“God
showed up. In a hug. In a smile. In a handshake. In the presence and lives of
some of the most gracious people I had ever encountered.”
Feel what it’s like to go on an Orphan Care PEACE Trip in this amazing mini documentary from one of this summer’s Saddleback PEACE teams created by Chris Hartwell. Get a taste of what it’s like to help train families and lay social workers in local churches in Rwanda, and sit in the home of Rwandan families who have adopted with the support of sponsorship.
You will see the families that Saddleback Orphan Sponsorship helped. Sponsorship helped the Rwanda church do what the church is called to do. In this video you will see the faces of families with children rescued from the orphanage who now have a home. We are grateful to those who have given to Rwanda Orphan Sponsorship for making a difference in the Rwanda church, the Rwanda family and the life of a child forever.
CLICK HERE TO WATCH
If you are interested in becoming a sponsor and helping children leave the orphanage in Rwanda, visit www.saddleback.com/sponsorship. If you would like more information on how you can go on a Rwanda Orphan Care PEACE Trip, email orphans@saddleback.com or call 949-609-8555.
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Perhaps, like me,
you’ve been tempted to worry for your children that adoption will affect them,
especially in the long run. When I am tempted to fear this is my prayer:
If something in them is ruined, may it be
apathy. If they are disrupted, may it be for the plight of the orphan and the
widow, the sick and the lonely, the refugee and the homeless. If this does, in
fact, create baggage down the road, may they experience the peace that comes in
unloading their burdens on the only One who can fully bear the weight. If they
are uncomfortable, may they embrace the presence of the Spirit, our Comforter.
If they are ever questioned or teased for the differences in their family, may
the Spirit strengthen them in every way, and may the experience increase their
compassion and empathy. In this Land of Opportunity, may they take every
opportunity to show the mercy that they have been shown. I’m not advocating for
a life riddled with uncertainty and inconsistency for our children. They need
safe rhythms and security, and one of our primary roles is to protect them. But
as we do, may we protect them from a life anesthetized by comforts that blind
them to the needs of others. We are called to love and to live sacrificially.
May we help them see there is a story bigger than their own. As we teach our
children that Christ has done the monumental work of saving the world, may we
never forget to show them how He invites us to join in the incremental work of
loving our neighbor, even when it means disruption. Obedience leads ultimately
to joy and freedom. He turns disruption into a gift.
Originally posted as The Gift of Disruption by Katy Rose Oct 20, 2015 on
Kristen Welch’s blog wearethatfamily.com If you would like information on how to begin your adoption or foster care journey, email us at orphans@saddleback.com or call the Orphan Care Initiative at 949-609-8555.
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Fall has arrived, kids are back in school, and it's a great time to get connected, learn, and gain the tools to help your family and other families! Whether you are new to orphan care, or have been around a long time - there is a spot for you to grow and learn! Gain some new insight to help your kiddos, or to serve vulnerable children locally and globally. We hope to see you at one of these great opportunities:
Orphan
Care Skills Training – Oct. 24 from 9am-1pm in the upstairs Refinery classroom
Learn how to end the
orphan care crisis by helping children remain in families, reunite with
families or regain a family through adoption can only be done through healthy
churches helping launch healthy families. You’ll learn an overview of the
practical advanced skills that you can use in your own family and give away to
a church. Learn the skills churches need in parenting children from hard places
using Trust Based Relational Interventions, Adult Attachment and Trauma
Informed Care.
Adoption/Foster
Care Support Group – Meets Tuesdays 11am-1pm, starts Oct. 27
Join other parents as
we listen, learn, and grow together. This season's Adoptive and Foster Family
Support Group meets on Tuesdays from 11am to 1pm in the upstairs Refinery
classroom on the Lake Forest Saddleback Church campus, starting October 27. The
support group will be studying from the DVD curriculum The Connection: Where Hearts Meet written by Dr. Karyn Purvis and
Elizabeth Styffe. Unfortunately, no childcare is available.
Questions? Email
orphans@saddleback.com or call the orphan care line at 949-609-8555!
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“If one family out of every four churches in the U.S. would
adopt a child, there would be no more orphans in the United States.”
Elizabeth Styffe, Director of the Orphan Care Initiative at
Saddleback Church, recently spoke with Ruth Bell Olsson, from Bethany Christian Services during their "Every Child" podcast, about the orphan crisis facing our world today and how the global
Church can be equipped to end this crisis by learning about God’s heart for the
orphan.
“Not every believer needs to adopt, but every believer needs
to say, ‘What can I do to end the orphan crisis?’” Elizabeth says that the
Church is the only entity that cares for people from cradle to grave and that
God has called each of us to care for the orphan: “Every night, including
tonight, children are going to bed praying what my children say they prayed.
Every night they prayed for a mom and dad…It’s not overly dramatic, it’s not
overly emotional, this is real as it gets. This is reality.”
The local church can end the orphan crisis by helping
children remain in family, reunite with family, or regain a family of their own
through adoption. Elizabeth notes, “This is about doing for a child physically
what God has done for us spiritually.”
Listen to the full podcast here.
If you are interested in becoming involved with the Orphan Care Initiative, email orphans@saddleback.com or call 949-609-8555.
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When Amerita learned from her local church that there were children in her community who needed loving families, she took a step of faith and made the courageous decision to adopt 13-year-old Felix from the orphanage. One year later, Felix now enjoys life as a much-loved son and spends his days playing with his three siblings - Claude (also age 13), Diane (10), and Fifi (8). Amerita is excited to share via video all she has been able to do to care for her growing family through the generosity of her local church and Orphan Care Sponsorship.
WATCH THIS VIDEO to hear how sponsorship has impacted her family and her ability to care for her new son. “GETTING TO ZERO” UPDATES - Orphan Care PEACE Teams have been helping raise up adoptive families and train lay social workers in Rwanda all summer! You and your family can go to Rwanda to be apart of the amazing transformation God is doing – email orphans@saddleback.comfor more information.
- Two new churches in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital city, have taken an important first step in receiving training on God’s Heart for the Orphan and starting Orphan Care ministries.
To begin sponsoring a family like Amerita's, visit Saddleback.com/Sponsorship.
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