They have high, sometimes squeaky, voices. They ask bizarre and thoughtful questions like, “Do bugs sweat?” They like to dress up like super heroes and princesses. They are fascinated with things that spin, fly, or crawl.

They are children, and to these unique and precious little people, Jesus has told us the Kingdom belongs. These who are made weak and dependent. Who are tender and always learning. Who have faith built into them, eager to believe the outstanding.

And as one of these, Jesus came forth into the world, a light shining in the darkness. In humility He took the form of a helpless infant, and grew up a simple child in the small town of Nazareth. In fact, a considerable portion of God’s short 33 years on earth were spent as a child. Yes, to demonstrate the humble heart of God, but also to declare the wonder and value of a child.

Jesus nursed dependent at His mother’s breast, endured the fumbling process of learning to crawl and walk, sat through monotonous reading and writing lessons, and experienced the transformations of the teenage years. As a tender shoot, He grew up before us.

From our Lord’s very entrance into the world, He was declaring the abounding worth of a child, becoming one Himself. And this declaration He continued to make into His adult years. During His three years of ministry, He one day gave the highly-anticipated answer to the mysterious question of who would be the greatest in heaven. Jesus demonstrated the answer by calling a child to Himself and setting him before the listening crowd. “Truly I say to you,” Jesus declares, “unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven.” What an unexpected answer.

Oh the value of a child. And we have missed it. We have missed it for centuries. Recall that even in Jesus’ day, His own disciples rebuked those who were bringing children to Him. Jesus, in turn, rebuked His disciples for their error because they did not recognize and acknowledge the value God has placed on these little ones. God in flesh then bent low, took the children in His arms and blessed them.

From then until now, the precious worth of a child remains largely unnoticed. Today in America, approximately 24% of all babies in the womb are killed before birth. About a half a million children are living in foster care, having endured hunger, neglect, rejection, and abuse. Currently church congregations in this nation outnumber children available and waiting for adoption by a 3 to 1 ratio. We have overlooked them, but the Lord’s eye is on them. He is bringing a change, and we are a part of the change; for these statistics will be altered as hearts turn to the children.

God, declare to us again the value of a child. Release the promise spoken through Your prophet Malachi and restore the hearts of fathers to the children and the hearts of children to fathers (Malachi 4:5-6).

 

Kinsey Thurlow

About 6 months ago, the Lord gave me a vivid dream that has caused me set apart this season to go deep in the revelation of who Jesus is and to gather practical tools pertaining to caring for the orphan. I believe that the Lord has many of you in the same season of gaining tools in the spiritual and in the natural as you either are preparing to care for children or are already☺. I have recently completed the Orphan Justice Center Fellowship (a 4 month internship that places emphasis on restoring hurt children, developing leadership skills, and giving opportunities for hands-on experience). I learned some wonderful practical tips for caring for children both through my experiences and reading requirements. Ideally, I hope to peak your interest enough to read some of these particular books for yourself!

Ghosts from the Nursery: Tracing the Roots of Violence, an alarming account of a nineteen year old named Jeffrey who sits on death row for murder, is a call for the Church to take a look at how a child’s experience in the womb and first two years of life truly shapes who they will become. Using portions from Jeffrey’s story, and other children’s stories, Karr-Morse and Wiley portray how infancy is the stage which lays the foundation for conscience, trust, empathy, and learned behaviors. Although not a Christian book, this book has caused me to contemplate many of the “contemporary” approaches to pregnancy, childbirth, and child rearing and how they are affecting the children of this generation. For example, this book talks the positive effects of co- sleeping with your baby. Ghosts from the Nursery pulls from many resources. The information below is mainly from Dr. James McKenna, a professional who specializes in studying sudden infant death syndrome.

“McKenna makes an extraordinarily clear case for rethinking basic child care practices that many of us take for granted, particularly the unquestioned practice of isolating infants in their own beds for sleep. By comparison to other primates, the human baby has a much longer period of dependency on the mother. For the most essential physiological processes the baby’s central nervous system remains immature for several months, relying on closeness to the mother’s body to set its basic rhythms, including eating, states of sleep, and alertness. This makes constant access to a caregiver and the quality of that access key to the early programming of the baby. Understanding this fundamental biological programming in infants is crucial to reducing to reducing sudden infant death, which McKenna sees as a by-product of the Western world’s unique cultural experiment of isolating sleeping infants.

McKenna’s videotaped segments of mother and infants sleeping together show that when the mother moves in her sleep, the baby also moves, their patterns of arousal remaining reciprocal even while asleep.

Isolating infants for sleep is a very expensive consequence of prioritizing the parents’ independence and autonomy over the basic biological expectations of the infant.

