Orphan Sunday Event

This Sunday, November 7, 2010, is Orphan Sunday - a day set aside to bring awareness to churches, communities and individuals of the plight of orphans. It is a day to encourage people to care for the fatherless.

In an effort to do this in our area, an Orphan Sunday event is being held in Des Moines this Sunday. Here are the details:

Location: Faith Lutheran Church 10395 University Ave. Clive, Iowa 50325

Date: Orphan Sunday November 7, 2010 1:00-3:00

Contact: Carla Tripp, About A Child carla@aboutachild.org.

Guest Speakers, Adoption Professionals & Adoptive Parents Available to address YOUR questions!

The event will have professionals and/or materials from local organizations such as Iowa Foster & Adoptive Parents Association, Iowa Association of Adoption Agencies, Iowa Kids Net and other agencies/organizations to promote foster/adoption in our community. There will also be a parent and professional panel to answer questions. (Jason and I are part of the parent panel.)

Foster and adoptive families, families considering foster/adoption globally and locally as well as supporters and adoption advocates are encouraged to attend. Come listen to knowledgeable guest speakers (Jake Sullivan will be a speaker) and visit with several local organizations and agency representatives with materials available for those interested in learning more about adoption/foster care. Come and celebrate permanency in the life of a child!! All are welcome to this free event.

Some Numbers

The United Nations reports that the number of orphans around the world waiting for help is more than 140 million. Every 14 seconds a child loses a parent due to AIDS. Every day, almost 16,000 children die of hunger. That’s 12 million every year.
These statistics can be paralyzing. So overwhelming that it seems useless to even try to do anything. I've been there. I still feel it. Even while we are in the process to adopt three orphans these numbers feel staggering.

While it can seem that just adopting one or two (or three if you are really crazy!) doesn't make much difference, when you adopt an orphan, that means that there is ONE . . . or TWO . . . or THREE . . . LESS ORPHANS IN THE WORLD.

That is a HUGE difference!

This past Sunday we got to hang out with four families, three of whom have adopted.

Out of the 15 kids, SEVEN of them were adopted. Six had been international orphans (the seventh was Abram): One from Ghana, two from Liberia, two from Haiti and one from Ukraine. How awesome to see SIX LESS ORPHANS in one backyard!
God is on the move at our church, moving in people's hearts to care for orphans. As of today, there are SEVEN families from Cornerstone who are adopting orphans from one country in Africa! Five of those families are adopting TWO kids, one weird family is adopting THREE and I'm not sure if the seventh family (who just mailed in their application today!) is adopting one or two. That is 14 or 15 orphans who are about to be orphans no longer. There are also two other families we know of who are planning to or strongly considering starting the process.
I am absolutely in awe of what God is doing! Of course it does not begin to skim the surface of 140 million orphans. But, what if more families adopt? What if this kind of movement happens in more churches/communities?

Did you know that if 8 percent of people who profess to be Christians adopted, there would be no more orphans?
I'm not trying to take care of 140 million orphans here. I'm just trying to make a point that adopting one or two or three orphans makes a HUGE difference. You are changing the life of a child. A child who is fatherless, lonely, in distress and doesn't belong to anyone. Can you imagine not belonging to anyone?
I have read that while there are many things we can do to support orphans (send money for food, clothes, medicine, etc.), the only way to end the orphan crisis is to give orphans a FOREVER FAMILY. A family to belong to.

What is keeping you from considering adoption? You know I have to ask! I am praying that God continues to lead more and more and more families to give an orphan . . . or two . . . or three a forever family.

Abram Update

I think I'm overdue for an Abram update . . . especially now that he is 18 months old.A couple weeks ago my dad, Kate and I took the kids to an apple orchard/pumpkin patch in Jefferson. Very low key - we loved it. Abram was in heaven getting to ride behind a big tractor on the hay ride. And he wouldn't let go of his apple cider slushy!

He is all boy and into anything with wheels that moves.

In our front yard . . .

Time to do it again! He loves to sit on the kitchen chairs like this and dangle his legs back and forth.

More sliding.

Three of Abram's favorites: his digger book, his toothbrush and his daddy!