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Consider a year-end gift to faithful orphan ministry in Belarus

If you are among those of us who are considering year-end giving today, please prayerfully consider a gift to help the orphan ministry of our church partner in Belarus.  Belarus is a former Soviet Union country.  It is a “republic” in name, but its president has authority approaching that of a dictator.  
     Volunteers from the church in Belarus are dedicated to helping orphans in four different facilities, including one home for children with developmental impairments.  Many of the orphans are adults with disabilities.
     Teams of 10 to 17 from the church spend almost every Saturday visiting with the orphans.  Here is a brief report from our contact in Belarus:
     “When we go to the orphanages, we divide in several groups. One of the groups makes a concert-playing program and gathers about 100-200 kids.  Some go to the kids who cannot walk, carry them in their arms, sing, pray. Some people go to the kids who move in wheelchairs, make puppet shows, and sing. One more group draws with those who cannot be in the assembly hall. So all the kids are busy.  When somebody blesses us with finances we buy soap bubbles, toys, soap, pencils, paper. We make chocolate presents for Christmas. Our church is not big, about 30-40 constant members and the same amount of kids. People from our church are very good.  God opens their hearts to help. I think some of them give half of their salary. Nobody cares about kids we come to… only God working through our volunteers. Children are very glad to see us and wait for us every month. They feel that somebody needs them and then somebody needs them.”
     If you would like to bless this ministry with a gift, please designate that your gift is for Belarus ministry.  100% of your gift will go to Belarus to bless this faithful orphan ministry.  You can donate online using your credit card, or donate by mail sending your check to the address listed below.

     God bless you for your heart for orphans!  We wish you a New Year full of blessings and love!

BIG FAMILY MISSION
83 BOY SCOUT ROAD
KUTZTOWN, PA 19530

Volunteer from church in Belarus brings ice cream to orphan

Another beautiful tribute to Reece's Rainbow

    Just recently, I wrote about the Washington Post's article about a Maryland family who adopted two Down syndrome children through Reece's Rainbow.
    A few days later, ABC World News with Diane Sawyer aired a touching tribute to Reece's Rainbow and a family in Utah who have adopted a Down syndrome child from Ukraine.
     You can read more about Reece's Rainbow and how this charity/ministry got started through the birth of Reece.  Yes, Reece is real!  The son of Andrea Roberts, founder of Reece's Rainbow.  
     Learn more about Reece's Rainbow.

Big Family Mission helps older disabled orphans in Belarus





     

The disappointment of not getting selected...

     Today I got up "bright and early" to head out for jury duty.  I was among the first of the 80 or so prospective jurors to arrive at the courthouse.  I completed the questionnaire, confident that I would be selected to serve on a jury... something I've never done.  After three hours of orientation and screening by opposing attorneys, the 12 jurors and two alternates were selected... and I wasn't one of them.  Part of me was relieved that I was free to go, but part of me wondered:  why was I not selected?
     As I drove home, my thoughts turned to children in orphanages in Russia and around the world.  The children who see families come and select other children, but never get selected for foster homes or adoption themselves.  Thank God for our volunteers and ministers who visit these "not selected" children on a regular basis.  Thank God that these children can be adopted into God's eternal family through the precious gift of His only son, Jesus, the Messiah!

Thank you, volunteers, for visiting the children who have not yet been "selected"


Igor Klishchenko: "I will bring the Father's love to his orphan children"

     Yesterday, I wrote about Katya, a Russian orphan who thought she was going to be adopted in Russia, and then, at the last minute, her new mother-to-be refused to take her into the family.
     Katya's story about her father's death, her mother's "hard drinking", and her almost being adopted was shared with us by Igor Klishchenko, a minister to Russian orphans.
     Igor Klishchenko and his family are the only family that many orphans in the Kaluga region of Russia will ever know.  God has called Igor and his family to be the Light and Love of Jesus for some very special children.  You can see a lot of Igor's photos and listen to at least one of his songs (in video) on Facebook.  
     Last year, Igor and his family were having a very difficult time financially.  Then, a very generous gift from a family in America provided support for several months of living expenses.  Big Family Mission is seeking those who wish to sow into Igor's ministry on a regular basis.  We have a few partners for this ministry, but we need many more to continue this important work.  Please take a few minutes and read more about Igor's calling, his family, and how you can contribute to Igor's ministry through Big Family Mission.  100% of funds donated to Big Family Mission for Igor's ministry go to Igor and his family.


