Yesterday was Orphan Sunday....seems like every year, Orphan Sunday is just ground-breaking. We launched our orphan care ministry, Hearts of Compassion back in 2009...last Orphan Sunday, we were in China...holding our Alice for the very first time. As our church family was celebrating Orphan Sunday, we were holding our daughter who was an orphan no more!!! This year, was a time to look back at the 2 years since the ministry began and proclaim his faithfulness...to see and tell all of the wonderful things God has done in us and in the lives of those around us. To our knowledge, there had been no new adoptions or any active orphan care since 2003. Since Hearts of Compassion's start in Nov 2009, we have had 4 children come home through international and domestic adoption. We have 2 families in process (one international, one domestic). One family is now fostering, and one family is almost done with their training to do Respite Care through DHR. God has moved and He is continuing to stir hearts...we hear about it from different people all of the time. We also had the pleasure of having Dave Wood, from Lifeline Children's Services in Birmingham, AL, come and bring the Word on Sunday...he did a wonderful job challenging our congregation to pray about how God would have them 'care for the orphan'. Lastly, we recognized the first 2 families to receive funds from our ministry....what a special day!!!! Cannot wait to see what next Orphan Sunday holds!!!
Guangdong Time
Jennifer, I believe your adoption ministry has reached much farther than your local church. Without your advocating and encouragement I would have never made that first call.
ReplyDeleteI would have continued to believe adoption an impossibility for me. I am thankful that God has allowed me to make a small difference.