AFFORDING ADOPTION - guest blogger

Affording Adoption in a Tough Economy
By Johnston Moore

It is no secret that the United States and most of the rest of the world are experiencing difficult times economically. Unemployment is rising, layoffs are increasing, people are taking salary cuts, spending freezes are in effect, people are cutting back wherever they can, and even doing without when necessary.

Of course, the Christian community has also been hit by economic woes, and many of our brothers and sisters are putting things on hold until times are more stable. What will this mean for those whom God is calling to adopt? Given the cost of private domestic and international adoptions, how can people afford to adopt through these channels in such tough economic times?

We asked our friends at three outstanding organizations that provide financial help for adoptive families to weigh in on the issue. With their help we’ve come up with three important steps people can take in affording adoption in these times: trust, ask, and be creative.

Trust
It is so important to never lose sight of the fact that God is in charge and that we can trust Him, regardless of what our bank statements and paychecks say.

“First and foremost – God is still Jehovah-Jireh (the Lord Provides),” says Andy Lehman of Lifesong for Orphans (LifesongForOrphans.org), which helps couples adopt through matching funds, interest free loans, and by helping churches start adoption funds. “If God calls you to adopt, be confident He will provide the financial means to adopt while still following Biblical guidelines for handling money.”

Many Christians are indeed putting their faith in God and moving forward with adoption plans in spite of the economy, though they seem to be looking for more outside help in financing their adoptions. “We are seeing a significant increase in the number of adoption assistance applications each month since the fall of 2008,” says Scott Hasenbalg of Show Hope (ShowHope.org), which helps Christians adopt through grants and by helping churches start adoption funds. “From my perspective, the good news is that people are putting their faith in God, not in the economy.…I am thrilled to see believers not letting finances stand in the way of their adoptions.”

Ask
Though times are difficult, funds are still available through grants and interest-free loans. Adoptive couples should continue to apply for these funds through some of the wonderful ministries that have them, regardless of the tightening economy.

Wendy Cosby of Show Hope says that it is important to encourage believers to help fund adoptions. “What better thing can you continue to give to during the hard times than helping an orphan to be placed in a loving, Christian home….something that has eternal implications.”

Andy is confident the body of Christ will rise to the occasion and help those called to adopt, even in lean times. “Many are giving generously and sacrificially to help fund adoption grants, matching grants, interest-free loans, and provide seed money for Church Adoption Funds.”

In addition to applying for funds from existing organizations, do not be shy to ask others for help. It is not unusual to receive letters requesting financial support for missionaries. Adopting a child is a missional act, and we should not hesitate to ask others to share the cost with us.

Be Creative
Scott says that the difficult economic times have led people to think a little more outside the box in figuring out how to fund their adoptions. “We are seeing more creativity from individuals who are reaching out to their community of friends and family, from traditional yard and bake sales to sending baby bottles to friends and asking them to fill them with coins or dollar bills.”

Other creative ways to help fund your adoption might include:


· A fund-raising dinner in your church

· A benefit concert

· A raffle

The truth is that if God is calling you to adopt, as Andy said, He will provide the means for you to afford it. The key is to trust, ask, and be creative, and you will be amazed to see what God does.

Jason Kovacs, of the ABBA Fund (AbbaFund.org), which helps adoptive parents through interest-free loans and by assisting churches in starting adoption funds, sees a great opportunity to witness to the world of God’s provision and priorities. “I think we are living in an economic time when the world will say it is unwise to attempt to adopt because it costs so much. From God's perspective, this is the perfect time for Him to show that He is mighty and able to provide for His people. Many folks get this and are stepping out in faith. And many of their friends and family and churches are not listening to the world and are coming alongside and helping with donations and support. We can praise God for that.”

An Amazing Accomplishment!!!

Today the Southern Baptist Convention (the largest protestant denomination) passed the resolution below (presented by Dr. Russell Moore) on adoption and orphan care! This has huge potential for the sake of the fatherless! Pray that an adoption culture will take root and spread in the churches represented by the SBC. I can’t wait to see what God has in store!

