Several weeks ago, we were approached by a lady in my mom’s church
(her name is Julie) who had felt that God had laid us on her heart. Jonathan
and I had met her once before so we knew that she is an adoptive mother herself
and has a strong desire to help orphans. She has had an interest for quite some
time to begin an Orphan Ministry at her church, similar to Chosen at our
church. This process is now underway, as she is working with the church
leadership at Highland Church of Christ in Robinson, IL (where my mom serves as
the Children’s Minister).
She wanted to talk with Jonathan and I about the possibility of Highland
partnering with us to assist with fundraising for our adoption. In an effort to
jumpstart their ministry, she would like to help Jonathan and I, which will
allow the church to have a tangible way to be the Hands and Feet of Jesus. As
with all orphan ministries, her desire is to help individuals to see that they
do not have to adopt themselves to be a part of the solution to the orphan
crisis.
So, we are currently in the process of planning an event for late June
that will serve to kick off the orphan ministry at Highland and also introduce
Jonathan and I to individuals of the congregation. We will get to share our
adoption journey thus far and our heart for the orphan with these people! We
are so excited!
The primary fundraising will be through an organization that Julie has
partnered with called “147 Million Orphans.” This company was founded by two
adoptive mothers who had a desire to be part of the solution for the orphan
crisis. They sell merchandise – where proceeds from every purchase help a child
in need (food, water, and medicine) AND they partner with families who are
adopting – where purchases made through a unique web link help to offset the
costs of the adoption.
Nearly all merchandise features the phrase “147 million orphans,”
which is the current statistic for the number of orphans worldwide. When you
wear this merchandise, it is hoped to spark conversation about the orphan
crisis. It can be used as an educational tool to those around us who have no
idea about this staggering statistic. But, what we love even more is that many
of the items also say something like “Love 1” or “Feed 1.” This helps to remind
us that even though the numbers can be overwhelming, we are all capable of
doing something to help at least one! Whether that means you buy a shirt to
help provide food, medicine, and clean water - you participate in missions
trips to love on them - you provide respite care for foster families - you
support an orphanage financially - or you go and bring one home – no matter
what, we can ALL do something to help!
In fact, to help is not an option, as scripture tells us: “Religion
that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after
orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by
the world.” James 1:27
So, we feel truly blessed to be a part of this process for Highland.
It is exciting to be able to help them jumpstart their own orphan ministry, to
help get information out there about the orphan crisis, and the financial
assistance (of course) will be much appreciated, as well! We cannot wait to see
what God has in store for everyone involved in this outreach.
We would like to invite you to participate in this new fundraising
adventure, as well! Here is our special web link:
Any purchases that you
make by following this link (they MUST be made through this web link) will be
tax deductible and a portion of your sale will be sent to our agency to offset
a portion of our remaining adoption fees.
Thank you, ahead of
time, for your willingness to spread the word and to help Jonathan and I bring
our child home!
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