Igor Klishchenko with his family

What is sadder than not getting adopted?

Igor Klishchenko, who ministers to Russian orphans, recently told us about Katya, a 13-year-old orphan whom he met in an orphan camp during the summer of 2010.
During a recent orphanage visit, he had the opportunity to talk with Katya and catch up on what is going on in her life.
Igor relates “She eagerly started telling me everything what happened to her during that year and a half while we hadn`t seen each other.  Katya told me that this year her father died because of some illness that her mother continued to drink hard.  Her mother had her both arms and one leg broken and how it happened.  She also told me that a girl from the orphanage drank beer and jumped from the third floor late at night but survived having her hipbone broken.  She told me emotionally that the orphanage changed five directors this year. The first one was fired for hard drinking.  She told that she won the first prize in English language contest among all seventh grade classes of her school (she studies at a state general school at the town). 
“The most painful experience that Katya told me about was a failure with a foster mother. Katya wanted so much to live in a foster family. A woman came to meet Katya and to take her to her foster family.    “Katya liked this woman very much, and later she was told to pack her belongings and move to her foster mother. But when she was packed and ready, Katya was told that that woman wouldn`t take her. It was an awful moment for Katya. It turned out that at the last moment the woman learned about Katya`s predisposition to tuberculosis and worried for her own daughter who could be expelled from the university for the contact with Katya… which is, of course, nonsense.” 
What is worse than not getting adopted?  To think that you are being adopted, and then suddenly find that you are not going to be.
Please keep Katya and Igor’s ministry to orphans in your prayers!
Read more about Igor's ministry to Russian orphans.

Katya, on right, with Vika at summer orphan camp

"Why was I so afraid?"

     "Why was I so afraid?"  The words of Nina Clark, wife of Jon, and mother of six, including two adopted girls with Down syndrome.
     The Washington Post recently published the amazing journey of the Clark family and their heart for adoption.  The article points out that the Clarks see adoption as a "divine calling" and briefly mentions the growing movement of churches in America to focus on caring for an ministering to orphans.
     It is wonderful to read some "good news" in the Washington Post!
Katerina, orphan from Latvia with visual impairment, was adopted  by another large  family in America.

Christmas at the orphanage: see the joy and excitement

If you haven't seen this video of a Big Family Mission Christmas celebration in a Russian orphanage, take a few minutes and enjoy the happiness and excitement with the children as they receive their gifts.
Our thanks to Larry and Jennifer Orndorff, missionaries from America, who helped distribute the gifts and made the video!
Video: Christmas at the orphanage.
Joy to the world in a Russian orphanage

88 million dollars for a future "cinder"

     When I read about Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev buying an $88 million apartment in New York City for his daughter, Ekaterina Rybolovleva, who is studying in the U.S., I must admit that my stomach did a major flip.  Read the story and see the video here.
     My human nature immediately thought of all that $88 million could do for the orphans of Russia, and for orphans around the world.  But then, I remembered the words of Jesus.  Where is my treasure?  What is the future of all mankind?  What is the future of an $88 million apartment at Central Park in New York?  According to 2 Peter 2:10, the future of the apartment as well as all earthly "treasures":  cinders, nothingness.
2 Peter 2:10:  But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. 
     I had to remind myself:  where is my treasure?


Real "treasure": ministering to the kids at a Russian orphanage




Strong words from God's word about caring for orphans and widows

     One of my favorite verses in the Bible that deals with caring for orphans:  Deuteronomy 24:19.  It's a command with a promise for blessing for all those who obey God's commandment to give a portion of our income to help orphans and widows.
    But, we find even stronger words in  Exodus 22:  22-24:


22 “You shall not afflict any widow or fatherless child. 23 If you afflict them in any way, and they cry at all to Me, I will surely hear their cry; 24 and My wrath will become hot, and I will kill you with the sword; your wives shall be widows, and your children fatherless." 



