Free to Live Tour - Helping Children Living in Poverty

Desperation Band, Meredith Andrews, and Tom Davis are the headliners on the Free to Live Tour, sponsored by Children's HopeChest, a ministry dedicated to helping children living in poverty escape sexual slavery and exploitation.  Find dates, cities, and ticket information here.

Benefit Concert & Silent Auction to Benefit Ukrainian Orphans

Faraway Place, a ministry that helps Ukrainian youths who "age out" of  Ukrainian orphanages, is sponsoring a benefit concert and silent auction on Friday, May 6 at First Baptist Altamonte Springs.  Visit their site for more information.

Moju Project: Selling Merchandise to Benefit Orphans

My name is Jessica Smith and I am the cofounder of MojuProject.com.
The Moju Project is a website where we sell t-shirts and other merchandise that save lives. Since our site launch in 2008 we have provided over 17,000 meals to orphans in Africa and have currently formed a new partnership to also shine a light on the subject of human trafficking.


Our heart is to be a voice for social injustices and to allow a way for people to make an easy and tangible difference just by the purchases that they make. We believe that we can truly change the world by changing the way we shop! By simply making the decision to use our buying power to make a difference we could easily see hundreds of thousands if not millions of lives being saved!


I may sound like an incredible optimist and idealist but just check out this fact:
Last year Threadless.com, a popular online t-shirt store, made over $30 million dollars in sales and generated $10 million dollars in profits- and that is just from the sales of t-shirts online…I can’t help but think what that kind of buying power could lend itself to if people started focusing on shopping that “gives back”!


As passionate lovers of Jesus our desire is take care of the orphans & widows, loose the chains of injustice, bring hope, restoration and healing to those who need it most, to unite the Church and to make the name of Jesus famous throughout the earth! We believe that Moju Project is a platform where we can help make this happen!


We believe with all of our hearts that Moju Project is a vision from the Lord and we are humbled that He has entrusted us with this.

jessica@mojuproject.com

Fundraiser for South Asian Children Living in Poverty

- 3,000,000 children in South Asia under 5 years old die each year due to illness and malnutrition. -

David Argabright began a cross country bicycle trip on March 12 from San Diego, CA to St. Augustine, FL in order to raise sponsorship funds and awareness for children living in poverty in South Asia. He is partnering with Compassion 575, a ministry of the Church of the Nazarene, in this endeavor.

The money raised will go towards sponsoring a child in a CDC (Child Development Center). Child Development Centers meet the physical, spiritual, & educational needs of the children.

You can follow his bike ride & read more information about Compassion 575 at his website: http://www.compassion575.com/index.php
He will also be updating his blog (http://nazareneblogs.org/davidargabright/ ) along the way as well.

South Africa, the World Cup, and Orphaned Children

Children's HopeChest will be sponsoring a Vision Trip to South Africa for pastors and community leaders who are interested in sponsoring a care point there.  Follow this link for more information about this opportunity-  http://www.hopechest.org/join-our-south-africa-ministry/.

Also, Tom Davis, president of Children's HopeChest is currently in South Africa for the World Cup and is blogging about social justice issues impacting orphans.  He has developed a "Beyond the Game" Devotional that can be downloaded.  This devotional explores unreported facets of the World Cup that impacts children and orphans. 
http://blog.beliefnet.com/redletters/

Date Set for Christian Alliance For Orphans Summit VII

Save the Date...

SUMMIT VII

May 12-13, 2011

Southeast Christian Church

Louisville, KY

If you missed Summit VI, recordings are available online 

A Mother's Love Fundraiser

A Mother's Love, a ministry dedicated to helping China's orphans, is holding their annual fundraiser on May 14 in Winter Springs, FL.  Some of A Mother's Love projects include building playgrounds for orphanages, funding surgeries, and providing scholarships in order that orphaned children may attend school.   

If you would like to attend the fundraiser please RSVP beforehand.  If you would like more information about A Mother's Love, China's orphans, or if you cannot attend the fundraiser and would like to make a donation, please contact Jeff or Debbie Knipe at jdknipe@aol.com. 