Besides being a strong voice for breastfeeding and for babies sleeping with their parents, McKenna is an advocate for child care practices that are based on an informed understanding of infant biological and emotional needs.” 1

Governmental issues regarding how we care for our children and appalling statistics that link violence rates with abuse and neglect in the United States are also covered. I highly recommend this book if you want to gain understanding about the importance of first few years of life. Just be warned that it does contain very vivid, compelling, and true stories pertaining to violence and abuse.

1. Karr-Morse, R., & Wiley, M.S. (1997). Ghosts from the Nursery: Tracing the Roots of Violence. New York, NY: Atlantic Monthly Press, pp. 292-293.

Danielle Helmer

Danielle serves full time with the Orphan Justice Center and IHOP-KC’s Children’s Justice Initiatives. She is currently working with the OJC Restore team to see parents and families equipped to restore their children. Danielle believes there is a mandate from the Lord over her life to be instrumental in raising up a generation of youth to prepare the way for the Lord’s return.

 

I love children. I have always loved children! Even at just five years old, I remember how much more exciting it was for me to hold a baby rather than to run around and play with kids my own age. For as long as I can remember, I have dearly valued and appreciated the lives of little ones.
I suppose this is a quality of some noteworthiness today in an age where millions of children have been rejected and forgotten worldwide, or where even within the family structure, children are seen as a burden and a disturbance to one’s own comfort or dreams for success. I guess it is a virtuous quality that I, along with many of you, carry–we value and treasure the lives of children. However, I can’t help but notice as I read the Bible, that in the heart of God, children are of much greater value than we typically ascribe to them. Of course, any believer would speak of esteeming children, and we would all say it without an ounce of reservation: “Children are a blessing!” But are we missing the true gift that children really are to us, to a dying world, to their own generations, and most importantly to the heart of Jesus?
As a single 25-year-old woman finishing my last year of Bible School and also desiring to one day be a wife and mother, there is a tension that has come up in my heart, which I have also seen come up for many believers when they first begin to have children. The tension is this: “Once I begin to have children, my life and my ministry plans and dreams will have to be put on hold, to some degree, until my children are old enough to be independent.” It’s the tension of having to choose one option as better than the other—to be in full-time ministry or to be a parent. The questions come flooding in: “Is it wisdom to have children and to be hidden away parenting, while there is a dying and hurting world out there that needs to know Jesus? Can’t I get more done for the Kingdom if I am free from children? If I have children, what will become of my ministry, God?”
May God ease our busy minds and hearts! Psalm 127:3-5 says, “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward. Like arrows in the hand of a warrior, so are the children of one’s youth. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them; they shall not be ashamed, but shall speak with their enemies in the gate.” For those of us that genuinely have struggled with this tension, this is great news! If with all sincerity of heart, one is concerned with making deep impact on a dying world and with giving Jesus the desire of His heart for many friends, then truly this is wonderful news! If it is true that “children are like arrows in the hand of a warrior,” then suddenly the unfathomable wisdom of parenting children is revealed to our hearts.
This truth has progressively settled within my own heart in the last couple of years, and I have personally become more confident than ever that if I can raise a few children well in the love and knowledge of God their Creator and Father, Jesus their Bridegroom, King, Judge, and best Friend, Holy Spirit their close Companion and Teacher, then the lengths and distances that my ministry will reach through their precious lives is far greater than what I could ever accomplish of my own accord.
Yes, they will surely be those spoken of in Daniel 11:32 who, “Know their God, are strong, and carry out great exploits.” Far greater than this however, they will be gifts to the yearning heart of Jesus for true and faithful friends of His heart. They will be ones that love Him with all of their heart, soul, mind, and strength. They will be fully given to Him in love. If I can be a part of giving this gift of children to this broken and perishing world, but greater yet, to the heart of Jesus, then I will have considered my choice to be a mother the most wise of all decisions, and surely I will know then that “Wisdom was justified by her children” (Mt. 11:19).
When this settles in our hearts, suddenly we become free to not only have our own biological children, but to actually take in the fatherless of the earth to whatever measure the Lord would give us the ability and grace to; to take what the enemy has meant for evil in these children’s lives and to see our Lord the Redeemer turn it all around for His own glory! And lest you think me naïve and idealistic with romanticized thoughts of what it means to parent children, let me assure you of my awareness to the great task that it is, whether it be with biological or adopted children. However, is not any other legitimate ministry just as laborious if done from a true heart of love? With Jesus as the joy set before us, there are no lengths to which we will not go for the sake of love for Him.
As I close, if I am transparently honest with you, I will tell that I am primarily writing about adoption and the gift that these children are and can be if we could just stop for a moment and peer at them from our Father’s perspective. In the words of one of my greatest heroes of the faith, “My friends, adoption is redemption. It’s costly, exhausting, expensive, and outrageous. Buying back lives costs so much. When God set out to redeem us, it killed Him” (Derek Loux).