     Is ignoring the plight of orphans afflicting them?  I don't think we want to find out.


Big Family Mission volunteers play games with children at orphanage.


How much does adoption cost?

     A 2011 survey conducted by Adoptive Families Magazine indicates that adopting from foster care in the United States is by far the least expensive route for U.S. families considering adoption.  Their survey indicates "less than $5,000" ... but in many cases, the cost will be much less than that, depending upon your state of residence.  View survey results here.
     Our suggestion is that families interested in adoption should be aware of costs, but not include the cost as a factor in making decisions about how, when, where, and why to adopt.  Let God lead you in the direction He has planned for you and your family, and the finances will follow.
     For state adoption and foster care information, check out this website.

Russian orphans can be adopted in Russia with very little cost.  Big Family Mission
helps this family with some of their expenses.

The real number of orphans: almost 5 billion

     How many orphans are there in the world?  It all depends on how we define "orphan".  Based on God's definition, everyone who has not repented of their sins and believed in His only son as their savior is an "orphan".  They have not been adopted into the eternal family of God.
     There are about 7 billion people living on our planet.  It's estimated that a little over 2 billion of us profess to be Christians.
     So how many orphans are there?  Almost 5 billion.
     As we approach this time of celebration of the birth of Christ, let us pray that millions and billions more of our fellow citizens on earth will recognize the amazing Gift that God gave to the world when He came to us as a little baby destined to be the savior of the world!


These older orphans in Belarus have disabilities from the world's perspective, but from God's perspective, they are adopted into His dear family and are no longer orphans!

Exciting news about Russian adoptions on the fast-track

A lot of negative publicity about adoption of Russian orphans has generated a rumor that foreigners (for example USA residents) can no longer adopt from Russia.
This is CURRENTLY not the case.  We emphasize currently simply because things can change so quickly within Russia.
Christian World Adoption reports on their website:  "We are very excited about the current situation with our Russia program!! have recently been receiving referrals of infants within a very short period of time (days or weeks) after a family is registered in a region!  Therefore we are recruiting additional families as referrals are becoming available at a steady pace!"
We continue to encourage adoption of Russian orphans both in Russia and outside of Russia.
Thank you, Lord, for opening more doors for these children to find forever families!


Girls enjoy craft items donated by American family.  Pray for more Russian orphans to be adopted.

Adventure of a lifetime: volunteer to help in India orphanage

For Hannah Scott, living with, ministering to, and loving the children at the New Hope for Children Orphanage in Bangalore, India, for six months was a life-changing experience.
Pastor George Fernandes, leader of the orphanage and Helping Hands India, welcomes Christian volunteers who wish to help.  Some have helped for short periods of time (two weeks or so).  Others, like Hannah, have stayed for longer periods.
What's it like?  Thanks to a video that Hannah put together, you can get a definite impression of what it is like to serve in an orphanage in India.  You can view Hannah's video here.
If you cannot go to India and would like to help with this ministry to orphans, you can find more information here.

Big smiles from two of the children at New Hope for Children Orphanage

India's deadly secret: millions of girls who disappear

ABC News and Yahoo are doing a video news series about the girls of India who are aborted or turned out on the streets just because they are girls:  India's Deadly Secret .
What can we do about it?  Some of these girls are rescued and brought into a loving Christian environment at the New Hope for Children Home in Bangalore, India.
Consider donating to help New Hope for Children or sponsoring one of the children there.  Learn more about New Hope for Children and meet some of the children, including many girls, who have been rescued.

Children at New Hope for Children orphanage praying

Question: why don't people give to help orphans?

A Russian friend of ours who lives in the United States is writing a paper about orphan ministries and charities who help Russian orphans.   As a part of her paper she must identify a list of reasons why people do NOT support orphan ministries when they know of the need.  She asked us to help with making the list.
Wow!  When she asked for our viewpoint on "reasons", I suddenly realized that I don't really know why.
Some of my guesses:
  • The problem is too big.  I think some people convince themselves that there is no reason to get involved because nothing they do is going to change anything.
  • Indifference.  This may be the biggest reason.  I think many people have a built-in "switch" that they turn off when they start hearing about the problems of other people and the need for funds to help them.  I've noticed that people like to hear more about Russia and even the work we are doing, but the minute that we point out how they can help, they turn their "switch" and that's the end of the conversation.
  • Mistrust of charities in general.  Unfortunately, there are many horror stories of how ministries and charities have misused funds.
What do you think?  Maybe someone out there is aware of a study that has been done about why people give and why they don't give?  Please share your thoughts!