“On Adoption and Orphan Care”

WHEREAS, in the gospel we have received the “Spirit of adoption” whereby we are no longer spiritual orphans but are now beloved children of God and joint heirs with Christ
(John 14:18; Rom. 8:12-25; Gal. 3:27-4:9; Eph. 1:5); and

WHEREAS, the God we now know as our Father reveals himself as a “father of the fatherless” (Ps. 68:5) who grants mercy to orphans (Deut. 10:18; Hos. 14:3); and

WHEREAS, our Lord Jesus welcomes the little ones (Luke 18:15-17), pleads for the lives of the innocent (Ps. 72:12-14), and shows us that we will be held accountable for our response to “the least of these my brethren” (Matt. 25:40); and

WHEREAS, the Scripture defines “pure and undefiled religion” as “to visit orphans and widows in their trouble” (Jas. 1:27); and

WHEREAS, the satanic powers have warred against infants and children from Pharaoh to Moloch to Herod and, now, through the horrors of a divorce culture, an abortion industry, and the global plagues of disease, starvation, and warfare; and

WHEREAS, Southern Baptists have articulated an unequivocal commitment to the sanctity of all human life, born and unborn; and

WHEREAS, a denomination of churches defined by the Great Commission must be concerned for the evangelism of children—including those who have no parents; and

WHEREAS, upward of 150 million orphans now languish without families in orphanages, group homes, and placement systems in North America and around the world; and

WHEREAS, our Father loves all of these children, and a great multitude of them will never otherwise hear the gospel of Jesus Christ; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, June 23-24, 2009, express our commitment as a denomination of churches to join our Father in seeking mercy for orphans; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we call on each Southern Baptist family to pray for guidance as to whether God is calling them to adopt or foster a child or children; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we encourage our pastors and church leaders to preach and teach on God’s concern for orphans; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we commend churches and ministries that are equipping families to provide financial and other resources to those called to adopt, through grants, matching funds, or loans; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we ask our International Mission Board and North American Mission Board to prioritize the evangelism of and ministry to orphans around the world, and to seek out ways to energize Southern Baptists behind this mission; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we encourage Southern Baptist churches to join with other evangelical Christians in recognizing November 8, 2009, as “Orphan Sunday,” focusing that day on our adoption in Christ and our common burden for the orphans of the world; and be it further

RESOLVED, that we hope what God is doing in creating an adoption culture in so many churches and families can point us to a gospel oneness that is defined not by “the flesh” racial, economic, or cultural sameness but by the Spirit unity and peace in Christ Jesus; and be it finally

RESOLVED, that we pray for an outpouring of God’s Spirit on Southern Baptist congregations so that our churches increasingly will announce and picture, in word and in deed, that “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world.”

SBC messengers enthusiastically support Moore’s resolution on adoption
by Jeff Robinson on June 25th, 2009
in News
Messengers at the 2009 annual meeting of The Southern Baptist Convention in Louisville on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed a resolution proposed by Russell D. Moore promoting adoption and orphan care.

The resolution encouraged every Southern Baptist family to pray about whether God wants them to adopt or provide foster care for a child or children. It also called on Southern Baptist and other evangelical churches to devote a Sunday each year to emphasize “our adoption in Christ and our common burden for the orphans of the world.”

Moore, who serves as senior vice president for academic administration and dean of the School of Theology at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, knows well of which he proposed; Moore and his wife Maria adopted two sons from a Russian orphanage a few years ago.

Moore hopes the resolution will provoke deep thinking that leads to action among Southern Baptists regarding the Gospel significance of adoption and orphan care; all who are saved by God’s grace were once orphans who were adopted into the Kingdom of Christ.

The number of adoptions among evangelicals has steadily increased in recent years, yet the need is profound: in the United States alone, more than 500,000 children were in foster care system in 2005, the last year for which federal statistics were available. About 115,000 were waiting for adoption.

“Something is afoot among Christian families and churches of virtually every kind,” Moore said. “God is calling the people of Christ to see the face of Jesus in the faces of orphans in North America and around the world. Southern Baptists have affirmed our belief in the authority of Scripture, and the Bible tells us pure religion is defined by care for the fatherless.

“We’ve been defined by our commitment to evangelism, and there is no greater field as `white unto harvest’ right now as children in orphanages, group homes, and the foster care system, children who don’t know a parent’s love and who don’t know the name of Jesus. When Satan wars against children, we should be the ones who have compassion on them, even as Jesus did and does.