Vanessa Cisneros

 

Vanessa consistently serves adoptive families on a weekly basis, and faithfully advocates for justice in prayer and in action. Each Friday at 6am at the International House of Prayer, she leads the nations in prayer for the fatherless. To join Vanessa, and thousands of others who join in prayer via webcast, visit http://www.ihop.org/prayerroom every Friday at 6am (CST).  

We are having our first Safe Families For Children Info Meeting on Tuesday, Jan 24th, 2012 at 6pm. Our friends at the First Church of the Nazarene have graciously offered to host it for us and we are very excited to join them.

This info meeting is open to everyone in the community and we want to invite all families, singles, pastors, missions leaders, community leaders, business owners, workplace professionals and more to this info meeting to hear about how we can join together as a faith community in Kansas City to help children and families in crisis.

At this info meeting we will give an overview of Safe Families For Children including what’s involved in becoming a Host Family for a child and family in crisis as well as the many ways you can help if you are not able to be a host family. We will also have interviews with current host families and their experience hosting a child. You’ll also get a chance to meet our family coaches.

There is a huge need to help children and families in crisis in our city. Will you extend your hand to someone in need? Come find out how.

Registration is required. Please register free by clicking here: http://safefamilieskc_1.eventbrite.com/

Safe Families For Children Info Meeting
Date: Tuesday, Jan 24th, 2012
Time: 6pm – 7:30pm
Location: First Church of the Nazarene
11811 State Line Road
Kansas City, MO 64114

 

Recently, I spent the weekend with two teenage girls whose family is very dear to me. They are sisters who began in the foster care system and then were adopted by a loving family. They are both on painful yet glorious journeys of restoration and I have been blessed to be a part of their healing.

Throughout the weekend we ate together, played games, took walks, laughed, stayed up late talking before bed, and even choreographed a dance to one of their favorite songs. I felt like trust was built and the labor of my love was met with glimpses of love returned.

Then on the evening of the second night, I asked the younger sister to follow an established family rule and she lost control. In a matter of moments she was yelling at me with “I hate you and I never want to see you again” statements. Though on the outside I kept my cool and was able to stay firm to the family rule, I was broken inside.

As I drove back to my apartment after dropping the girls at their house, I just began to weep and pray, “God this hurts so much. To give, and give, and give of myself and only to be met with cursing and ungratefulness. I don’t know if I can keep opening my heart and giving of my love, my time, and my resources if this is the outcome.”

In the midst of tears, I felt Jesus draw so near and whisper to my heart, “Erica, now you know how I feel. I do not shield my heart from the pain of rejection by those I love so dearly.” Day after day, Jesus lavishes His mercy and lovingkindness upon us with little or no response of love in return.

Our glorious calling to be Christ’s hands and feet to the orphaned and fatherless is a calling that requires full dependence upon Him. In ourselves, we are prone to close our hearts down in the midst of pain an unmet expectations. Though we dream of being “superdad” or “supermom” with everything it takes to love our children, the truth is that we are just as broken and unlovely as they are apart from Christ.

It is only as we gaze upon Jesus who gave of Himself to the point of dying naked and bleeding on a cross that we are empowered to follow Him on the path of sacrifice and love. It is only as we receive extravagantly of His mercy and grace that we can pour ourselves out before others. As we drink of His Word and abide in His love, His Spirit is our strength helping us open our hearts again and again and again until love wins in our hearts and the hearts of our children.

Erica Grimaldi

Erica grew up in a family that has fostered over 30 children. From a family of 8 children, she is one of 3 biological children and a sister to 5 adopted children. Erica is a writer and justice advocate, desiring to see true justice brought to the fatherless unto the glorification of Jesus’ holy name.

At the core of my inner man, I felt dread. Like I just ate 10 pounds of cold rocks. My stomach twisted and felt weighed down. I was trapped and saw no way out. My wife wants to adopt a child with special needs.

What does that mean for me when I’m 75 years old, and all the years from now until then? What does that mean for the 8 other kids in my family? I felt weighed down with the burden to care long term for a child with special needs, and trapped with how hypocritical that was for me to feel that way.

My wife had spoken many times over the years of adopting a little girl with Down’s Syndrome. I could handle it then because I knew it was in the future. I knew that when we became ready to adopt again the Lord would direct (more like re-direct..:-) . Now we are ready and a little girl with no family is knocking at the door, and I am a mess inside.

I know in my heart that our family has room for more children. I pray for the fatherless of the earth daily. My ministry is focused on justice for children (www.orphanjusticecenter.com). How in the world could I say no to this one? I feel really trapped. So I presented my heart to the Lord.

