Do We See America's Orphans?

A great post about the Fatherless in our own back yard. Take a minute and read it. Be changed.
Do We See America’s Orphans

Orphan Hosting Program for Summer of 2012

I received some additional information this morning about the hosting program that I want to share with you all. It has been confirmed that the children will be coming from Ethiopia. They will be boys ages 8-14, girls ages 10-14, and maybe some sibling sets. They will be staying in Fresno for 3-4 weeks next July and are all adoptable! The last hosting event Welcoming Angels did was with 10 children from Ethiopia and of those, 9 have been adopted! You do NOT need to want to adopt to host a child, but you do have to advocate for the child! Some of the 9 I mentioned were not adopted by their host families, they were adopted by neighbors and friends that fell in love with them! We can make this happen in Fresno, at NorthPointe! How amazing would it be to have 10 little Ethiopian children running around NP and then placed in their forever families?!

I was originally told the costs would be up to $3500 but was told today that it will be more like $2500 and she is trying to get the costs lower! That is great news! One of the ways to get the costs even lower is to find a doctor and dentist to treat these children pro bono if they become ill or there's an emergency, so that it lessens the costs of insurance for the children. So if anyone knows of anyone who may be interested in volunteering their services, please let me know. Also, if any of you are interested in hosting, please let me know as soon as possible. We need a minimum of 5 families to host...let's make this happen NorthPointe!

The Oasis - Our Ethiopian Adoption: All Fall Down

The Oasis - Our Ethiopian Adoption: All Fall Down: A great post on adoption and, more importantly, orphan care.

International vs. Domestic Adoption

Strolling through a blog I love to read, the Blocks, and I came across this old post from them about international and domestic adoption that I wanted to share with you. If you have ever considered adoption this one's for you: click here to read the post!

Sam is This Week’s Waiting Child

An adoption agency I follow on Facebook often posts children that are waiting for a home. Many times, because many people share the child's information on Facebook, Twitter, and other outlets, the children find homes! Thank God for social media and how it helps to advocate for waiting children! Check out this week's waiting child and foward this to your friends. You never know who's heart will be broken for one of these children...allowing these children to find forever homes!
Sam, Minnie and Me — Sam is This Week’s Waiting Child

From the Eyes and Heart of an Adopted Child

Came across this blog post and really loved the perspective from a young woman named Erica who was adopted as an infant.
Hope at Home: An Adopted Child's Perspective on Adoption: Erica

Caring for Orphans in Ethiopia

Bethany Christian Services is doing an amazing job caring for orphans in Ethiopia. Ethiopia has the largest population of orphans, mostly due to AIDS, and Bethany is not only finding forever homes for them here in the US, they are also helping families there in Ethiopia foster these children and they have a sponsorship program which helps families earn a profit to care for their children instead of giving them for adoption. Click this link for a great video.

Heartbreak and Adjustment of Adoption

Came across this blog post tonight of the heartbreak of orphans and the hard, hard, adjustment of adoption. Yes, adoption of an orphan IS beyond worth it, but it IS also very hard. Click the link below for a blog about a family's struggles "after the airport".
After the Airport

Welcoming Angels

Special Needs-Cleft Lip

Don't let the term "special needs" scare you from adopting a child with this label. Many children are considered special needs because they are either older and healthy or they have a need that is easily correctable like a cleft lip. Here is a great article of adopting a child with a cleft lip, click here. These children need forever homes as well, so be open to the child God already has chosen for your family.

Orphan Hosting Program

Our newest project is working with Welcoming Angels to hold an Orphan Hosting Program here during the summer of 2012! There are well over 145 million orphans in the world today. Not having a mom or dad is just a small part of being an orphan. The real pain of being an orphan comes from living your life under a banner of being REJECTED, UNWANTED, and OPTIONAL. The value and self-worth issues continue...for life. Christ was clear. He instructs us to care for and love orphans. YOU can care for an orphan and show them they are loved and valued by God by hosting them in your home. These children are all adoptable, ages 8-15, and from either China or Ethiopia (we have not heard which country they will be coming from). The children will be here for 3-4 weeks during the summer. This is a great opportunity for those considering adopting because you can see what it is like having another child, especially a child from another country, in your home without the "commitment" of adoption. However, this program is NOT for those only considering adopting. Any family can host a child, and in doing so, maybe someone in your immediate family or circle of friends falls in love with the child you host and decides to adopt him or her. Think of the look on these children's faces when they experience things they have never seen before! What an experience for them! We have to have at least 5 families commited to host a child and we pray that all the children who come next summer find forever homes while they are here. There are costs involved to host a child and the applications are due in February, so contact me ASAP if you are interested in opening your home for an orphan.

Meals for Families

One new thing we have started recently is providing meals for families who just received placement of either foster or adopted children. When families welcome these children into their homes, there is a big adjustment period. What better way to help then to deliver a few meals to these families? We have a team of women who have signed up to prepare meals when needed but would love to welcome more women (or men) on this team. If you would like to prepare a meal when we hear of a family in need, please contact us.

2011 Orphan Sunday Video

Orphan Sunday is coming in November! Click here for this year's moving video!

Adoption Tax Credit

Here is a great article on the adoption tax credit for 2011, 2012, and beyond. The tax credit helps tremendously with the costs of adoption. Click here to find out more.

Sponsor an Orphan

Sponsoring an orphan in another country is an easy way to care for an orphan. Bethany is a Christian adoption agency, with an office here in Fresno, who has a sponsorship program. Click this link to find out more. A little of your money can go a long way in their country, help an orphan today!

Adoptive Children and "Looking Different"

Here is a great article from Dillion International about adoptive children "looking different" than others. Especially great for those of you who have adopted internationally. Click here to read the article.

Orphans and the Church

Watch this short video from Steven Curtis Chapman about orphans and the church. Click here.

Prayer Cards

We have had many families pick up cards of orphans in India and Kenya to pray for. We still have some left that need prayed for so if you would like to pray for one (or more) child, please contact us. We have set up a pen pal type of system with the children in India (we are hoping to do the same for Kenya) and so it would be nice to have a pen pal for each and every child. Thank you for praying for these children!

Orphan's Closet

We held our first Orphan Closet Drive at NorthPointe and were blown away by all the donations! Our church family is amazing. We are still sorting all the items but we have hundreds of pieces of clothes from 0-teen, 3 strollers, 2 swings, a highchair, a glider, bottles, bouncy seats, etc. If anyone in the church is adopting or fostering and in need of items please contact us. We will also be contacting some local agencies to get the items in the hands of the fatherless in our area. Thank you NorthPointe for making this drive a huge success!

Local and International Orphan Care

We provide continued sponsorship and support to orphans globally and well as support the orphans in our "backyard".
*Mentoring
*CASA Volunteers
*Group Home Visits
*Item Drives
*Praying for Orphans
*Missions Trips