20 Ways to Become an Adoption Friendly Church or Synagogue

By Paul Golden of Adoption Today Magazine, April 2010. 

While most faith groups commonly praise adoption, most American churches and synagogues do not have a single family that adopted a child during the past year. Faith assemblies can and should play a crucial role in encouraging members to “look after orphans in their distress” (James 1:27). Here are some specific ideas on how to become an adoption-friendly church or synagogue:

1. Pray that you and your ministry will become adoption-friendly. Pray that potential couples
will be sensitive to adopting. Pray that the assembly as a whole steps up its involvement
in assisting couples who adopt.
 
2. Preach key passages on caring for orphans and spiritual adoption. Passages like James
1:26-27 remind us that pure and faultless religion emphasizes care for those who are
least able to care for themselves. Since God cares for us in our affliction, we should care
for orphans in theirs.

3. Invite guest speakers to raise awareness of adoption needs and opportunities. Those
who lead adoption ministries can share their passion in small groups, Sunday School and services. Give members the opportunity to hear about these needs while giving them ways to help.

4. Make adoption resources available to the faith community. A wealth of adoption
resources can be helpful to couples considering adoption. Most of the time misconceptions about the adoption process keep families from considering adoption.  The church or synagogue can be a tool to provide helpful facts for couples to make informed decisions.

5. Frequently list pro-adoption ministries and organizations. List them in your bulletin and
have a “resources” link on your Web site connecting to these ministries. You help these
ministries by making them known to your people, but you also assist your people by
providing accessibility to helpful resources.

6. Encourage couples facing infertility to connect with adoptive parents. Some couples hop onto the emotional roller coaster of infertility drugs, and in the process incur huge medical expenses. Graciously counsel those couples to consider the privilege of parenting an adopted child before their emotions and finances are exhausted.

7. Regularly have adoptive parents and birth mothers share their testimony of God’s
goodness and grace. Testimonies can be powerful reminders to the congregation of
what “good” can come out of a “bad” situation.

8. Educate your members regarding the costs involved in the adoption process. Many
members may be unaware of the expenses involved in adoption such as: homestudies,
background checks, attorney fees, airfare and travel costs, especially for international
adoptions. Adoption costs vary from a few thousand dollars to $20,000 or more. The
cost should not scare off potential adoptive families, but should motivate the church
or synagogue to “count the cost” and offer assistance. What price tag can we put on a
young life?

9. Encourage the membership to give financially to adoptive couples. Giving financially to adoptive parents is one of the most — if not the most — significant things you can
do. As potential couples take the giant step of faith in the adoption process, one of the
biggest concerns will be “how are we going to pay for this?” A monetary gift along
with a note of encouragement can greatly encourage the couple by affirming their
decision to pursue adoption.
 
10. Create a standing fund for adoptions costs.  Church or synagogue members can contribute
to this special fund which adoptive families can utilize (either an interest-free loan or one-time gifts to these couples).

11. Challenge Sunday School classes and small groups to raise money for adoptive couples. Love offerings help lessen the financial burden of adoption while exhibiting how the faith community can encourage and support each other. Imagine the surprise on the couples’ faces when they discover that their class sacrificially gave to help in the adoption of their child.

12. Establish an adoptive parents small group in your church or synagogue. Get a key person
to take this on as a ministry. Meet on a monthly or quarterly basis as needed. This support group provides encouragement for those couples in the midst of the adoption process or those contemplating adoption.

13. Create e-mail list-serves of adoptive parents for support and encouragement. Since
the adoption process brings emotional highs and lows, staying connected by e-mail can prove helpful — especially when a couple needs a timely word of encouragement.

14. Connect with local social service agencies. Most counties and states have child welfare and foster care programs in which members should be involved. Many times there is financial assistance for those families who are foster parents or are in fosteradopt programs.

