Stand Up

Won't you stand up and raise your voice?
Inspired by this song that was shared with me recently. Watch it. :)

Sugarland- "Stand Up"

I want to start a fire... one that's contagious. On behalf of the orphans in our world. Love them, serve them, pray for them. Stand up and raise your voice for them!

Retirees choosing to adopt

I wanted to share this story because I think it's a beautiful picture of the Kingdom being lived out. NBC nightly news recently published a story about a growing trend of retirees deciding to adopt teens that are about to age out of the foster system. I have a growing heart for children in foster care. I think because we don't really have traditional institutions, or orphanages, in the United States, many people are not aware we do have orphans. They are in family care situations, in the foster care system. Some children are waiting to be reunited with their parents, but many are not able to return and don't have a home or a family. And when they hit 18, they age out of the system. Left with few life skills, no money, and no support network, many end up homeless or worse.
That is why I love this story. Those retiring taking in a 17 year old. Watch to view one such story: http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/52051170#52051170

This young man is graduating high school, surrounded by a family. He has a home. He is loved.
It makes me think of the church. We as the church, bringing into the fold, into our families, those who don't have anyone. We see their value. We invite them to be part of our family. This is the Kingdom!

We may not have much to give, but we have love.

Orphan Awareness and Adoption FIRST Meeting!

Hello all,

Been a while, but wanted to share that I'm really excited because tonight is the first Orphan Awareness and Adoption Meeting at Hosanna! (7pm, room 14 if you want to come!).

I have no idea how many will come, but I'm so excited to meet whoever does come. My heart is so full with God's heart for the Fatherless and I want to meet others with a similar heart. And all of us together can be on this journey where God invites us to participate in what HE is doing to care for orphans!

Tonight I'll share how a year ago, God stirred my heart through the testimony of Katie Davis. And then a few months ago, God gave me a dream with the words See, Ask, Do which has become the vision for what this ministry will do. My prayer and hope and mission is that people in this church community would See God's heart for the fatherless and the need of the orphans both locally and globally. And that this would cause them to Ask the question, "God, what are you calling me to do to care for the orphan?" This is the biggest part- asking the question. And listening for God's answer. And then, to not be still, but to DO what He's called us to do. My desire is that we as a community would come alongside and support individuals in walking out their call... be that fostering or hosting with Safe Families, or adoption, or loving on a family who is adoption, or supporting a child or children's home overseas, or praying... we all have a part to play. I'm excited to ask God as a community what He wants to do through us!

And... I'm leading a Visiting Orphans trip to Ecuador in early 2014 with Hosanna! I get to lead with a wonderful woman of God, Valerie. God laid this trip on her heart and Ecuador specifically before she even knew where we were going. God is so awesome! And I kept feeling resistant to leading, feeling like I didn't have a heart for Ecuador, and not sure I was supposed to go. But God kept leading me right back into the middle of it and finally I realized I just needed to surrender and obey. And I feel such peace in that decision. We'll be sharing this trip with those who come tonight.

Please be praying for the group tonight and for my leadership. I feel so unworthy to be in this position. And in some ways like I don't know what I'm doing. But it's a place where I'm dependent on the Lord. I gave a devotion in the Student Ministries Guatemala meeting last week about asking God for more than you can handle. It's a concept I was pondering a year ago through Katie Davis's writing and preparing for Africa. I feel like I'm in a position of more than I can handle, but God is with me and in HIM, I can handle it. I need Him. We need Him. This is HIS heart, HIS ministry, HIS timing, HIS people. It's all about HIM!

a story worth reading

Please read this. You will be challenged and blessed. Voices 4 the voiceless is an awesome ministry that supports a baby home very close to my heart- Sangaalo. They just returned from a trip to Uganda and this is one of their testimonies from the trip. I resonated with much of this from my trip. I pray you will be challenged and changed by this. http://voices4thevoiceless.blogspot.com/2013/03/in-words-of-richard.html

Imbabazi

The second orphanage we went to in Rwanda was Imbabazi. It's an American run orphanage in Gigali, Rwanda which is on the west side near the Congo. It was started by a woman named Rosamond Carr at the age of 86. She spent much of her life in Rwanda living on a working flower plantation (where the orphanage is). She was forced to leave Rwanda during the genocide but returned when she was able. Upon returning, she noticed children around the area who were now orphans... and so Imbabazi began. Imbabazi means “a place where you will receive all the love and care a mother would give.” 