Since before we were married I considered myself dead to my own life and alive to Christ. I have been living for Him since 1983. But when the reality of the life long commitment to a child with special needs in my family was presented to me, some areas of my heart that were still living for me were uncovered. My inner man was saying: “I’m just not made for this. There are others with the gifts needed to enter into this day to day care that goes on till you die. I need to be free to……be free….you know from …OK, just admit it… from long term burden”.

Enter the word of God: 2 Cor 1:3-5 “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God . For just as we share abundantly in the sufferings of Christ, so also our comfort abounds through Christ.”

During a prayer time for orphans, one of our prayer team members shared this verse. It hit me between the eyes. I even felt a little numb, like some invisible sword just went down through the middle of me. I was in shock from the strike. This started a process that has turned my dread into dancing! I’m not kidding, it’s not an exaggeration. I experienced a real and true transformation of my heart from the Lord.

Over the next week or so the numbness wore off and revelation began to hit my mind and heart. As I realized that I was being invited into a deeper encounter with the Lord, the apparent sacrifice and feeling of dread was replaced with joy and anticipation. My heart was getting free from a lie of self preservation. “I believe you Lord. I can love well beyond what I can imagine because you will provide all my heart needs, all my family needs from me, and all our new daughter will need”! The revelation of His provision set my heart to a new place. I felt the Psalms 23:5 “My cup overflows”. This isn’t about my capacity, this is about the life of Christ in me. My heart has fallen in love with her. She is not a burden, she is beautiful! The word of God has freed me up to love like He loves. To see her like He sees her, precious, beautiful and delightful! I can’t wait to bring her home, to her new family, to our family! My heart cries “Abba, keep her and protect her. Bring her to us quickly. How I long to hold her and speak tenderly to her.”

It is the Father’s design of life that through our trials He pours out more than enough comfort so we have abundance to give to others in distress; that our hearts would be like His heart, burning with fiery love for the little ones. James 1:27 states that “pure and undefiled religion is to visit the widow and the orphan in their distress”. That word ‘distress’ is the same Greek word (thlip-sei) used for ‘trouble’ or ‘tribulation’ in the 2 Cor 1:4 verse that changed me. I don’t think it can be any clearer, their distress is to be visited with the comfort we receive from our God. This is the design of justice in action in the kingdom of God – hearts ablaze with love, living like Jesus did on Earth, His love overflowing through us to those in need.

 

-Craig Dinsmore   President of Orphan Justice Center 

Craig and his wife Linda are parents to 7 biological children, 1 adopted son, and they are soon to add Lucille to their family. Please pray for them as they begin the adoption process. To follow Lucille’s adoption story, visit http://welovelucille.blogspot.com.

You can watch the Orphan Sunday Live Event Video Archive Here.

On November 6th, 2011, Orphan Justice Center partnered with Christian Alliance for Orphans and International House of Prayer in Kansas City to bring united prayer for the millions of children in need of care and protection!

The first hour is filled with worship and prayers for orphans worldwide. The 2nd hour includes speaking from Renee & Telma Loux (Founder of OJC), Randy Bohlender (The Zoe Foundation) and Adam Parker (Director of Safe Families For Children Kansas City).

Orphan Justice Center has partnered with Christian Alliance for Orphans and International House of Prayer in Kansas City to bring united prayer for the millions of children in need of care and protection!

Join us via the webstream at: OrphanSunday.org! 6:00-8:00 PM central time.

Stay tuned after the first hour to hear from Justice Leaders Renee and Telma Loux.

               

Cry aloud before the Lord … 

Let your tears flow like a river day and night.

Give yourselves no rest; give your eyes no relief.

Rise during the night and cry out. 

Pour out your hearts like water to the Lord. 

Lift up your hands to him in prayer,

pleading for your children,

for in every street they are faint with hunger.

               Lamentations 2:18–19

 

Dear Orphan Justice Partners,

Orphan Justice Center has partnered with Christian Alliance for Orphans and International House of Prayer to bring united prayer for the millions of children in need of care and protection!

Join us via the webstream at: OrphanSunday.org! 6:00-8:00 PM central time.

Thousands of churches will be gathering this day to stand for the orphan.  Please stand with us on Sunday as we cry out for vulnerable and oppressed children around the world.

Stay tuned after the prayer to hear from Justice Leaders Renee and Telma Loux.

Help us continue this united prayer in behalf of the orphan and widow by getting your copy of OJC’s book Strength of the King.  It has helpful tools for prayer and for getting involved.  Everyone has a part to play and this book gives easy ideas to help you get started.  This is a great resource for a small group or church group to use to go through the biblical call to help those without resources and without family.

You can order your books at http://www.lulu.com/product/paperback/the-strength-of-the-king/18549147.