You can help Russian orphans by helping our volunteers in Russia who minister to orphans in orphanages run by the government.

Donations pay for field trips for orphans

Interest-free loans for adoption

The Abba Fund provides interest-free loans to Christian couples who wish to adopt but who need help with the finances.
In the words of Abba Fund: "We believe that the best environment for the raising and training of children is in a godly home with a father and mother. ABBA Fund provides interest-free covenant loans to Christian couples who are called by God to expand their families through adoption and who need help with the “cash flow crunch” posed by adoption expenses."
To learn more, visit Abba's website.
Some orphans will never be adopted into families. 
To learn how you can help these orphans, click here.
Church volunteer with children at Russian orphanage

God's plan: that we all be adopted

Unfortunately, there are many orphans today who do not know they are orphans.  They try to navigate through life without ever being adopted as God's children, according to God's perfect plan for their lives.
Tragic.  Tragic to surrounded by God's love and to reject becoming his son or daughter.

Read God's plan in Ephesians 1:5:  "For He planned in love for us to be adopted as His own children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the purpose of His will."
We pray that every orphan (and we are all orphans without God) will come into His family!
Help a Russian orphan living in a government-run orphanage learn about God.
These children in Russian orphanage are part of God's Big Family


  

Ten ways to help orphans in 2012

Ten ways you can help orphans and children at risk in 2012:
You will be greatly blessed for getting involved!

Orphans in Russia write letters to sponsors

How to be "like a spring whose waters never fail"

God's word is packed with beautiful promises.  Consider the exciting message of Isaiah 58:10-11:



10 and if you give yourselves in behalf of the hungry
   and satisfy the needs of the oppressed,
then your light will rise in the darkness,
   and your gloom will become like the noonday.
11 The LORD will guide you continually;
   he will satisfy your needs in scorched places,
   and will strengthen your bones.
You will be like a well-watered garden,
  and like a spring whose waters never fail. 


Does your church have an orphan ministry?  If not, consider starting one.  It's a way of "giving yourself" to satisfy the needs of the oppressed children of the world.


Find a guide to resources on starting an orphan ministry in your church here.


Russian orphans enjoy craft items sent from America





Don't be overwhelmed by the numbers...

When we read about 143 million or 150 million orphans in the world, it is very easy to become overwhelmed with the size of the problem... to give up before we start... to do nothing.
So... we encourage you to focus on helping one child.  Help one child get into a family.  If you cannot adopt a child, you can help someone else adopt.  You can help encourage and support ministries who work with orphans who will never get adopted but who can be a part of God's eternal family!
One child at a time.  You will be blessed and a child will be blessed.


Russian orphan who may never get adopted still needs hugs and love!

Praise God: a new kind of "orphan factory"

     "The Orphan Factory", an article written by Boris Altshuler, chairman of the board of Right of the Child, a regional NGO in Russia, was recently published on Russia Beyond the Headlines.
     He points out some of the tragic realities of the care system for orphans and children at risk in Russia:

  • 100,000 new orphans every year despite a steady and sharp decrease in the number of school-age children in Russia;
  • top-level government develops initiatives to make the system better for children but nothing happens at the local level;
  • it is far too easy for parents to deal with drug and alcohol addiction and poverty by bringing their unwanted children to the "orphan factory";
  • thousands of bright and healthy children labeled as "mentally handicapped" and forced into special schools that are not really schools at all... their lives buried in the system forever.     
  • The Russian government has been trying to solve the "orphan factory" problem for many years, and it seems that little or no progress is made.
Celebrating Christmas in a Russian orphanage
      But now, Praise God, we are seeing the dawn on a new initiative for orphans.  The church in Russia is awakening to the needs of orphans and God's commands to care for orphans.  God's heart for orphans is being preached from pulpits all across Russia.  Over 1,000 churches participated in Orphan Sunday.  All across Russia, Christian families are praying about bringing orphans into their families.  Orphan ministries are being set up in many churches.  More and more children are being adopted.
     When President Medvedev gave his annual "state of the union" address in late 2010, he declared that there should "be no orphans in Russia".  Through the power of God and the obedience of His people, Russia with No Orphans can become a reality.  With man, it is impossible.  But, with God, all things are possible!
     Consider helping the church and the Russia with No Orphans Alliance.  Pray for Russia with No Orphans.  If you would like to plant into this special project, you can learn more and contribute by visiting the Big Family Mission website here.  