We arrived there and first thing first, we needed to use the restroom. This was our first official squattie-potty experience. Then we had lunch which was beans and Posho which is a corn-flour that you cook with water to a porridge. It was like mashed potatoes consistency. This was the same that the children/teens eat each day. 

Next we were blessed to tour the flower plantation with the teens. It's a beautiful place. And we saw Rosamond's grave.

Some of the girls. It took a while for them to warm up, but once they did they wouldn't stop talking and showing off.

Next was taking us on a walk through the fields... holding hands the whole walk. I loved that about Rwanda... you'd be sweating and still they would not drop your hand. Such a desire for touch and love.

After walking the field, a group of us girls sat making friendship bracelets while others played soccer. This is Rose, who was my buddy. The girls sang with us the entire time... they loved Rhianna and Bieber and contemporary music from the states. How far it travels. Ha! 

She made one for herself and one for me.

We ended the time with the boys jumping the log and doing tricks as they went. It was a great day. And this place was unique in that all the children were teens. I am so glad they have each other. And yet, we saw so little of their day to day life... what they eat, what they do.
Jesus I lift up these teens to you today... 7 months after I met them- Lord be their God, their Father, their guide. Prepare good things for their future and lead them into deep relationship with you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

New things

So yet again, it has been a long time since I've posted but I wanted to share some exciting new things God has been doing.

Continually orphans have been on my heart... since last April and since my trip in August. It is a very common occurrence that I even dream about orphans and African babies. I have been so blessed to get connected with Hope Grafted In (www.hopegraftedin.org) and stay in contact as well with Damalie from Sangaalo Babies in Uganda.

Earlier this month, I got an amazing opportunity. I am now the Orphan Awareness Advocate for Kingdom Justice at Hosanna! I met with Jen, the Justice Champion, and she's been such an encouragement to me in learning more about orphan care. Within Kingdom Justice, there's people leading ministry in sex-trafficking and slavery, adoption, safe families, prayer, and the Ethiopia and India programs. But there hasn't been anyone to head up orphan awareness. Earlier this year, I was not yet ready to undertake this, but at this point, I've been looking for more to get involved in and it was the right timing and fit.

I have to say, I am SO EXCITED about this! Since accepting, I have been dreaming and praying about what orphan ministry can be here. It's the ground floor and so there's freedom to dream and wonder at what could be. Thinking about others rising up alongside me for this cause so close to my heart gets me so excited! Hopefully, we'll be having a few trips in the next year or so to visit orphans. I would have the chance to lead a group of people from the church to visit orphanages and witness them catch the vision. To see children, to hug them and hold your hand, it changes you. You are never the same and your heart is captured. You see God's heart in a whole new way. You catch the fire. And then to come back here with that fire... AMAZING!!

Also, we just became members of Christian Alliance for Orphans. This is an awesome network of organizations, churches, individuals- all with the goal to "inspire, equip and connect Christians to reflect God’s heart in caring for orphans in adoption, foster care and global orphan care initiatives." It's such a neat resource. They put on a Summit conference each year, and I have the opportunity to go in May! I'm hoping others from here can go with me and we will learn more about starting an orphan ministry and the world of orphan care.

Please be praying for me as I walk forward in this new role. My greatest desire is that this would continue to be God's thing. It's not my plans or dreams, but God's plans and dreams. I want only to be used to convey it. I want to be open to God's leading, the people he brings alongside me, and to continually have growing passion for God's heart for the fatherless.