Moore authored a deeply personal and compellingly theological book on adoption that was published in May by Crossway books, “Adopted for Life: The Priority of Adoption for Christian Families & Churches.” In it, Moore argues that the church should view the adoption of orphans as a crucial part of its mission precisely because God has adopted helpless sinners to be His sons.

“The resolution by itself isn’t going to spark an orphan care movement among Southern Baptists,” he said. “Neither is my book, and neither are a thousand manifestoes. Only the Holy Spirit can do that as local churches start to embrace a vision for orphan care.

“The resolution though was meant to prompt some questions. If one messenger in the Convention hall is moved to simply pray, ‘Lord, how would you have me minister to orphans?’ then the resolution is a success, in my view. If one pastor is prompted to ponder how he could preach on adoption, or lead a foster care ministry among his folks, then the work is starting.

During the introduction of the resolution, Moore appeared on stage with Timothy and Benjamin, the sons he and his wife adopted seven years ago. More than 8,000 messengers met the resolution and its unanimous passage with lengthy, enthusiastic applause.

“I was overwhelmed with emotion on the platform to see my sons, two little ex-orphans, looking out on a sea of yellow ballots as thousands of Southern Baptists affirmed that we want to be the people who love fatherless children,” he said.

“I realized that, in an alternative story, my boys would still be in an orphanage, not knowing even the name of Christ Jesus. But here they are, at the Southern Baptist Convention, calling by their very presence the world’s largest Protestant denomination to recognize there are hundreds of thousands of children as helpless and alone as they once were.

“My prayer is that twenty years from now there are thousands of Southern Baptist pastors, missionaries, and church leaders who started their lives as orphans, now preaching the gospel of God their Father.”

I CAME TO YOU AS AN ORPHAN

I came to you in a time of great need.
You had no place for me.
I came to spend time with you, so that you might know me better
and you were too busy for me.

I came to you as an orphan child in need of love
and you could not be bothered.
What I saw was the real condition of your heart.
I saw that you were unwilling to sacrifice anything of true cost.
You value your comfort above all
and your faith consists of what you can see.
How I long for you to truly trust me.

Time and time again I cry out to you in the guise of someone in need.
Over and over you pray me that you want to know me better.
I present you with the opportunity and you do not recognize me.
Oh, how I long for you to truly understand who I really am.

I am the orphan,
I am the widow,
I am the person you walk by and refuse to look at.
I am the hungry, the oppressed, the sick and the homeless.
It isn't that I can't live without you - it is you that can't live without me.
They exist so that you will know me.
Your response to the need is a reflection of your heart.

Loving God is first, but loving others as you love yourself is next.
Are you willing to love the orphan as you love your own child?
Are you willing to care for others as you would yourself?
Until you understand this, you will always long to know me in a deeper way.
You will never understand joy, until you understand the need.

Bittersweet day

Today I was watching our little Ukrainian visitor, V, play with my 7yo daughter, Lauren. They were playing in the sprinkler and the blow up pool in our back yard. Both of the children were having a blast - laughing so hard.

As I watched them I began to chuckle and then laugh, and then my laughter turned to tears as I thought about V's future. One child, was an orphan and one child is still an orphan. I tell my kids all the time that life isn't fair - but it me today how much it really isn't.

I know deep down that God loves V as much as he loves Lauren. He wants no less for him than what He wants for her....Tonight V asked to stay up for 5 more minutes to read the Russian Bible that was a gift to my girls. He smiled, kissed the book and began to read. I am not sure what he read but I picked the story that had pictures of children around Jesus. I said that I love Jesus and he smiled and said he did too.

I want so much for this little boy to find a family that will help him to grow up to be the Godly man that God wants him to be. But what can I do? There are so many people that are unwilling to step out in faith to help the children that God loves. The cost - too high, the trip - too long, too....... the list goes on. I love the quote that Tom Davis uses in his book RED LETTERS: Living A Faith That Bleeds. "Sometimes I get discouraged when I think of the magnitude of need in our world and then see how many Christ-followers remain stuck to their chairs. I am heartbroken when I hear the ROARING SILENCE of a church unwilling to speak up for the voiceless masses."

