Family Friday: John & Meredith

Time for another Family Friday feature!

Let me introduce to you John and Meredith, 2nd-time adoptive parents from China.  They returned home this spring after their adoption of little Sam.

Please listen in as the share some of the joys, struggles and excitement of God's gift of adoption!

This was our second SN adoption from China within two years. We would have been unable to afford this adoption without the grant we received from Lifesong (& Jeeah's Hope Adoption Fund). Because we were familiar with China adoptions, this experience was very simple and smooth--but of course not fast! We had a wonderful experience with our agency as well as our adoption process.

Lifesong was so helpful and worked with us every step of the way. We so appreciate that Lifesong helped us to walk this path.

One major 'God-thing' through our process was that Sam was a child with special needs--a heart baby. He was born with an ASD. When we brought him home and had his heart checked by the cardiologist, God had healed him!!

Family Friday: Eric & Samantha

I couldn't help but share this sweet & creative thank you note we received from Eric & Samantha. We feel blessed to partner with them in their adoption funding.  Please join them in prayer as they continue on their journey to adopt from Lesotha.

He said to the Israelites, “In the future when your descendants ask their parents, ‘What do these stones mean?’ tell them, ‘Israel crossed the Jordan on dry ground...He did this so that all the peoples of the earth might know that the hand of the LORD is powerful and so that you might always fear the LORD your God.”   Joshua 4:21, 24

I’ve always been interested by Standing Stones, monuments made out of precariously balanced, random rocks. In Scripture, a pile of standing stones is often created to commemorate something great that God has done, like when Israel passed through the Jordan River or when Jacob wrestled with God.  Through the process of our adoption, God is doing something spectacular, worth remembering for years to come. In honor of you and others who have given so generously to help bring two orphans into our family, we have created our own remembrance. This is the beginning of a new family quilt. Each leaf is labeled with the name of each person who has walked with us, whether in a big way or small. Your name is on this quilt and we thank God for your love and generosity. We have been blessed to add you onto our quilt, our pile of standing stones.  

-Eric & Samantha

Orphan Sunday 2011

Orphan Sunday is JUST around the corner! As we talk with families and churches across the US we are thrilled to hear how God is orchestrating all kinds of events to raise awareness and advocate for the fatherless around the world!

How can YOU be a part of this growing movement and give voice to the voiceless? Kim Smith at Calvary Church shares how they were involved last year,

We did a prayer vigil the Friday night before Orphan Sunday followed with deserts & coffee where we had tables displayed with ways to take care of orphans & foster children . At the prayer vigil we had guest speakers for each segment: foster care, orphan care, and adoption, followed with a special prayer. We also had a special musician from our church who played adoption & orphan songs. 

One of our special speakers was from Malawi, Africa who shared about his work with orphans. It was a great night!

Need more ideas?

Host a prayer group. Teach a Sunday school lesson. Encourage your pastor to preach about orphans. Host a gathering or lecture at your college campus. Take part in a Both Hands project. Serve Gobena Coffee at your church. Launch an adoption fund or Adopt an Orphanage program at your church.  Orphan Sunday Partnership Packages are provided online for more ideas and help on how to utilize resources provided by orphan care ministries throughout the country.

We can't wait to hear how hearts are moved to action in your community!

Making the Most of your Adoption Fund, Part 2

Gain some perspective from children who have experienced adoption first-hand in this great video from Church of the Saviour in Wayne, Pennsylvania:

  

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In January of this year the Horton family applied to Lifesong for financial assistance in the adoption of their daughter from China.  Sadly, at that time Lifesong was unable to help the family financially but did offer fundraising support to them.  

Recently, Lifesong received a phone call from Jeeah's Hope, an adoption/orphan care ministry in Columbus, GA saying that they had heard about the family and wanted to help out. They gave a substantial matching grant to the Horton family which will help them raise significant funds towards their adoption.  

Why are we excited and thanking the Lord?  For various reasons - it is great to see a family helped and a child moving closer to home and it is encouraging to see the family of God reaching out to make a difference.  The biggest reason we are praising the Lord is for the Kingdom minded, big picture heart example given by the Jeeah's Hope ministry.  The Horton's do not attend a Jeeah's Hope church, they don't even live in the same state, yet the ministry saw a need, recognized that the resources available to them were the Lord's and reached out to give, care and bring change and hope.  How beautiful is that!  

We want to encourage you all to praise the Lord for who He is and how He works. 

Making the Most of Your Adoption Fund

One of the great blessings in serving adoption funds around the country is the occasional opportunity we get to learn about what the Lord is doing in and through the various ministries. We'd like to share one such encouraging conversation that recently took place with Patrick McCrory who serves at Kingsland Baptist Church in Katy, TX.  He tells us...

God is doing amazing things through Kingsland, and I am in awe of how many families are stepping out in faith to adopt children. We are also participating in orphan care in several countries. It is safe to say that as a church, we are ALL IN!  But...we can only do so much.

Last fall, several passionate people came together from Houston to dream big...really BIG! Out of those conversations and a lot of prayer, Alliance 14:18 was formed. The Alliance is a network of 22 evangelical church ministries that exist to:

• be a LOUD voice for those who have no voice
• share resources and ideas
• effectively minister to orphans in Houston and around the world
• pool our resources to meet needs
• be a blessing to the foster care system
• be the answer to needs when placing children in homes

Ultimately, God has charged His church with the care of orphans, and we see the Alliance as the key to gaining back the ground that we gave away decades ago.

It is a privilege to be on this journey with you, and I am excited to see how the name of Jesus will be made more famous through the love you give to children who need a forever family."

We want to encourage you that it is not the size of your fund or church that influences your ministry to children in need.  Dream BIG and remember that our God is bigger than any need and that HE is able to do so much more than we can ask or imagine. Let's be encouraged by what Patrick has shared with us and be challenged to greater heights for God's glory!

 - Rich Metcalfe, Lifesong for Orphans