15. Use attorneys or caseworkers within the church or assembly. Some lawyers specializing
in family law are willing to donate their time and expertise to assist a family with the legal documents for adoption.  Such volunteers provide both financial savings and peace of mind.

16. Sponsor a child. Find a ministry of like faith that you know and trust — encourage others to do what they can to pray for and financially support orphan and adoption ministries.

17. Participate in mission trips to orphanages abroad. What better way to raise awareness for adoption than to experience the desperate living conditions of others?

18. Maximize special holidays to emphasize adoption. When adoption needs are presented
with sensitivity and discernment, Mother’s Day and Father’s Day can be ideal times to raise awareness of adoption.  A special offering could be collected for an adoptive couple. An adopted child or adoptive parent could give testimony to God’s gift of a family to them. At an
annual Sanctity of Life day, typically the third Sunday each January, discussion of adoption can be a poignant reminder to the church of the devastation of abortion, and at the same time a powerful prompting for the church or synagogue to become adoption-friendly.

19. Celebrate adoption as a faith community. Affirm those who pray and encourage others to adopt. Praise those who give financially to adoptive parents. Celebrate the living object lesson of our own spiritual adoption.

20. Support adopted kids as they struggle with questions of identity, abandonment or
rejection. 

Adoption is the ultimate expression and outworking of loving the modern day orphan. 
While not everyone will be called to adopt, the faith community can and should do what it
can to encourage and facilitate adoption. Will you help your church or synagogue become
adoption-friendly?
 
This story can be found at http://www.bluetoad.com/publication/?i=36173&&pn=&p=27

April 29 Is Approaching Quickly!

This is a reminder that there is still time to register for Christian Alliance for Orphans' annual Summit!

http://www.christian-alliance-for-orphans.org/summit/

Children's HopeChest "Young Mother's Program"

For Mother's Day 2010, Children's HopeChest is selling beautiful, handmade, one-of-a-kind necklaces to raise funds for girls in their Young Mothers Program. Keep an eye out for the "Love Goes Around" necklace and their Breaking the Chain Mother's Day gift campaign.

About the Young Mothers Program: When orphans are released from the orphanage in their early teen years, they enter a critically vulnerable time. In the case of these women, they found themselves pregnant and alone. Still children themselves, they had nowhere to go. That's where HopeChest comes into the picture.

Learn more:  http://tomdavis.typepad.com/HopeChest-YoungMothers.pdf

An Editorial on Adoption from Christianity Today

210 Million Reasons to Adopt
Haiti's devastating quake reminds us that orphans matter to God.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/april/13.55.html?start=1
 
Two years ago, a Christian couple from Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, fell in love with an abandoned toddler, born with a disability and living in an orphanage in rural Haiti. Already adoptive parents of a Liberian child, Katy and Josh Manges decided to adopt the toddler, Malachi, who has a treatable bone disorder.

Then the January 12 earthquake that crushed so much of Port-au-Prince, costing an estimated 230,000 lives, put the prayerful plans of the Manges family in limbo. It also laid bare before the world how badly orphans and vulnerable children may be treated when they get caught up in red tape, corruption, and political correctness.

For the Manges family, the outcome was success. In late February, Malachi arrived in Miami into the welcoming arms of his new family. Yet the adoption required two years of effort, delayed by local politics and requiring a personal signature from Haiti's prime minister. At the last minute, rioters at Port-au-Prince's airport derailed Malachi's departure, falsely alleging that he and other adoptees had phony paperwork.

This episode stands alongside another, the still-unfolding saga of the Idaho Baptists who were arrested on suspect charges of child trafficking. The latter may have a long-lasting chilling effect on inter-country adoption just when adoptive parents are needed more than ever. There are 210 million orphans worldwide, and adoptions to the U. S. have dropped 45 percent since 2004.
The greater problem isn't with potential adopting parents. It's with a system that is severely broken. Christian leaders and churches have much to offer in advocating for the reform of confusing adoption laws, stronger enforcement of international norms, and making adoption more affordable, more visible, and a more honored practice.