It is a great book and I would highly recommend it. A sad statement about the church. Another observation I have made in the past few years is that it is the people that have the least that are willing to spend the most to help others. Most of my families that I have helped to adopt have an income in the range of $40-75,000. There have been some with higher incomes, but without a doubt the majority have little to spare but are willing. What does that say about us?

So - my point was that today was bittersweet. I had the opportunity to bring joy and laughter to one of the children that God claims as his, watching a former Ukrainian orphan play with present-day Ukrainian orphan. They both laughed and had a great time. Next month, the former orphan will still be tucked in bed by me - but who will listen to the present-day orphan read his bible? Tuck him in to bed, teach him about Jesus?

Please God - let someone....

Very Beautiful Story: Saved - Nikolas's Story

http://www.irvingbible.org/fileadmin/ibc/ministries/community_care/tapestry/resources/Save_By_Adoption.pdf

Please take the time to read this beautiful story about adoption and "saving" a child.

Quote from Fields of the Fatherless

"God gave us the responsibility to care for the defenseless to those claiming to be followers of Christ. It is through our hands the Father's love comes, it is through our voices His voice is heard, it is through our efforts and those of the church that His care is revealed to the ones the rest of the world has forgotten."

C Thomas Davis, Fields of the Fatherless

A few things the Bible says about Orphans...

Psalm 68:5-6a “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families…” (NIV)

Psalm 10:14, 17-18 “But you do see the trouble and grief they cause. You take note of it and punish them. The helpless put their trust in you. You are the defender of orphans LORD, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will listen to their cries and comfort them. You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so people can no longer terrify them.”
Proverbs 23:10-11 “Don't steal the land of defenseless orphans by moving the ancient boundary markers, for their Redeemer is strong. He himself will bring their charges against you.”

Deuteronomy 10:17-19 “For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality and accepts no bribes. He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing. He shows love to the foreigners living among you and gives them food and clothing. And you are to love those who are aliens for you yourselves were aliens in Egypt." (NIV)

Isaiah 1:16-17 “Wash yourselves and be clean! Let me no longer see your evil deeds. Give up your wicked ways. Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the orphan. Fight for the rights of widows.”

James 1:27 “Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us.”

Job 29:12-16 "Whoever heard me spoke well of me, and those who saw me commended me,
because I rescued the poor who cried for help, and the fatherless who had none to assist him.
The man who was dying blessed me; I made the widow's heart sing. I put on righteousness as my clothing; justice was my robe and my turban. I was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. I was a father to the needy; I took up the case of the stranger."

Adopted Children of the Bible
Moses (Ex 2:10), Samuel (1 Samuel 2:1), Esther (Esther 2:7), Jesus (Matt 1)

Quote by Dennis Rainey on Adoption and the Great Commission

“We have been blessed with so much, yet too often we squander these blessings on our personal pursuits without a thought that God gives us these things to use for his Kingdom. Yet I believe the adoption of orphans is one of the greatest opportunities today for fulfilling the Great Commission. When children are received into families where they are introduced to the Savior, and grow up in a secure and loving environment, they are positioned to meet and experience the living God in a tangible way.” — Dennis Rainey, president and cofounder of FamilyLife


“Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean; remove the evil of your deeds from My sight. Cease to do evil, learn to do good; seek justice, reprove the ruthless, defend the orphan, plead for the widow.” — Isaiah 1:16-17

Excerpt from Christian Parenting Today interview with Steven Curtis Chapman

CPT: How can families discern if adoption is right for them?

Steven: If you've had the thought, there's only one person who would put that in your mind—the Father to the fatherless. Just having the idea indicates God's inviting you to something. Perhaps it's an invitation to support adoptive families waiting for grant money to adopt; perhaps it's more.

Every time I've brought this to God, I've said, "This doesn't make sense. I don't want to make a mistake. I don't want to do this for selfish reasons." It was as though I heard God chuckle and say, Do you really think this idea is from Satan - to adopt an orphan and bring her into a Christian home? When you look at it that way, even when adoption doesn't make common sense, it makes spiritual sense.

This is what God's called us to. He doesn't necessarily call everyone to international adoption, but I believe everyone's invited to care for orphans and widows. I know from our experience that when we accept that invitation, God blesses it.

