THANK YOU TIMBERLINE CHURCH!!!

One week after Orphan Sunday and the response we have had from our family at Timberline Church was beyond amazing!!!!

- Kristin Orphan and The Finally Home Band was able to lead Praise and Worship at all of our weekend services. They performed in concert Sunday night with over 500 people in attendance. The concert was a beautiful blend of music and stories about adoption, foster care and becoming a Child Appointed Special Advocate that caused people to move to action after the concert.

- Our partnership with Children's Hopechest and Son of God Orphanage in Haiti brought amazing support!! All 130 kids now have a sponsor!! We have a team of 23 people heading to Haiti to Son of God Orphanage in one month that will be led by Sean and Tiffany Cherry. You can be a part of covering this team in prayer. We will be posting a prayer request list and frequent updates while they are in Haiti. We feel strongly that these kids and staff at Son of God Orphanage are an extended part of our family.

-We had 28 tables host representing ways that people could get involved in the life of a child in 3 categories - Global, Local and Personal. Those tables were busy!!! I have never seen people linger after an event so long.

-Our kids were busy with Change This World food packing event for Haiti.

A love offering was taken for Welcome Child Ministry and totaled over $30,000.

THANK YOU TIMBERLINE CHURCH FAMILY - YOU ARE A BLESSING!!!!!

As a team we do not take this responsibility lightly - we are very grateful for your love and support and look forward to seeing this ministry grow in touching the lives of children in desperate situations and to provide support for families who are called to adopt them.

Thank you to Kristin Bleger, one of our storytellers at Timberline Church for taking these pictures!! You can view a larger version of these pictures on a slideshow at:

https://cid-a897ac96dc31da08.photos.live.com/play.aspx/Orphan%20sunday%20pictures?Bsrc=Photomail&Bpub=SDX.Photos

:)

Otter Cares blesses our Haiti trip!!

OtterBox is a locally owned company. http://www.otterbox.com/

They recently formed a Foundation, Otter Cares not only as a way to give back to their community, but to get their employees volunteering in the community.

Otter Cares is dedicated to educating and empowering youth towards positive growth.

Recently they gave each of their employees $200 and challenged them to grow that money and give it to a local charity.

Welcome Child and specifically the Son of God Orphanage - our partner in Haiti, was the recipient of a $3,285 donation from Otter Cares!!!
This money will go a long way in blessing the lives of the 126 children at Son of God Orphanage. Our team will be visiting the orphanage next month led by Sean and Tiffany Cherry, Welcome Child’s Global Orphan-Care leaders.

Thank you Otter Cares!! http://www.ottercares.org/

:)

On November 9th, the Coloradoan did a feature article on Otter Cares:

http://www.coloradoan.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=201011090330

You are Jesus' Hands and Feet

Psalms 68:5-6

A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation. God set the solitary in families: He brings out those who are bound into prosperity.

Every little boy or girl who sits alone, feeling rejected and abandoned by the world, deserves to know they have a Father in heaven who loves them....and that there are other people with skin on who love them too. God has passionate love for the fatherless of our world --- the people He calls widows, strangers, and orphans. Our involvement, our engagement in the lives of the fatherless can reap huge benefits in their lives. We are Jesus' hands and feet, and the world is waiting to see us in action. - Tom Davis, Fields of the Fatherless

The pictures of the above children are all waiting in CO for a family. Ask God how you can have an impact in the life of a child who is waiting for a family. :)

Reclaiming an Ancient Boundary

Ancient Boundary Marker - In ancient Israel boundary lines were sacred because all property was a gift from the Lord. There are also boundaries given to us in God's Word that are meant to be the lines that we live between.

Can boundary markers get moved without us even knowing it? I think so, as we do life the seemingly important things get pushed back to take care of immediate happenings at our work, in our home and even in our church.

Proverbs 22:28 Don't move a boundary marker set up by your ancestors.

Proverbs 23: 10 Don't move a boundary marker or take the land that belongs to orphans.

James 1:27 is a call to action, it states " Religion that pleases God the Father must be pure and spotless. You must help needy orphans and widows and not let this world make you evil."

God called His church to care for orphans in our community and around the world. To open our home, to provide food, to provide clothes and to extend the same love to them that we have received from our Heavenly Father.

What steps can we as the body of Christ do to reclaim these ancient boundaries in our community?

