fall into our care categories is somewhere around 40 or 50 million.
It seems that God has opened your heart to the orphan crisis in Haiti - to the point that you're even praying about the possibility of opening your own family to one of these orphans.
You've been praying and waiting for God to open doors.
There are four dates that I want you reserve on your calendar. If you're serious about this, you'll want to be a part of the first three for sure, and I'd like you to at least keep your schedule free for the fourth.
2/21: Sunday during worship service: Amy Whipp will share briefly about her trip to Haiti
2/28: Sunday during ABF: Amy will share more of her story, including her and her husband's heart to adopt a little boy who is blind and cripple from Haiti, named Jean.
3/6: Saturday morning (probably 8:30 - 10:30): I'm trying to line up a time when we can hear from a few of the adoption agencies and a foster care agency for this morning so that we can begin to further explode this passion God is growing in your hearts. This is tentative at this time - please pray that the pieces all come together to make it happen.
4/29-30: Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit - Click Here For Details (We're a new member church of this organization even though we're not showing up on their listing.)
God has given you a heart to consider opening your family to an orphan who has no family. I am so thankful for that and am excited to see how God directs you to put your heart into action.
Before we move on to the next step in the process, I want to take a moment to consider wise words from someone who has already walked in the steps you're considering. This individual and her husband have raised two children of their own, have raised one child who they adopted (via foster care) at age 6 and fostered another child for several years. Here are some words of wisdom from her:
No matter how good the idea, we can't let our hearts go so fast that we end up hurting the children or our own families. The fact that people are eager to do this is a good start, and now to go through the processes will be a challenge. But, it's the way it has to be. If it's worth doing, it's worth doing the right way. Pray, pray, pray is the place these families need to start. And, I'm sure they are, and God will honor their prayers. You can testify to that fact when it comes to children. It's in God's time. I need to pray more for these families, that they will know God's leading.
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. - James 1:27
Wow. Where do I begin?
God has been leading me down a path that I had no idea would grow as it has or become as involved as it has. It's also a path that you've expressed interest in walking down along with a dozen or so other families - that makes it even more exciting - and changes the "me" to "we".
This path, of course, is the path of seeking God's direction as to how He would want us to carry out the mandate He has laid before us in James 1:27 (above) to be caring for our orphans and widows.
The more I explore the more excited I get - and the more daunting it all seems too.
Where do we begin?
I have probably had more than 50 conversations with different people, missions organizations, adoption agencies, etc. exploring ways that our families could get involved and help with the orphan crisis in Haiti - and even beyond. I've found a lot of great ministries doing some really cool things in the name of Christ. Many would be great partners for us as we explore where God is leading us individually and as a group in this journey.
Is God calling you to adopt from Haiti?
God works in mysterious and unpredictable ways; He can take awful situations and use them to produce blessings. Many of us are now interested in adoption after learning about the tragedy in Haiti. I wonder if God is using this tragedy in Haiti to open our eyes and hearts to the orphan crisis worldwide - orphans in need of families.
Instead of an earthquake, tens of thousands of children have been left as orphans in Ethiopia because of HIV/AIDS, poverty and famine. In Rwanda, the aftermath of the genocide, HIV/AIDS and extreme poverty have left scores of children as orphans.
In the world, there are over 13 million orphans under the age of 18 who have lost both parents. There are over 120,000 children in US foster care waiting to be adopted. Only 18% of those waiting in foster care will be adopted this year.
Where will God lead all of this? What's next?
I have quickly learned that it would be easy to overwhelm all of us with the needs and the options. Because of that I'm going to share what God seems to be percolating in the course of several emails - probably spaced a few days apart so that you can think and pray about each step of the process. Some of you have asked for recommended next steps - for home study and adoption agency referrals, etc.
I want to encourage you to increase your time in prayer while slowing down on figuring out (or taking) the specific next step. At this time:
pray and seek the Lord’s will for your family.
continue praying for those in need in Haiti – a crisis of this magnitude will require years and years of help – and we pray that by the mercy and grace of God this will not be a time when orphans are left by the wayside, but that permanent families will be sought for all the children in need of parents to care for them, in Haiti and throughout the world.
Pray for our outreach project next Saturday, 2/20, when we'll pack 50,000 meals that will be shipped to one of two orphanages in Haiti (see www.villagebible.org/haiti for more details). Pray for the funding to cover the costs of this outreach, for the workers to do the labor, for safe transportation of the food and for the impact that is made through it.
Plan to attend the Journey ABF on 2/28 when Amy Whipp will share about her time serving at Danita's Children Orphanage in Haiti as well as how God has impacted her own thoughts about adoption after being there. Amy is also planning to share more briefly next Sunday, 2/21.
In my next blog post,
I'll share with you 10 ways you can care for orphan and waiting children.
UPDATE: Phil & Sara and their girls plan to leave for Tanzania April 18. We'll be commissioning them in our worship services on April 11.
The ChildCare Program is designed to provide completely for the physical, educational, vocational, and spiritual needs of several hundred children. Each Rafiki Village will include schools, dining facilities, an infirmary, a playing field, agricultural land, twelve cottages, and four residence halls. Each cottage houses ten children and one African mother. Each cottage lives together as a family—eating, going to church, playing, and working together. The children and the mothers connect as family. When the children enter junior secondary school they move to a residence hall at the Rafiki Village which has a married couple who become the Rafiki mother and father for the children thus providing a father figure for our Rafiki children.
Feb 8: As Amy returns home, she and her husband Jake sense God's call to adopt Jean. They know there will be many hoops but begin to pray that if this is God's plan that He would begin to open the impossible doors.
Let's turn for a few days to a desire that is on almost every orphan's heart - adoption. Adoption is a life long commitment to provide a family and ongoing love for a child who has neither. This is the ultimate way to care for orphans who are adoptable as it removes their orphan status and gives them a home.
Safe Families for Children is an opportunity for volunteers to have a powerful impact in the lives of others while practicing biblical hospitality, extending the love of Christ to people in need — all from their own home!
Safe Families is an alternative to child welfare custody, significantly reducing the number of children entering foster care. In fact, the program’s effectiveness has caught the attention of state officials, who are impressed that our volunteers serve without any financial compensation. State child protection workers routinely encourage parents to place children with Safe Families as part of a safety plan in order to avoid the state taking custody of their children.
Safe Families is about more than temporary child care, however. It's also about resurrecting biblical hospitality and demonstrating to the world that the Christian family, in obedience to Christ, is a powerful source of change in our society. We encourage you to be part of it!
Crystal took her first short-term missions trip to Uganda during the summer of 2000 - between high school and college. She left with a passion to return to Uganda as soon as she was done with college. The Lord had given her a heart of unquenchable compassion for orphans in Uganda.