Here's a listing of orphanages in Russia

We recently discovered a listing of Russian orphanages online.


If you work with Russian orphans, have adopted a Russian orphan, or are thinking about visiting Russian orphanages, it may be helpful to you.


You will find the listing here:  http://www.adoptionknowhow.com/russia/orphanages/ .  Also some helpful information about Russian adoptions.

When will Russia begin protecting Russia's orphans?

There's a new agreement between the U.S. and Russia about adoption of Russian orphans, but the real answer to reducing the number of Russian orphans is for more Russian families to bring children into their families.
Svetlana Smetanina writes about this problem on "Russia beyond the headlines".
She reports:  "The Russian government has said that the number of children in orphanages must be reduced; five years ago then-President Vladimir Putin published a decree on the subject.  But in reality nothing has changed."
Is the problem that there is not enough money to support foster families for Russian orphans?  Svetlana concludes that there is enough money, but regional governments do not support orphans going into families because of their concern for losing funds designated for orphanages and care of orphans.
Read Svetlana's article on Russia beyond the headlines.
Children enjoy Christmas celebration at a Russian orphanage.  Thanks, Big Family Mission!


Consider helping Russian orphans come into families.  To learn how, visit this page about the Russia with No Orphans project.

Orphans in India need sponsors

We seek sponsors for 85 children at the New Hope for Children orphanage in Bangalore, India.
Sponsoring a child at the New Hope orphanage provides the unique opportunity to correspond directly with your sponsored child.  Sponsors can send letters and packages directly to a child at the orphanage.  The children will also write to you directly, rather than through an organization.
 Most of the children either speak English or are learning English.  The $29 sponsorship fee covers the cost of food, clothing, shelter, education, and a loving family environment.
May we introduce one of the children at New Hope?
This is Swetha.  She is 8 years old, and her favorite color is red. She loves dancing and hopes to be a teacher. Her brother Ruben also lives at NHCH. Swetha's mother is a domestic worker. Her father abandoned her mother and got remarried. At present Swetha's mother can't take care of her children, so they came to live at New Hope for Children Home.
 To learn more about sponsoring a child at New Hope for Children Home in India, please visit this information page about child sponsorship in India.


Get involved: help a Russian orphan

Learn about Russian orphans and get involved.  Here's how:


Sponsor an entire orphanage in Russia

Instead of sponsoring just one child at an orphanage, why not help sponsor the entire orphanage?

With child sponsorship programs in Russia, some children invariably end up without sponsors, so why not help sponsor an entire orphanage?

Maybe pray and write to one child at the orphanage, but help minister to all of the children.

How many Russian orphans need families?  We are not certain, but we are sure that it is too many.

Get involved and help by sponsoring a Russian orphan!

Cambodian government moves to protect orphans and children at risk

The Cambodian government recently introduced guidelines aiming to better protect orphans and children at risk after childcare experts voiced alarm over an unregulated boom in orphanages.


The new standards emphasize that placing children in institutions should be "a last resort", after UNICEF said earlier this year that three quarters of the 12,000 children in Cambodia’s orphanages had at least one living parent.


"At all times, efforts should be made to keep children in families or community-based care, with residential care as a last resort and a temporary arrangement," the newly adopted Standards and Guidelines document states.

Cambodian Social Affairs Minister Ith Sam Heng said the guidelines, drafted with the help of UNICEF and other children’s rights groups, were "very important" in helping to keep families together.


"We hope that these standards will improve the situation of our at-risk children," he said.

Read more about these guidelines here.

Go here to learn more about adopting an older orphan from Latvia or Ukraine.

Read any good books about orphan adoption?

