The Forgotten Initiative: Advocate Highlight

My journey to becoming a Forgotten Initiative Advocate has been full of uncertainty, setbacks, and answered prayers.  Every time I look back on the events of my life, I feel as if God has been leading me here all along. 

He opened my eyes to the orphan crisis while I was still in High School.  I knew very early in my Christian life that He was calling me to care for these forgotten children.  Originally, I was bound and determined to move to Africa and work in one of the orphanages there.  After meeting my husband, Ryan, we both felt that God was telling us that Africa was not His plan for our lives.  He had something for us here, in our own backyard, but we had no idea what it was.

We knew that adoption was in our future, but had decided that we would have biological children before adopting any others.  God had other plans.  Shortly after we were married in 2009, we suffered two grueling miscarriages.  In our despair, He gave us a verse that will forever shape our lives, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but one day you will understand.” John 13.7.  After months of prayer, God spoke loud and clear that His plan was for us to adopt and not wait.  He changed our hearts and showed us that adoption is not a plan B, but that our adopted child will be exactly the child that He designed for our family.  Nine months later, we brought home a beautiful baby girl through adoption. 

Since then, God has continued to open my eyes and show me the immense need for foster and adoptive parents in our community.  As my heart grew for these children, I found myself wanting to do something more.  We felt the pull of our hearts towards foster care.  The more I learned about the foster care community and its brokenness, the less I was able to sit still and do nothing.  I wanted desperately to help, but had no idea how just one person could tackle the huge needs of the foster care community. I stumbled across The Forgotten Initiative on a friend’s blog post one day and realized that this was exactly what God had been preparing my heart for all of these years.

Anna Shumpert:  Forgotten Advocate – Columbia, South Carolina

To get involved in Columbia, SC, email Anna at tfi.columbia@gmail.com and “Like” Anna’s Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/tfi.columbia to stay up to date on local needs!

Interested in starting The Forgotten Initiative in your area?  To learn more about becoming a Forgotten Advocate, please email info@theforgotteninitiative.org

Mission's Night

You couldn't take one step without seeing a child at Mission's Night, hosted by the Apostolic Christian Church in Bloomington, IL. It was a dynamic evening full of different ministries that this congregation has been supporting.  It was their desire to highlight these ministries and have them connect to their church body in a family friendly way presenting the importance of serving in the Kingdom and how they as families can get involved.

The Lifesong for Orphans "Experience"...

Handprint Wall - showing the 2300 children Lifesong has help bring into families through adoption financial assistance. 

Africa before Lifesong...

Africa after Lifesong...

The Forgotten Initiative

It was so great to connect with the youth and impact their minds and hearts of the importance of working with God for His Kingdom!

Praying Daily for our Children!

I love this prayer calendar which give us focus and direction in praying for our children. Join us in prayer for children all over the world!

National Foster Care Prayer Vigil

Many kids in foster care feel like they don't have a prayer...let's change that.

2010 National Foster Care Prayer Vigil
May 16-23, 2010

The National Foster Care Prayer Vigil is calling followers of Christ together across the country during the week of May 16-23 to cry out to God on behalf of children and youth in our nation's foster care system, their families, their workers, and the church as it responds to the needs of those involved in the foster care system. 

A prayer vigil can take on many forms. It can be a formal, church-wide event, or it can be an informal gathering with your family after dinner. In fact, the possibilities are endless. A prayer vigil can be:

Part of a regular Bible study group in your home Part of a regular Community Group meeting Part of a Sunday School class A Prayer walk through your city A gathering of friends at a park, or the beach A lunchtime gathering with co-workers Whatever and wherever you want it to be Are you ready to COMMIT to praying? Click here.

The important thing is not what the vigil looks like or how well it's planned, but rather that

believers come together to pray for those in need.

Is God calling you to be the voice for your city? See the map for a listing of vigils already scheduled.  See the links to the left to learn how you can become equipped to add your city to the map.

Gather together.  Pray for the kids.  Watch God work.

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