Jedd Medefind, president of the Christian Alliance for Orphans, recently told Christianity Today that immediately after Haiti's quake, many agencies fielded waves of calls from people with a strong impulse to take Haitian orphans into their homes. Rather than dismiss or belittle this impulse, Medefind encouraged them to consider the many ways of supporting the children, recognizing that adoption is a long and uncertain process. Family reunification, orphanages, extended family care, and child sponsorship all have a role to play in meeting the needs of vulnerable children in crisis or chronic need.

But Medefind is quick to note that powerful political and cultural barriers often make adoption an arduous process that takes too long and costs too much. "The reality is that there are thousands of children, before and after the earthquake, who are genuinely in need of parents," he says. "To the extent that parents can't be found, we should not relegate children to living on the streets or [in] orphanages. The political and cultural factors often become unspoken reasons why children are forced to remain in institutional care or on the streets, which is a profound tragedy."

The political and cultural barriers stem from warped ideas about what is in a poor child's best interest. It isn't in the best interest of abandoned children to grow up destitute and barely literate, regardless of the imagined cultural benefit of remaining in their home country. Haiti itself is a vivid example of injustice. The government tolerates a modern form of child slavery by allowing 225,000 children ages 6-14 to work as restavecs (unpaid, indentured domestics).

Adoption, domestic or inter-country, should not be looked down upon as inferior at best or as a last resort. The 150,000 South Korean orphans adopted worldwide (99,000 to the U.S.) since the 1950s testify well to the durable difference a loving adoptive family can make.

For Christians, the biblical basis for adoption bears repeating. The Book of James beckons every true follower of Christ to become involved in the lives of orphans (and widows). It's not for married couples only. Godly, never-married singles have successfully adopted, and most readily affirm the ideal that each child should live with a mother and father—whenever possible. So, Christian singles should not be automatically excluded from the pool of possibilities for adoption.

Adoption experts provided CT with four ways churches can increase their involvement:

• give adoptive families space to tell their stories in church;

• find ways to give small starter grants to people interested in adopting;

• encourage the adoption of children with special needs; and

• develop a full spectrum of responses, from child sponsorship to adoption.

CT recently talked with a never-married woman who adopted a young girl from Kazakhstan into her home (at a personal initial cost of $36,000). For her, the question was, "Are we talking about live souls?" Not mere "victims" or "political symbols" or "the needy," but children for whom Christ died, who need a home where the love of God is lived and shared with the least of these.

Orlando Church supports group that helps Ugandan orphans

An Orlando Sentinel story by Jeff Kunerth-
March 15, 2010
The civil war that ravaged Uganda for a generation is over, but the consequences of that conflict remain: tortured land, economic ruin, displaced people, orphaned children.

It's those children — the thousands whose parents were killed by war and disease — that are both the burden and the hope of an African nation in the midst of rebuilding itself.

"Our children are having a lot of problems," said Norman Okot, 71, whose grandson is one of those who lost his parents to HIV/AIDS. "They are not able to go to school because nobody can look after them."

Okot was in Orlando Sunday at Discovery Church for the screening and discussion of a documentary about his grandson by the non-profit advocacy group Invisible Children. The film, Emmy, recounts how AIDS killed the boy's father when Emmy was five and his mother when he was 12.
He is now 17 and in high school on a scholarship from Invisible Children. The San Diego-based secular organization has raised enough money to send 600 Ugandan children to high school and another 200 to college.
It costs about $35 a month for a Ugandan child to attend high school — money that even children with both parents cannot afford, said Comfort Okello, a 25-year-old Ugandan woman who works in economic development for Invisible Children.
"We feel this is the only way we are going to rebuild the future," Okello said. "By putting them in school, we are giving them wealth that can nobody can take away. "
At Discovery Church, support of Invisible Children is part of the church's mission to work for long-term solutions to local and global problems, said Cole NeSmith, who heads a young people's ministry.