At the top of the list, recommended by Jedd Medefind on Christianity Today:  Adopted for Life.  Author Russell D. Moore points out the good news that through Jesus we have been adopted as sons and daughters into God's family.  And, since we are adopted by God, Christians ought to be at the forefront of the adoption of orphans in North America and around the world.
Russell D. Moore does not shy away from this call in Adopted for Life, a popular-level, practical manifesto for Christians to adopt children and to help equip other Christian families to do the same. He shows that adoption is not just about couples who want children— or who want more children. It is about an entire culture within the church, a culture that sees adoption as part of the Great Commission mandate and as a sign of the gospel itself.
Moore, who adopted two boys from Russia and has spoken widely on the subject, writes for couples considering adoption, families who have adopted children, and pastors who wish to encourage adoption.  There are millions of orphans in Russia who have little or no chance for adoption.  Pray for that situation to change!

Check out Christianity Today's top five books on adoption.

Thinking of adopting an older orphan?  Learn about opportunity to host a Latvian or Ukrainian orphan this Christmas... and perhaps adopt the child.

Check out resources for Orphan Sunday 2011

How are you and your church remembering orphans on Orphan Sunday, November 6, 2011?

This year, Orphan Sunday will be observed by churches around the world, with most churches marking the first Sunday in November as Orphan Sunday. 

Orphan Sunday is a simple idea that began in Africa and then swept the U.S. in 2009 and 2010.
Over the past two years, following an example set by Zambian churches, hundreds of thousands
of American Christians have participated in local Orphan Sunday events. This year, Orphan
Sunday will again be celebrated across America, and is also now echoing back across the seas to
countries as diverse as Ukraine, Russia, Guatemala and Kenya.

On Orphan Sunday, churches and families pause to remember and celebrate God’s  heart for the fatherless and how Christians can respond through adoption, foster care and global orphan initiatives. Locally organized events last year ranged from sermons on how adoption reflects the Gospel story to
fund raisers, community-wide rallies, concerts and prayer gatherings.

You’ll find videos, church bulletins, sermon ideas, and various other resources to help make Orphan Sunday special on this Orphan Sunday  website.

Looking for a special way to remember and honor orphans.  Find how you can partner with churches and volunteers in Russia who are ministering to older orphans who desperately need our help.

Families for orphans Christmas 2011

Big Family Mission partners with hosting programs which bring Latvian and Ukrainian orphans to the U.S. for a 4 to 5 week visit with a Christian family.  The objective of these programs is not adoption, but many of the children who come for the hosting program do end up getting adopted.  Most of the children in the program are older children who would otherwise have little opportunity to be adopted.

The next programs are scheduled around Christmas 2011, beginning in mid-December.

For more information visit the hosting information page of Big Family Mission.

Learn how you can help orphans in their home country of Russia.
Christian international adoption in Cambodia, China, Kazakhstan, Kyrgystan, Russia, Taiwan, Uganda, and Ukraine. Check out Nightlight Christian Adoptions.


Learn how to help Russian orphans!







U.S./Russia Sign Adoption Agreement

The Department of State and the Department of Homeland Security announced on July 13, 2011, that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov signed a bilateral adoptions agreement that will strengthen procedural safeguards in adoptions between our countries.This Agreement will provide additional safeguards to better protect the welfare and interests of children and all parties involved in intercountry adoptions. Under the Agreement, only adoption agencies authorized by the Russian government will be able to operate in Russia and provide services in adoptions covered by the Agreement, except in the case of an adoption of a child by his or her relatives. This will largely eliminate independent adoptions from Russia and create a better defined framework for intercountry adoptions between the United States and Russia. The Agreement also includes provisions designed to improve post-adoption reporting and monitoring and to ensure that prospective adoptive parents receive more complete information about adoptive children’s social and medical histories and anticipated needs.The United States is committed to working with the Russian Federation on implementing the provisions laid forth in this Agreement as soon as it enters into force.The Department of State will publish criteria, procedures, and clear guidance related to the Agreement on adoption.state.gov prior to the Agreement's entry into force.To find out more: Please visit the Department of State's FAQs on the Agreement and the Department of Homeland Security's FAQs on procedural implications.

