By Guest Author on March 14th, 2012

“I’m STUPID!” five-year old Danisha* said to me with angry enthusiasm. Danisha was then living in a foster care residential treatment facility with a number of other children. As I sat with her amongst a group of the other young ones, I could see anger in her eyes. Her whole body tense.

Danisha was angry because I had told her how precious she was. How much Jesus loves her, how He made her, how she’s His daughter. With each statement, she denied it. “No He doesn’t. No He didn’t. No I’m not!”

”He does love you…He made you so beautiful!” That seemed to push her over the edge. “No I’m not, I’m stupid!” was her final response, her head down.

My heart broke. I tried to reason with her…“That is not true! He loves the way He made you, the way He made your mind” “Oh, Father,” I prayed out loud, “Reveal the depths and heights of Your love to this precious little girl. Open her heart to receive it.” Read More

By Guest Author on March 8th, 2012

God has planted in each of our hearts dreams for the next generation that are presently in seed form. With nearly half a million children in the US foster care system, we are longing for God to raise up mothers and fathers who would open their homes and lay down their lives to see these children restored. With hundreds of millions of orphans worldwide in dire need, we are praying for the Holy Spirit to awaken and empower the Church to answer their cries.

As we hope, pray, and begin to respond today, what we often fail to see is that our longing for the fatherless to be restored is far more than just a means to an end—it is actually a beautiful invitation into the heart of God. The passion that we feel in our hearts when we hear about abused and neglected children is just a fraction of the zeal that God feels for them. When we stand and pray in the chasm between innumerable orphans and their restoration, we are not standing alone but we are partnering with the King of the universe to see justice established across the earth.

Two of the greatest temptations that we face today as we contend for the fatherless to be brought into godly families are discouragement and ungratefulness. The stories of abuse can seem daunting and we are susceptible to ask, “What can I really do to change such a huge problem?” If we give into despair, we have already lost the battle because we fail to appreciate the small miracles that are happening all around us. Read More

By Adam Parker on March 5th, 2012

Reposted from the Safe Families KC  Blog (http://www.safefamilieskc.org/blog/)

This website is an amazing resource we use for connecting families in need with families who have resources in Kansas City through our Safe Families For Children Program. Go to youshare.org today to sign up and be apart of your community of giving and sharing resources with others.

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Youshare.org connects families with critical needs to people who can fulfill those needs. It’s an opportunity for people to share their resources and develop relationships that will lead to better lives.

You can be part of this adventure in sharing, whether you are an individual looking to improve lives through sharing or an organization that serves people with critical needs.

The idea for youshare.org began when we heard about a caring mom who simply needed two mattresses for her kids. Recently employed after a period of homelessness, she was trying to furnish her new apartment. Local social service agencies knew there must be extra mattresses out there somewhere — but found it difficult to hunt them down with their other responsibilities weighing on them as well. She eventually found the mattresses on her own, but it wasn’t easy.

Youshare.org was created to serve people in this very situation. It goes one step further than simply meeting immediate needs. Youshare.org helps foster personal relationships that will help families in crisis build a better life.

Visit youshare.org and sign-up today, fill out your profile and begin finding out how you can help people in need in your own community!

By Kinsey Thurlow on February 1st, 2012

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. Read More

By Guest Author on January 23rd, 2012

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. Read More

By Guest Author on January 13th, 2012

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?” Read More

By Adam Parker on January 2nd, 2012

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

By Craig Dinsmore on December 24th, 2011

 

By Guest Author on December 13th, 2011

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.

By Craig Dinsmore on December 5th, 2011

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.