National Foster Care Month

We gathered around the portraits. In the midst of a stormy night, seven adults from five different churches and two children stood, heads bowed and hearts poised toward heaven. The smiling children in the pictures sat on the altar ready to be counted, to be relieved of their burdens and trials. One by one we chose a child and prayed—for salvation, for a brave family willing to count the cost and adopt an orphan—this orphan—lost in a sea of orphans. Those seven faces represented the hundreds of thousands of children in foster care in the U.S.

This prayer vigil was one of many held this month in honor of National Foster Care Month, designed to bring awareness to the many children in the foster care system. Some of them await reunification with their parents while others need a forever family. Let me share a few facts from Cry of the Orphan with you.

• In the U.S., more than 400,000 children are in the foster care system.
• More than 100,000 children in the U.S. are waiting to be adopted.
• An estimated 28,000 each year will “age out” of the system at age 18 without an adoptive family.
• A child waiting to be adopted has been in foster care an average of 37 months.
• A child can wait five years or more to be adopted.
• Adoption from foster care is generally less than $500.

See Cry of the Orphan’s Foster Care Quick Facts here for more facts.
Many wonder how to help outside of adopting or becoming a foster care parent. Lawrence Bergeron in Journey to the Fatherless explains:

From my experience, one of the greatest problems that an adoptive or foster care family can face is isolation and the belief that no one in their local church cares for them or their situation. They often face great challenges when a child comes home with needs they have never faced before, when bills mount, things go wrong, and there is no one to turn to. It is paradoxical (although not surprising) that the families who can least afford financially to adopt often times do. The families that can well afford an adoption most often times do not (Christianson 2007). And yet both families can help each other. In doing so, the church is healthier and the Lord is glorified.

Bergeron continues by emphasizing that these families need a support system surrounding the child and family within the framework of the church.

Join us this month as we continue to pray for the workers, the families, the children, and the church. Click here for the prayer guide written by Cry of the Orphan. It gives direction on how to pray. In addition, ask the Lord how you can practically help a fatherless child today.

Originally posted on Barb's blog In the Midst . . .
 

Watu Wa Mungu. (The People of God)

 

Last fall I listened to a fellow colleague, Pastor Paul Schwarzkopf, share about an experience he had while working for The Peace Corps in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. As a young man his eyes were opened to a poverty that he had previously only read about. After being there for a few weeks he knew he had not seen the poorest of the poor. That all changed one day as his driver pulled up to a work site. Nearby, Paul saw a group that stood out amongst even the poor. There they stood barely clothed in rags. Their bones protruded through their rough skin. Their eyes told the story of weariness and little hope. As Paul looked on he asked his driver, “What do you call those people?” The driver replied, “Watu wa Mungu.” Paul thought to himself, “Watu wa Mungu means the people of God.” Paul took a second look and noticed some other people standing outside of a church building. Thinking his driver misunderstood him he said, “No, not the people by the church,” and pointing his finger said, “Those people.” The driver responded, “Yes, I understand. Those people are called watu wa Mungu.” At this point Paul was confused and asked, “Why are they called the people of God?” The driver replied, “Because only God cares for them.”

Watu wa Mungu. It has a nice ring to it. I, like my friend, would have been quick to point out the people at the church. Those are the people of God. After all, it is those that have received Christ as Savior and are spoken of as Sons of the Living God. Still, it seems that there are those that only God cares for. Who is it that hears the cry of the 143 million orphans in the world? Does anyone really notice the 16,000 children that die daily from hunger-related causes? What about the thousands that will not reach their fifth birthday because they do not have clean drinking water? Does anyone care for the millions of men, women, and children trapped in modern day slavery? Sure there are ministries that reach out, but by and large they go unnoticed in the world I live in. They are watu wa Mungu. Only God cares for them.

They are watu wa Mungu in another sense. They are the people of God not because they have been born again by the Spirit of God but because they are created in the image and likeness of God. The world around us is full of image-bearers of God. We encounter them daily. Some of them we choose not to see. Perhaps not noticing eases our pain and discomfort. Notice them or not, they are there and God sees them and cares for them.

The Scriptures tell us that God has a special affection for the destitute and most vulnerable among us. In Deuteronomy 10:18 we are told, "He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing.” He invites us to follow in His ways as He instructs us to, “Learn to do good; Seek justice, Reprove the ruthless, Defend the orphan, Plead for the widow” (Isaiah 1:17). Later He warns His people in Isaiah 10:1-2:

Woe to those who enact evil statutes

And to those who constantly record unjust decisions,

So as to deprive the needy of justice

And rob the poor of My people of their rights,

So that widows may be their spoil

And that they may plunder the orphans.