After we adopted Shaoey, if anyone had asked me if we'd adopt again, I would have said, "No, this is it." But one Sunday at church, God knocked me on my rear. Our good friends have four biological children and four adopted, and have gone through some hard times with these kids. That particular Sunday morning, they were having their three youngest children dedicated, including a child they'd just adopted from China. I knew all the tough times they'd already been through, and here they'd gone and adopted another child! As this family stood before the congregation and the pastor talked about how faithful they had been, God clearly showed me this was a picture of his family. He told me, If you want to be part of what I do, this is it.
It was as though the Father had put his arm around me and said, "I want us to do something together. It's going to be hard, and if I have to, I'll carry you, but it's going to be awesome." I left church that day knowing that our family would keep growing. And we wouldn't change that for the world.

For the full interview with Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman: http://www.christianitytoday.com/momsense/2004/winter/1.26.html?start=1

Passionate about Orphans

Recently, I was told that my passion for the fatherless had bowled someone over. While it was not meant exactly as a compliment – I am choosing to take it as one. After mulling over those words I came home and looked up the definition of passion :

Function: noun
Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin passion-, passio suffering, being acted upon, from Latin pati to suffer — more at patient
1often capitalized a: the sufferings of Christ between the night of the Last Supper and his death b: an oratorio based on a gospel narrative of the Passion 2obsolete : suffering3: the state or capacity of being acted on by external agents or forces4 a (1): emotion (2)plural : the emotions as distinguished from reason b: intense, driving, or overmastering feeling or conviction c: an outbreak of anger5 a: ardent affection : love b: a strong liking or desire for or devotion to some activity, object, or concept c: an object of desire or deep interest

synonyms passion, fervor, ardor, enthusiasm, zeal mean intense emotion compelling action. passion applies to an emotion that is deeply stirring or ungovernable . fervor implies a warm and steady emotion . ardor suggests warm and excited feeling likely to be fitful or short-lived . enthusiasm applies to lively or eager interest in or admiration for a proposal, cause, or activity . zeal implies energetic and unflagging pursuit of an aim or devotion to a cause .

In reading this I was amazed to see that the definition of passion was linked to what Jesus went through for us (Passion of the Christ). I am in no way saying that my passion is equal or even comparable to that of Jesus – but that passion mattered to Jesus or He would not have done what he did for us.

Yes, I am passionate. I have an intense, driving feeling about orphans and adoption. I am enthusiastic about sharing the Biblical perspective on adoption, and I am zealous about sharing the orphan’s plight. I am unapologetically passionate, enthusiastic and zealous for children that have no one to love them, care for them, shape them and give them the security that every child deserves and most take for granted.

Several years ago in doing spiritual gifts tests, I have also discovered my strongest spiritual gift is compassion – which broken down is to bear (com) and one’s suffering (passion) or to have a deep awareness of the suffering of another coupled with the wish to relieve it.. In a Bible summary on the definition of compassion it shared that God’s character embodied compassion and defines it as the kind of compassion that is not just about talk and feelings but is full of action. I pray that is the kind of compassion that people see in me – that the children I champion see.

Is my passion always mature? No – I recognize that I am sometimes over-zealous, over-enthusiastic, and too passionate about what I do. That is something that I have to put in God’s hands daily – but it scares me as to how apathetic so many Christians are to the fatherless. Recently a family shared that when talking to their leadership team at their church about their desire to adopt – that one of the pastors cautioned them that it was a demonic interruption in God’s plan for their ministry. I don’t remember seeing God using the terminology “demonic interruption” anywhere in the Bible to describe orphans, adoption, children or caring for the needy. In fact, I remember Jesus did the opposite – he told the disciples to bring the children to him after they tried to send them away. Jesus made time to minister to the children and he blessed them.

In conclusion, I am proud to admit to being passionate about orphans and adoption. I believe that passion has helped 90+ children come in to loving Christian families, and I pray that more will follow. I personally view that passion as a God-given gift. Once in a small group of women, we wrote down questions as an ice breaker and the question I wrote is, “What you are passionate about?”. The lady that got my question commented that she was content where she was and she wasn’t really “passionate” about anything. I feel sorry for her – I think that our passion is linked to our ministry and to the very reason that God created us. My prayer is that all would find that passion within and do what God purposed it for.