We are excited to let everyone know about a concert and conference coming up on Friday, April 8, 2011. Steven Curtis Chapman is coming to town with the “End the Wait Tour.” Steven Curtis Chapman has a ministry called Show Hope http://www.showhope.org/ which was the first ministry we first saw that assisted families wanting to adopt. They are also partnered with an orphanage in China. This ministry was such an inspiration to us, as we dreamed about what might be possible in Canada. As we looked at what they do and how they do it, we began to put together the Canadian ministry “Above and Beyond.” The Chapman’s have an amazing heart to see waiting children find “forever families” and the focus of this tour is to raise awareness in 13 cities across Canada about adoption and how the church can be involved in this important mandate from scripture. There is a conference happening in five of the cities and Burnaby will be one of those cities! We are fortunate to have a chance to speak at the conference and we would love as many people as possible to come out and support us on this journey, as well as see what role you and your church could play in the orphan crisis. Steven Curtis Chapman and Geoff Moore will also be sharing in a question and answer period during the conference about our response to the needs of orphans. We really hope you’ll join us as we dream about getting Canada excited about what we can do to see the wait ended for millions of precious children! Here is the link if you want to learn more about this event:
Equipping Christians, the Church and communities to support families through practical and financial means, to bring orphans into loving, Christian, forever families, through adoption. (James 1:27)
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
The Time is Now!
Last Thursday, in the weekly life group that we lead, we talked about the state of world poverty, what the Bible has to say, and our response to it. It is a subject that we are very passionate about. We feel so blessed to live where we do, have the opportunities that we have and not have to live in daily fear about our safety or where our next meal will come from. Living in a country as incredible as Canada is truly a blessing, but it is also so easy to get comfortable in our blessings and forget how the rest of the world lives. Of course we don’t really forget, but it sure can seem distant as we deal with the daily stresses and issues of life here. I find that often, I need to be brought back to the reality of the true state of the world, to remind myself what is really important and what my mission really is here on earth. Here are some statistics that really shook us up. As you read them, let them sink in, let them cause your heart to break. These stats make us uncomfortable, but if we allow them to break our hearts, they will move us to action.
Of the 6.7 Billion People in the World Today:
1 Billion people don’t have enough food to eat.
25,000 children die each day from largely preventable causes (9.2 million children per year).
1.1 Billion people do not have access to safe water.
We use about 100 litres of water for a five-minute shower; a person in a developing country would average about 10 litres per day.
90 Million children are not in school.
2% of disabled children in developing countries receive an education.
33 Million people are living with HIV in the world today.
5,479 people die each day of AIDS.
12 Million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS (This number is projected to reach 14 million by 2015.)
300,000 children under 18 currently serving in government forces or armed rebel groups.
9 Million children have been forced to flee their homes and live as refugees.
After a visit to India, Gospel for Asia founder, KP Yohannan returned with the following newspaper clipping:
On the front page there was a picture of a little boy lying on a sidewalk next to a dog, and if you look closely at the picture you can see that the boy is actually sucking milk out of the female dog, just to get a little bit of nourishment. The caption under the picture said, ”This dog is his mother.” The article went on to explain that there are 100,000 children on the streets of just one city in India who don’t have anyone at all to take care of them.
In a world where we are so advanced and have so much at our disposal, this should not be. However, it is the world that is a reality for most orphans around the world. They are the most vulnerable; they are the ones that are affected most by these stats. In the position of blessing that we find ourselves in, here in North America, we must respond to this challenge. The time is now!
“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”
Luke 12:48b
Statistic Sources:
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 2008; FAO, 2009)
- United Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF) 2009. The State of the World’s Children.
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Human Development Report (HDR) 2006.
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 2003. World Environment Day website.
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) 2007. Education For All Global Monitoring Report.
- Child Rights Information Network 2007
- Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). 2008. Report on the global AIDS epidemic 2008.
- Human Rights Watch 2006. Facts About Child Soldiers.
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) 2007.
Of the 6.7 Billion People in the World Today:
1 Billion people don’t have enough food to eat.
25,000 children die each day from largely preventable causes (9.2 million children per year).
1.1 Billion people do not have access to safe water.
We use about 100 litres of water for a five-minute shower; a person in a developing country would average about 10 litres per day.
90 Million children are not in school.
2% of disabled children in developing countries receive an education.
33 Million people are living with HIV in the world today.
5,479 people die each day of AIDS.
12 Million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS (This number is projected to reach 14 million by 2015.)
300,000 children under 18 currently serving in government forces or armed rebel groups.