What do the most vulnerable among us need? They need the same thing all of us need. They need to hear and respond to the hope of the Gospel. The need to hear that Jesus came to preach good news to the poor and that He came to proclaimed freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed (Luke 4:18). They need to hear the words of John 3:16, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

While most Christians realize that people need to hear, receive, and experience the good news, sometimes, from our places of comfort, we overlook a particular disadvantage that many of “the least of these” have in hearing the Gospel. Lawrence Bergeron author of Journey to the Fatherless describes the situation. “For many of the vulnerable children around the world are short on love, hope, and dreams. Far from our view, they are short on health, clean water, medical care, and education, but mostly they are short on time. Many of them live an incredibly short life. These children warrant an all out search. They are precious to the Father.”

Bergeron is right. Rather than ignore them, they warrant an all out search. The watu wa Mungu are short on time. Do you see them? Do you hear their cry? Will you answer the call? Jesus said, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation” (Mark 16:15).

Forever Family

Here is a blog by some friends of the ministry, John and Mandy http://www.4everfamily5.blogspot.com/ 

Heart Gallery inspires families to adopt

Day One of “The Orphan Table Diet”

I had cornmeal mush for breakfast and a plate of rice and beans for lunch. It really isn’t all that bad. I am a little hungry since I am not snacking. What makes it more difficult is that today is Halloween, and we have Kid’s Club. I have already been offered treats more than once and I am sure it will continue. So I put a sign in the church kitchen reading, “Please don’t feed the pastor.”

Two thoughts have occurred to me. The first is: This diet would be easier if I didn’t have so many other options. Most orphans don’t have these same choices. Any food looks good when it is all you have. I am not complaining, just observing. My second thought is: With every option before Him, Jesus chose the more humble path. If there was ever a guy that had options, it was Jesus. In Philippians 2:5-7 we are told, “Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.”

Jesus could have chosen not to become a man. He could have been born of any family on earth, but was born into a poor family. Although He was God in the flesh, he chose to empty Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant. Ultimately, He chose to lay down His life on the cross.

Lord, give us strength to have the attitude that was in Christ Jesus.

Orphan Size Me

Perhaps you have seen the 2004 film “Super Size Me.” This documentary follows Morgan Spurlock through a 30-day period during which he eats only McDonald’s food in order to expose this lifestyle's drastic effects on his physical and psychological well-being. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone reviewed the film with the words, “I’m lovin’ it.”


We at CARE want to present a challenge we hope will get you to say, “I’m loving them.” From October 31st until Orphan Sunday, November 6th, Pastor Don will stand in solidarity with orphans around the world by eating the same simple meals they eat each day—cornmeal mush and water for breakfast and rice and beans for the other two meals.

We invite you to join Pastor Don his last day. Many people dine out after their worship service. On Orphan Sunday, November 6th, eat the same simple meal of rice and beans that many orphans will eat. Afterward, donate what you would have spent dining out to an adoption/orphan ministry. Of course, we’d love for you to donate to Christian Adoption Resources & Education for Hancock Co., IL, but this is not about us. It’s about caring for orphans. So if you would prefer to give elsewhere, there are several other adoption and orphan ministries listed on our website  http://carehancock.tk/. Drop us a note if you plan to stand with us to “defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. (Psalms 82:3) Let’s all say, “I’m loving them.”

Who will CARE for the next Steve Jobs?

What do the late Steve Jobs and Dave Thomas have in common?

In different ways, both men made substantial contributions to the world.

Both men were also adopted as infants.  Their lives, and perhaps our own, have been touched by the loving response of adoption.

We are pleased to announce the launch of a new ministry called CARE:  Christian Adoption Resources & Education for Hancock County, IL.

CARE is a non-denominational, not-for-profit organization. CARE exists for the purpose of educating potential adoptive parents, foster care parents, and the church in general about adoption and orphan care. Additionally, we will provide scholarships to qualified Christian adoptive parents living in Hancock County, IL. Click here to visit our website for more details on this ministry.

CARE's first event will be in Carthage during Christmas on the Square. Watch for details!

What can you do to help?

• Pray for the ministry
• Volunteer to serve
• Donate start-up funds for advertising and fundraising activities
• Donate toward scholarships through a one-time or monthly contribution
• Spread the word through facebook, email, twitter, and word of mouth

Will the child you support or adopt become the next Steve Jobs?  In most cases, no. But your support will provide a better opportunity for him/her to succeed.  More importantly, it gives God's children what we believe they deserve: Love, Nurture, and a Family they can call their own.

For more information, see our website by  clicking here or contact us at adoptioncare@gmail.com.