Life in the midst of death | Mapalo Blessings

Mapalo (Blessings)A note from Dru, Lifesong missionary in Zambia, Africa...

Dedicated in loving memory of Mapalo (Blessings) Mukange (1 April 2004 – 23 March 2009)

Malaria struck in full force the last two months. We’ve taken as many as 14 in one day to the clinic; it is often fatal, as it was in the case of 4-year-old Mapalo. I thought of Ramah crying for her children as I drove Mapalo’s aunt and father home from the hospital the day he died; the entire half-hour trip was accompanied by loud wailing and crying, which only got louder as they were joined by friends and family when we arrived in the compound.

I cried silent tears as I watched the neighbors carry furniture into the yard to make room in the house for the mourners. It is a daily occurrence in the compound, where death prevails; all too often, it is the children who die. Our security guard, Nicodemus, had 9 children; five died in infancy.

How do we celebrate life in the midst of so much death?

I found the answer at the cemetery, when I attended Mapalo’s funeral. This was my first time to attend a funeral in Zambia; I have usually made excuses to avoid them. The cemetery was as busy as an American shopping center the day after Thanksgiving—burials every direction I looked and the roads lined with cars, buses, and large trucks used to transport mourners. After the service, we walked to the area where children are buried. We had to wind our way through mounds scattered throughout, many with no markers; the cemetery is near capacity.

A man dug the shallow grave while we looked on, the wooden coffin we bought was laid inside, and the grave filled. The women patted the dirt with their hands, and a man uprooted a nearby cassava plant and stuck it in the dirt. This plant will wither and “die” but will later revive and form a large bush to shade Mapalo’s grave.

I found this a very poignant reminder that we must die to our old life in order to be reborn into our new life in Christ. The Zambians use this as a symbol of life after death. Mapalo may have left us, but he is enjoying life with Jesus in eternity. This is what we celebrate even as we grieve our losses on earth. We know that our Redeemer lives, and because He lives, we too will live again in a new body that will not suffer or die!

Hope and Healing | the Connected Child

Dr. Purvis has been nothing less than an answer to prayer for many adoptive and foster parents. Her ground-breaking insights and tools have helped countless adoptive and foster parents understand how to better connect with their children in order to help them experience the hope and healing they need.

As the Director of the Institute of Child Development at Texas Christian Universty, Dr. Purvis and her colleague, Dr. David Cross, have been working for over 10 years to develop research-based approaches focused on helping “children from hard places.” This work has focused almost exclusively on adopted and foster childen. The trust-based relational parenting model that resulted from their researh, camps and in-home trainings is thoroughly explained and illustrated in their book, The Connected Child.

Many local church adoption and foster care ministries across the country have welcomed and embraced her approach to parenting.

The Tapestry website has a great collection of articles, audio, and video recordings for adoptive families an church adoption/foster ministries to benefit from.

Watch this presentation by Dr. Karyn Purvis at the 2007 Tapestry Adoption & Foster Care Conference at Irving Bible Church in November 2007. In this presentation she challenges adoptive and foster parents to seek out and take advantage of the resources and support available to them in order to help their children experience the hope and healing they need.

What is That in Your Hand? - Dr. Karyn Purvis from Tapestry on Vimeo.

Don't Miss Dr. Purvis' fantastic breakout sessions at the upcoming Summit V in Dallas on April 30th & May 1st

Giving Voice to the Orphan (Dr. Karyn Purvis)— ALL
Every child needs a voice. Discovering how we can give voice to the orphan is a vital aspect of defending the fatherless and living out God’s heart for the orphan. This unique session will explore practical ways you can do this in the context of adoption, foster care and orphan care.

Children from Hard Places: What Everyone Needs to Know (Dr. Karyn Purvis) ADOPTION/ FOSTER CARE Many children involved in adoption and foster care come from “hard places.” As churches seek to intentionally serve these children and their families, it is critical that they understand their unique needs and how best to meet them. This session will offer an insightful overview of what every church ministry must know to serve these children well.

A Story that Never Grows Old...

Mark and Aditi’s story began when an amazing chain of events was set in motion following her first mission trip to an orphanage in Mexico. While there, Aditi felt a call by God to adopt. After Mark and Aditi were made aware of three young orphans in Guatemala (sisters in need of a home) - they were told they would probably not meet the two criteria required to adopt these particular girls. Because the sisters were not to be split up, the orphanage specified that prospective parents must be bilingual and have no other children. Surprisingly, Aditi and Mark met both requirements and nearly immediately were qualified and approved for the adoption.

Two miracles of the heart were taking place simultaneously. God placed an unquenchable longing to adopt three girls deep in the heart of this couple. They had a dream of becoming a family to three sisters, seemingly forgotten in a Guatemalan orphanage.

They faced mounting costs and unpredictable obstacles. But nothing could have prepared them for what they witnessed during the adoption process as they experienced God’s promises to orphans—in action. Promises to help them and to rescue them.

During the adoption process, Aditi and Mark experienced financial challenges towards completing this adoption - “It was tough...but we never lost hope. Each time we encountered financial problems, God provided help”

After two and a half years, and feelings of doubt and frustration the Guatemalan embassy gave final approval - “Those little girls were saved for us,” shared Aditi. “It’s like we were a family the whole time.”

Although the amount of time it took to complete the adoption process was unusually long, Aditi and Mark look back and are convinced that God was using the time to strengthen their faith. As their marriage was tested, they became more prayerful. They received personal encouragement from people all over the world. People they never met were praying for them and they felt it. Aditi added, “We know this was a miracle and we are so thankful for our girls. We can see that God was always in control and He used our story to show His glory.”

The James Fund and Lifesong for Orphans partnered together to help bring Griselda, Gabriela and Beatriz home through Adoption Matching Grants.

No better time than now!

Many churches are experiencing the joy and blessing that comes from reaching out to love and serve children in foster care.

Watch this video from the Tapestry Adoption/Foster ministry, that illustrates some of the many ways to serve children in foster care...

and then consider how you and others in your church can get involved. There is no better time than now.

No Better Time Than Now from Tapestry on Vimeo.

Your involvement in the lives of children in foster care can make an eternal difference. This short video highlights the many ways you can love and serve kids in foster care. There is no better time than now to start making a difference.

(excerpted from the DFW Alliance Blog)

Meet Bob | India Vision Team

Bob joking around and talking with children @ Jyothi Nivas home

Meet Bob.

Bob was a vulnerable child during the first 2 years of his life...

then fostered by a Christian family in central IL, brought to church regularly...

shortly afterwards, God moved in another couple's hearts (from the same church) to adopt Bob and his brother - that was over 50 years ago!

Bob now runs a successful commercial construction company and prayed for several years how he could "give back" to the orphans, adoption, and vulnerable children...

It was an answer to my prayers, when Lifesong for Orphans asked me to become an Orphan Advocate and Vision Team member. It enabled me to give financially, and also my time, gifts, and abilities in a meaningful way...

- Bob Hoerr, CEO of PJ Hoerr, Inc., and Lifesong Vision Team member

What if no one stepped up to the plate to foster Bob?

What if no one stepped up to adopt Bob?

What an awesome picture of the CHURCH (ordinary people obeying God's heart for the fatherless)!

Isn't it fun to see Bob's life LIVED ON PURPOSE by advocating for children!?

Bob cutting ribbon to newly built Computer Lab

Video of Bob using his construction skills to help with Transition Home projects:

Bob's thoughts on SmartGiving with Lifesong