For more information on how you can help orphans, visit:  http://www.bigfamilyministry.org/ .

Adopt Without Debt: Creative Ways to Cover the Cost of Adoption

Passionate about helping others achieve their adoption dream, author Julie Gumm shares how to find extra money in your household budget, apply for grants, and fundraise in order to build your family without saddling it with debt. With over $65,000 worth of creative fundraising ideas from more than 25 adoptive families, Adopt Without Debt shows you how to fulfill your adoption dream without signing away your financial freedom.  Read more here.

 

Ken and Dianne Dockery

Volunteers & International Coordinators

BIG FAMILY MISSION

83 Boy Scout Road

Kutztown, PA 19530

Telephone:  610 285 8542

Email: info@bigfamilyministry.org

On the web: www.BigFamilyMinistry.org

 

"For with GOD nothing is ever impossible, and no word from GOD shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment!"  Luke 1:37

 

Twin girls adopted in America return to Russian orphanage

We encourage adoption of Russian orphans in Russia and in other countries.  God does not see the boundaries that mankind has set up to make it difficult for children to find their forever families.
When Russian orphans are adopted outside their homeland, they often lose touch with their heritage.
This recent article tells the story of two Russian girls who were adopted at a very young age and recently had the opportunity to return to their homeland.

Learn more about helping Russian orphans:  http://www.bigfamilyministry.org/ .

What Christians can learn from critical article

Jeff Medefind, president of the Christian Alliance for Orphans, speaks out regarding a recent article, "The Evangelical Adoption Crusade" that appeared in "The Nation".  Writes Medefind on Christianity Today's web posting:  The article "spotlights many complex questions and sad stories, but misses the far larger reality. That reality is that there are millions of children who will wake tomorrow morning without the love of mother or father. Many of them live in orphanages and on the streets. These children need families. Yes, great wisdom must be applied in discerning what is truly best for each child. Some can be reunited with relatives. Some will need to spend years in an institution. But a great many, we can pray, will find the love and belonging of family via adoption, both local and international."
Read Medefind's complete posting.

To help Russian orphans, learn more: http://www.bigfamilyministry.org/ .
 

Excellent source for info on international adoptions

For updates on country changes for international adoptions, check here.  You can also find a wealth of
information on the National Council for Adoption's website.

Consider helping children in Russia who have no opportunity to be adopted:  http://www.bigfamilyministry.org/ .

U.S. State Department annual report on international adoptions

Are you considering international adoption?  The U.S. government (State Department) publishes information each year on the number of adoptions, cost of adoptions, average time periods, etc, for international adoptions.  You can view their report here.

Learn how to help Russian orphans!

God commands us to care for orphans and widows

The Bible and our Lord have much to say about caring for orphans and widows.  One of our favorites is Deut. 24:19.  God blesses all the works of those who give a portion of their income to help orphans, widows, and strangers.  Consider partnering with Big Family Mission in our outreach to Russian and Eastern European orphans:  http://www.bigfamilyministry.org/ .

Here are many of the verses in the Bible that talk about helping orphans.