-Develop a relationship with your local Children's Services Department

Ask them how your church can help. Then follow quickly with action.

It might be: clothing, food drive, school supplies, etc. Whatever it is be ready to respond.

- Advocate for the need of foster, adoptive and respite providers in your church.

Facilitate an information night where your county workers can meet face to face with interested families.

Provide support services for those families who say "yes" to becoming adoptive and foster parents.

Be present, patient and consistent within your support in your county.

I don't believe God intended for government to care and provide for orphans. When Dr. Sharen Ford spoke at our National Foster Care Month Event this year she made this comment, "The Government makes a lousy parent. Children are meant to be raised by a family. Their birth family or another family when their birth family can't. The Government isn't family."

The Government was never meant to be a parent. When parents were not available for whatever reason to care for their children, the church was to step in and provide that care.

The children in our counties foster care system are the churches responsibility.

In James 1:27 I believe God was establishing a boundary in which we are to follow. It will look different for each person. But, we must be diligent and prayerful about asking God where we fit in this picture and then follow with obedience.

In caring for orphans around the world, churches can partner with an organization that helps churches sponsor orphans individually or sponsor an entire orphanage.

Children's Hopechest - http://www.hopechest.org/

Lifesong for Orphans - http://www.lifesongfororphans.org/

Being in the middle of God's will and being obedient brings joy and peace not only into your life, but those that God is calling you to advocate for. :)

DARE YOU TO MOVE!!!

Dare You To Move - 30 sec spot from Richard Flores on Vimeo.

Andrew is waiting for a family!

I noticed that Andrew was listed as waiting for a family in January of this year - that is too long!!! Spread the word to your family and friends about this young man. Having a family would change Andrew's life forever. No more wondering if and/or when he would hear that he has a family. No more wondering where he will be this time next year. No more wondering who will go to his concerts, his sporting events and his school conferences. A family brings hope! :)

Andrew is in the 7th grade. He was born in July 1996.

Here is a brief profile about this young man:

Andrew is a young man who is extremely loyal to his peers and makes friends easily. A curious and creative person, he is understanding with others and emotionally mature. Reading is one of his favorite activities, especially Anime books. He also enjoys writing poetry and he is able to articulate his thoughts well. Goals for the future include becoming a Navy Seal! In the seventh grade, Andrew is very bright and has good reading comprehension. An IEP (Individualized Education Plan) is in place for him. He participates in counseling, which will need to continue after placement. Andrew's caseworker will consider all family types for him. He will need to remain in contact with his grandmother and his sisters. A family who can offer structure, clear expectations, good follow-through, encouragement, love and support would be perfect. Financial assistance may be available for adoption-related services.

If you would like more information contact The Adoption Exchange at: 303-755-4756

What's in a Name?

An Orphan is a child that has been deprived of one or usually both parents or of some protection or advantage. Or, another definition is: A child that is deprived of the benefits of parenting by death or disappearance of, abandonment or desertion by, separation or loss from, one or usually both parents. One child welfare expert recently defined an orphan as a child with no functioning parents.

Everyone, Listen, even you foreign nations across the sea. The LORD chose me and gave me a name before I was born. Isaiah 49:1

Each and every orphan matters to God. He knows each one of them by name.

What's in a name anyway? No matter how we feel about our name, it was given to us and it is something we respond to when our name is spoken. A name means you are someone - your name matters. A couple of years ago I was in line to get hot chocolate at our local coffee shop and the gal asked what my name was so that she could put it on my cup. I told her my name and that it didn't matter how she spelled it, it would come out the same. The man standing in line behind me said "Your name and your spelling matter - it is important. It is who you are." While I thought he might have went a little overboard at the time, I smiled and shrugged my shoulders. I have never forgotten that moment. Our names do matter and so do the names of every orphan. You can imagine the names that they are called on the streets, I am sure that it is hurtful. God knows each of their names and I believe that He wants us to know them too.

I want to encourage you to commit to praying for orphans. Find one orphan that you can commit to praying for during the month of November.

Here are a couple of websites I would encourage you to visit.

Reeces Rainbow - http://reecesrainbow.org/

Project 1.27 - Portraits of Hope - http://project127.com/?page_id=2440

AAC Adoption and Family Network -
http://www.aacadoption.com/adoption/waiting_children.aspx

Your prayers will make a difference in the life of the child God is calling you to pray for. :)