"Invisible Children wants to help these kids out with education and mentoring and maintaining a long-term perspective," NeSmith said. "Their long-term investment is really what we value in the lives of these kids."
A committed dedication to educating a generation of children whose lives have been filled with loss and suffering is the only way for a poor, agrarian country like Uganda to recover from the devastation of war and disease, Okello said.

"You see a kid who is homeless, a kid who has no parents, and the kid is praying for just to have an education. That is all he is asking for," she said. "We feel that by investing in these children's future, ten years from now we have a stable generation."

Registration is now open for the Christian Alliance for Orphans’ Summit VI in Minneapolis, MN!

Featured speakers will include John Piper, Mary Beth and Steven Curtis Chapman, Al Mohler, Patricia Arzu, Tom Davis, Stephanie Fast, Doug Sauder, and others!

For more information and to register:
http://www.christian-alliance-for-orphans.org/summit/

Children's HopeChest Ministry's Plan to help Haitian Children

Haiti's devastating earthquake may triple the number of orphans (http://www.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/01/16/haiti.earthquake.carrefour.orphanage/index.html)
living on this small impoverished island. Already one of the poorest nations in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti's new orphan crisis will bring incredible strain upon the country's resources to care for children.

Our ministry team has developed a two-stage plan to assist organizations in caring for an expected 300% increase in orphaned children in Haiti.

EMERGENCY FOOD RELIEF

Through our "5 for 50 (http://www.5for50.com/)" program, we have already contributed $3,000 to Kids Against Hunger. In 2009, they shipped over 500,000 meals to our carepoints in Africa. From Jan 1 - Feb 28, HopeChest will donate 100% of all 5 for 50 (http://www.5for50.com/) contributions to Kids Against Hunger to feed Haiti's orphans. To join us, please go to http://www.5for50.org (http://www.5for50.com/) to make a gift. 100% of all contributions made before Feb 28 will support emergency food relief for orphans in Haiti.

LONG-TERM CARE
Organizations are rushing into Haiti--just as we watched them pour into the former Soviet Union in the early 1990s. Today, less than 10 percent are still ministering in Russia. Right now, HopeChest is conducting extensive due diligence on several orphan ministry partners in Haiti. Our COO, Bob Mudd, has been on the phone every day with new potential long-term partners.
We are looking for ministries with a pre-earthquake track record of caring for orphans, and who will experience a substantial increase in the number of children they are serving. Through a ministry partnership with Children's HopeChest, we will explore providing long-term care through our CONNECT COMMUNITIES outreach, as well as our TRANSFORM church sponsorship programs.

Above all, please pray for everyone affected by the earthquake, especially David Hames and his family. David attends Vanguard Church, one of our Swaziland carepoint sponsors. David was in Haiti to film stories of children for Compassion International and was in the Hotel Montana when it collapsed during the earthquake. Search and rescue teams are working to locate David, and we ask you to join us in asking for God's miraculous hand to work in Haiti today.
Thank you for your support and prayers.
Sincerely,
The HopeChest Ministry Team
P.S. If you haven't contributed to disaster relief in Haiti, we would encourage you make a financial contribution to one of the following organizations:

- The Red Cross (http://www.redcross.org/)

- Compassion International (http://www.compassion.com/)

- Samaritan's Purse (http://www.samaritanspurse.org/)

Famine Crisis in Ethiopia - You can help!

From Tom Davis' blog:

URGENT: Millions Starving in Ethiopia
Today's news out of Ethiopia is not new. Millions starving. Millions without food or water. Millions trapped in extreme poverty. Millions is a concept we've accepted in our news reporting. If everyone in Colorado Springs was starving, we wouldn't quite get to "millions."

Hard to comprehend. Here's what I know. CHC's (Children's Hope Chest) kids don't starve. They don't drink dirty water. They are protected from abuse. They are sheltered from child labor. They are put through school to help develop their potential. Our kids are numbered in the thousands. And guess what? I've got 5,000 more who are waiting for a home.
This Christmas, CHC is going to launch a dynamic campaign to bring 5,000 new children into our CarePoint's throughout Africa. But with today's news of "millions" starving in Ethiopia, we've got to step up our plans a bit. I need to get the feeding centers up and running as soon as possible.