9 Million children have been forced to flee their homes and live as refugees.
After a visit to India, Gospel for Asia founder, KP Yohannan returned with the following newspaper clipping:
On the front page there was a picture of a little boy lying on a sidewalk next to a dog, and if you look closely at the picture you can see that the boy is actually sucking milk out of the female dog, just to get a little bit of nourishment. The caption under the picture said, ”This dog is his mother.” The article went on to explain that there are 100,000 children on the streets of just one city in India who don’t have anyone at all to take care of them.
In a world where we are so advanced and have so much at our disposal, this should not be. However, it is the world that is a reality for most orphans around the world. They are the most vulnerable; they are the ones that are affected most by these stats. In the position of blessing that we find ourselves in, here in North America, we must respond to this challenge. The time is now!
“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”
Luke 12:48b
Statistic Sources:
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), 2008; FAO, 2009)
- United Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF) 2009. The State of the World’s Children.
- United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Human Development Report (HDR) 2006.
- United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 2003. World Environment Day website.
- UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) 2007. Education For All Global Monitoring Report.
- Child Rights Information Network 2007
- Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS). 2008. Report on the global AIDS epidemic 2008.
- Human Rights Watch 2006. Facts About Child Soldiers.
- United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) 2007.
Monday, March 7, 2011
Righteous anger!
We just finished a meeting with our team and we are encouraged about the direction things are going! We are moving ahead and it feels like we are making progress towards the goal of seeing waiting children come into their forever families. Earlier this week we read some discouraging things about the world state of adoption. There seems to be increasing roadblocks for families trying to adopt and the children that are so desperate for a family and someone to care for them. It’s hard not to become angry when you hear stories of children suffering and dying for lack of a family, families that want to adopt and then governments or individuals standing in the way and stopping the two from coming together. We must remember that God is bigger than these challenges and it is His heart’s desire to see waiting children in loving homes. We must continue to pray for these things and “rally the troops” to answer the call to action. Will you help us raise the alarm and pray?
Our friend Jason Kovacs from ABBA Fund in the US (http://abbafund.wordpress.com/) posted an article this week about the state of international adoption. Here is a little sampling of it:
“International adoption is under siege, with the number of children placed dropping each of the last several years, and many countries imposing severe new restrictions. Key forces mounting the attack claim the child human rights mantle, arguing that such adoption denies heritage rights, and often involves abusive practices. Many nations assert rights to hold onto the children born within their borders, and others support these demands citing subsidiarity principles. But children’s most basic human rights are to grow up in the families that will often be found only in international adoption. These rights should trump any conflicting state sovereignty claims.”
It appears obvious that the rights of the child are being “advocated for”, but really are the last thing actually considered. Those involved are more concerned about ensuring “heritage” is preserved or a country keeps those born there, than actually giving a child a chance for a loving family or a future. We know that human trafficking is major problem in our world today, but Jason followed the article with this interesting quote: “To say international adoption leads to human trafficking and should be stopped is like saying marriage leads to spousal abuse and should be ended.”
Again, we must come back to the fact that God is bigger than the forces that try to block what He is doing on the earth. It is healthy to feel anger well up inside over issues like this. However, the proper response is not hatred and anger at those involved, but rather turning towards God in prayer and asking what our part would be to take action and make a difference. What will your part be?
Our friend Jason Kovacs from ABBA Fund in the US (http://abbafund.wordpress.com/) posted an article this week about the state of international adoption. Here is a little sampling of it:
“International adoption is under siege, with the number of children placed dropping each of the last several years, and many countries imposing severe new restrictions. Key forces mounting the attack claim the child human rights mantle, arguing that such adoption denies heritage rights, and often involves abusive practices. Many nations assert rights to hold onto the children born within their borders, and others support these demands citing subsidiarity principles. But children’s most basic human rights are to grow up in the families that will often be found only in international adoption. These rights should trump any conflicting state sovereignty claims.”
It appears obvious that the rights of the child are being “advocated for”, but really are the last thing actually considered. Those involved are more concerned about ensuring “heritage” is preserved or a country keeps those born there, than actually giving a child a chance for a loving family or a future. We know that human trafficking is major problem in our world today, but Jason followed the article with this interesting quote: “To say international adoption leads to human trafficking and should be stopped is like saying marriage leads to spousal abuse and should be ended.”
Again, we must come back to the fact that God is bigger than the forces that try to block what He is doing on the earth. It is healthy to feel anger well up inside over issues like this. However, the proper response is not hatred and anger at those involved, but rather turning towards God in prayer and asking what our part would be to take action and make a difference. What will your part be?
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