Adoption Ministry

When I applied for the WCIC class I went into not knowing why exactly I was feeling called to the class.  Our family life is fairly busy and complicated with two preschoolers and work.  I knew taking off on a mission trip for three weeks wasn't something I could do at this stage of life.  I knew in my heart my children are my current mission, E had only been with us six months and an interuption to the bonding was not something I could put him through.  But I went with the feeling that I was suppose to be in this class and signed up.

Now four months later I think I know why I am in this class.  We have been reading Just Courage and I can say I am a restless Christian.  I knew there was something I was suppose to be doing but couldn't see what it was.  The last month has been hard for me, I enjoy what we are reading but had found my words were gone.  No matter how hard I tried I just couldn't put words down on paper or blog.  I feel the Lord was telling me to be quiet and listen.   I now have a feeling that my part of the WCIC triangle is in adoption/orphan ministry.  I feel that Christ is calling Christians to stand up and take the children out of the supply equation by bringing them into loving, Christian homes.

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

In my Bible reading I have been jumping around a lot, I was struggling reading from beginning to end.  After a prayer class I took with Pastor Kevin he really convinced me it's ok to jump around.  It has made it easier for me to keep up with my reading.  One night I decided to read the book of James before going to sleep.  Immediately after reading I felt that I needed to get going on educating myself in the area of adoption ministry.  I had been looking at websites and had saved some books to my list on Amazon.  I got out of bed and ordered the books and now I can't wait for them to arrive so I can add them to my daily reading. 

Last weekend I was at the church bazzar and ran into a mom that had traveled to China right after I got home with E to get her little girl.  We had both used the same agencies but neither of us knew the other at church, it is a very large church so that is understandable.  As we talked we found out we both wanted an adoption ministry in our church and had been looking into how to get one started.  I had asked our ministry leader at WCIC the week before if the church had an orphan ministry and she said that someone had attempted before but couldn't get it to take off.  Over the week I had been thinking and researching more and everything I found said you can't do it alone, it is too big for one person.  After running into C at the bazzar I knew I was heading down the path he had planned for me.  My heart is very much into Chinese children however I need to network with others that had hearts for other programs.  C has been on mission trips to other developing countries and now she is looking into adopting from Ethiopia.  I felt that God was putting us together for a reason.

Once things settle down a little with the holidays C and I will be getting together and putting some ideas in place to present to the ministry pastors at church.  Neither of us are sure where this is going but we are both ready to find out.  Adoption has been the biggest blessing in our lives and I know it will change other families if they are supported through the process.

Women and Children in Crisis update

It has been quite some time since I last posted about my WCIC class.  We have read many books, listened to many speakers, watched many videos and have become a family.  I am enjoying getting to know my classmates, the staff and most importantly the heart of Jesus. 

There has been a great deal of fundraising going over the past couple of month, four of the ladies have spent a many hours together sewing up a storm for a bazzar that was held last weekend at church.  A house has been painted, a couple of yardsales have been done and coffee is sold on Sundays during service.  The mission trip had been planned for the end of December or early January but plans have changed due to lack of funds.  It is a really hard time right now to fundraise and the group has hit a snag or maybe we were pushing something that wasn't in the Lords timimg.  His timing is so much more important than ours, he knows so much that we can only begin to imagine.  When it is his time he will tell them to order those tickets, pack their bags and hang onto their hearts. 

If you would like to make a tax deductible donation to the mission team please let me know.  They appreciate all of your thoughts and prayers as they continue on the journey.  Although the trip has been delayed the preparation has not been.  As Alice or maybe it was Bill said, "petal to the metal" on the fundraising.  No time to take a break, we have to keep pushing ahead.

Blessings to all!