To read more and to find how you can help: http://tomdavis.typepad.com/tom_daviss_blog/2009/10/urgent-millions-starving-in-ethiopia.html

For more on the Ethiopian famine from the BBC: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8321043.stm

November 8 is Orphan Sunday

www.orphansunday.org
On November 8th from 4:oo to 6:00 pm CST, join voices with Steven Curtis Chapman, Jim Daly, and Dennis Rainey to reach the nation with God’s call to care for orphans. Through excellent music and the sharing of the heart of God, we hope to give a megaphone to the cries of the millions of orphans around the world. Other guests include Geoff Moore and the Children of the World Choir.



Tom Davis writes about Orphan Sunday on his blog: http://tomdavis.typepad.com/tom_daviss_blog/2009/10/watch-out-for-the-firestarters.html

Advocates and Sponsors Needed for Swazi Orphans

http://www.brandisthoughts.com/2009/08/want-to-be-swazi-advocate.html

Ad-Vo-Cate
To speak, plead or argue in favor of
1. One that argues for a case; a supporter or defender
2. One that pleads in another's behalf; an intercessor

Will you use YOUR voice, YOUR influence to make a difference in children's lives? You can "sign up for" a certain number of these kids. . .say 10, 20, 25, 50 of them. We'll give you their names an profiles and you can be in charge of finding them sponsors! This way, you can literally make an eternal difference in the lives of these kids!

Henan Orphan Care Sponsors Needed

Ninety-three children in Henan orphanages are waiting right now for sponsors in order to live with a trained foster family or be cared for at one of the three Lily Orphan Care Centers.

Would you consider sponsoring one of these waiting children for $40 a month?

As a sponsor, you will receive quarterly reports and pictures for the child you sponsor. More importantly, you will enable an abandoned child to escape an institutional environment and receive one-on-one care that will permanently and positively impact his or her life.

For $1.30 a day, you can make an immeasurable difference!

One person or family can sponsor a child, or several families, a group of co-workers, a church group, or a group of classmates can also pitch in and sponsor a child as a group.

PLEASE reach out to a child by becoming a sponsor today! For detailed information, please contact Xia at charity@chinesechildren.org or 303-850-9998 ext 17. Thanks!!!

http://www.henankids.org/

http://www.chinesechildren.org/

Sponsor a child today and receive Jeremy Camp CD

From Compassion ministry:



Sponsor a child today and receive Jeremy Camp’s CD Beyond Measure for free.
Millions of children around the world receive no education, suffer from chronic hunger and poor health and feel like their lives have no value.
Your sponsorship today will help one precious child find the love of Christ and provide educational opportunities, health screenings and much more.
Your life will change, too, as you get to know your child through letters, photos and prayers.
Sponsor a child and receive the Beyond Measure CD for free! Take advantage of this limited time offer today.

http://www.compassion.com/Sponsor_a_child/default.htm?referer=98789

Spots are Available for HopeChest's September Vision Trip to Uganda

If you think your Church / Business / Organization might be interested in partnering with an orphan community in Uganda, why don't you invite them!

The purpose: Vision trips are designed for pastors, church or community leaders who are interested in the prospect of having their community sponsor an orphan community. This is a great way to get to know Uganda, HopeChest and the children / orphan communities available for sponsorship. We will be traveling from community to community to allow you to choose the community that best fits yours!

Details: September 8 (Tuesday) - September 17 (Thursday). They are in Uganda from Wednesday to Wednesday
Cost: $750 for ground fees, airfare is $1200-$1500
*Ground fees cover all food, transportation and lodging

If you think your pastor might be interested, this is a great way for him to catch the vision! We even have partial scholarships available on a need by need limited basis! Feel free to email me for more details. I'd love to talk to you about it.

brandi @ kidslake .org (remove spaces)