Lam 5:3
We have become fatherless orphans; our mothers have become widows.
Joh 14:18
“I will not abandon you as orphans, I will come to you.
Job 22:9
you sent widows away empty-handed, and the arms 1 of the orphans you crushed.
Jer 49:11
Leave your orphans behind and I will keep them alive. Your widows too can depend on me.”
Exo 22:22
“You must not afflict any widow or orphan.
Jam 1:27
Pure and undefiled religion before God the Father is this: to care for orphans and widows in their misfortune and to keep oneself unstained by the world.
Job 24:3
They drive away the orphan’s donkey; they take the widow’s ox as a pledge.
Pro 23:10
Do not move an ancient boundary stone, or take over the fields of the fatherless,
Job 31:17
If I ate my morsel of bread myself, and did not share any of it with orphans,
Psa 94:6
They kill the widow and the one residing outside his native land, and they murder the fatherless.
Psa 109:9
May his children be fatherless, and his wife a widow!
Deu 16:14
You are to rejoice in your festival, you, your son, your daughter, your male and female slaves, the Levites, the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows who are in your villages.
Isa 10:2
to keep the poor from getting fair treatment, and to deprive the oppressed among my people of justice, so they can steal what widows own, and loot what belongs to orphans.
Psa 10:18
You defend the fatherless and oppressed, so that mere mortals may no longer terrorize them.
Psa 68:5
He is a father to the fatherless and an advocate for widows. God rules from his holy palace. Isa 9:17
So the sovereign master was not pleased with their young men, he took no pity on their orphans and widows; for the whole nation was godless and did wicked things, every mouth was speaking disgraceful words. Despite all this, his anger does not subside, and his hand is ready to strike again.
Psa 10:14
You have taken notice, for you always see one who inflicts pain and suffering. The unfortunate victim entrusts his cause to you; you deliver the fatherless.
Exo 22:24
and my anger will burn and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives will be widows and your children will be fatherless.
Deu 10:18
who justly treats the orphan and widow, and who loves resident foreigners, giving them food and clothing.
Deu 24:17
You must not pervert justice due a resident foreigner or an orphan, or take a widow’s garment as security for a loan.
Psa 146:9
The Lord protects those residing outside their native land; he lifts up the fatherless and the widow, but he opposes the wicked.
Eze 22:7
They have treated father and mother with contempt within you; they have oppressed the foreigner among you; they have wronged the orphan and the widow within you.
Zec 7:10
You must not oppress the widow, the orphan, the foreigner, or the poor, nor should anyone secretly plot evil against his fellow human being.
Job 6:27
Yes, you would gamble for the fatherless, and auction off your friend.
Mal 3:5
“I will come to you in judgment. I will be quick to testify against those who practice divination, those who commit adultery, those who break promises, and those who exploit workers, widows, and orphans, who refuse to help the immigrant and in this way show they do not fear me,” says the Lord who rules over all.
Jer 5:28
That is how they have grown fat and sleek. There is no limit to the evil things they do. They do not plead the cause of the fatherless in such a way as to win it. They do not defend the rights of the poor.
Jer 7:6
Stop oppressing foreigners who live in your land, children who have lost their fathers, and women who have lost their husbands. Stop killing innocent people in this land. Stop paying allegiance to other gods. That will only bring about your ruin.
Job 29:12
for I rescued the poor who cried out for help, and the orphan who had no one to assist him;
Job 31:18
but from my youth I raised the orphan like a father, and from my mother’s womb I guided the widow!
Psa 109:12
May no one show him kindness! May no one have compassion on his fatherless children!
Deu 14:29
Then the Levites (because they have no allotment or inheritance with you), the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows of your villages may come and eat their fill so that the Lord your God may bless you in all the work you do.
Deu 16:11
You shall rejoice before him – you, your son, your daughter, your male and female slaves, the Levites in your villages, the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows among you – in the place where the Lord chooses to locate his name.
Deu 26:12
When you finish tithing all your income in the third year (the year of tithing), you must give it to the Levites, the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows so that they may eat to their satisfaction in your villages.
Deu 26:13
Then you shall say before the Lord your God, “I have removed the sacred offering from my house and given it to the Levites, the resident foreigners, the orphans, and the widows just as you have commanded me. I have not violated or forgotten your commandments.
Deu 24:21
When you gather the grapes of your vineyard you must not do so a second time; they should go to the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow.
Deu 27:19
‘Cursed is the one who perverts justice for the resident foreigner, the orphan, and the widow.’ Then all the people will say, ‘Amen!’
Jer 22:3
The Lord says, “Do what is just and right. Deliver those who have been robbed from those who oppress them. Do not exploit or mistreat foreigners who live in your land, children who have no fathers, or widows. Do not kill innocent people in this land.
Deu 24:20
When you beat your olive tree you must not repeat the procedure; the remaining olives belong to the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow.
Isa 1:23
Your officials are rebels, they associate with thieves. All of them love bribery, and look for payoffs. They do not take up the cause of the orphan, or defend the rights of the widow.
Deu 24:19
Whenever you reap your harvest in your field and leave some unraked grain there, you must not return to get it; it should go to the resident foreigner, orphan, and widow so that the Lord your God may bless all the work you do.


Learn how to help Russian orphans!

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