A Heart for Orphans

Right now, my friend Kelly is back in Ukraine finalizing Maria's adoption.  They hope to return to the US on Saturday!  

Psalm 68:5-6 "A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in His holy habitation.  God sets the solitary in families....."

Why should we care about orphans?  Because God cares about orphans!  He desires for orphans to have families......  But many times those families are not willing to open their homes.

There are many ways to help the countless number of orphans both in America and throughout the world.  For orphans in our country, there is a great need for both foster families and adoptive families.  Sometimes the process is overwhelming and too long and that could scare some families away.  The unknown- not knowing what trauma the children could have and how that will affect your family- causes some to not pursue foster care or adoption.

Many orphans in other countries face a dim future.  I shared some statistics regarding orphans in Ukraine in a previous blog post.  I'm sure in other countries the statistics are the same, and even worse.  The paperwork and the cost prevents many people from foreign adoption.  

If God calls you to foster or adopt, you need to do it, regardless of how much it costs or how hard the process is.  But God does not call everyone to foster or adopt!  So what else can you do to help orphans?

PRAY:  For God to open and prepare the hearts of those who He wants to foster or adopt.... 

GIVE:  Whether it's so that someone can host a child to see if they are a match for an adoption or for the costs associated with a private domestic or a foreign adoption, consider giving sacrificially so that a child can have a home.  Sometimes we don't think we have any extra.....But most times we do- we can give up eating out or Starbucks coffee for a month to make a donation......

GO:  Yes, you can go on a mission trip to serve orphans, but you can also go to your church or community to raise awareness and funds for foster care and adoption!  

I have had the privilege to talk to and meet many people over the past year who have a heart for orphans, both through our hosting experiences last winter and this summer and through our foster/adoption classes the past few months.  I so appreciate all of those people, but I also know that we need more!  So, consider what you might be able to do for orphans....  

(If anyone has an questions about foster care or adoption, or orphan hosting or adoption, feel free to ask and I'll answer as best as I can!)