Update

Several of you have asked we where are in the process, so I wanted to give you an update. We have seen a child on Reece's Rainbow that we are praying about, and we will begin our homestudy in the next several weeks. We are currently raising funds for the homestudy (see our meter at the side), and we will be offering some fundraisers soon to help with that. So that is where we are! And for those of you who want to know the big question- where? We are feeling led to a certain Eastern European country! That's all I can say!!

Guest Post by my friend Amy

Please take a minute and read this post by my friend Amy. She and her husband, Jon, have just returned from Ukraine with their daughter Vera Beth. This is a great picture of what it's like in the "best" orphanages:

I've been dreading writing this post. But it must be said.

I've come to the ironic conclusion that children do not belong in orphanages.

Duh!

Children belong with families...mommies and daddies and maybe a sibling or two...or three...or four...or sometimes more or sometimes none. But they definitely belong with mommies and daddies. Nannies and caregivers are just that. Nannies and caregivers don't say, "I love you." Nannies and caregivers don't give hugs. They don't comfort when a child is hurt. Most nannies and caregivers (that we've seen) do their best, but when you're responsible for 11 - 15 kids at one time, there's only so much you can do.

Sigh.

I am so thankful for all the time we've been able to spend with Vera here and that we've had a glimpse into her life over the past 6 years. We love this girl DEARLY and she is an Evans for sure. When I stop to ponder how perfect she is for our family...well, it makes me weepy. When I stop to ponder how much you all will adore her...well, it makes tears fall down my cheeks. You will all love her bunches. She has already brought so much joy to Jon and I and I know she will bring even more to our whole family and each of you once we get her home where she belongs. I know I've said it before, but Vera is a treasure. Our treasure. We have 3 amazing kids at home and now we're adding one more to the mix. Why are we so blessed? I'll let you know when I figure it out.

Vera doesn't cry when she's hurt. Have I told you that? She's had a few injuries during our visits...she's been bonked in the eye (and it swelled up a bit) and knocked in the head by a wooden swing. She's fallen countless times...several were 'big' falls and I was prepared for tears. Nope. She has never cried. Her eyes teared up a few of those times, but the tears never fell. She would wipe them away and move on. We have seen how the children in her group are comforted, and I use that word loosely, when they're hurt. It's minimal. Sometimes it's just words across the playground. Sometimes it's by pinching the child's cheeks...like that's what you want if you're hurt. Every now and then a crying child will be placed next to a caregiver. I have yet to see a child hugged or held. I have yet to see a child sit in someone's lap. It's weird to say, but I'm looking forward to Vera's first injury that causes her to cry and seek comfort from Jon or I.

Vera doesn't know how to seek comfort or be comforted.

She doesn't know how to be held, but she's learning.

She doesn't know how to hug or be hugged, but she's learning.

She's 6. She should have hugging down by now.

Sigh.

Children do not belong in orphanages.

I have yet to see a child in Vera's group play with a toy. Her room is FULL of great books and toys. They have been in the exact same positions on the shelves since our first day here. I don't know why, but I took a mental photo that day. Nothing has moved. No toy has been played with. No book has been read. WHY?

Jon and I were commenting a few days ago that the only times we have seen Vera's group actually play is when they're on the little fenced in playground. And they only go to the little playground when a certain caregiver is there. One of Vera's (and ours) favorite people. She was gone for a week. Vera's group was not on the playground that whole, entire week. Do you know what we've seen them do instead of play?

They sit. They walk.

The group comes outside every day if it's not raining. We've seen them sit, for over an hour (sometimes our whole 2 hour visit), with no toys. They just sit in the shade on blankets or on benches. They sit and stare at the world around them. It seems so cruel to me. They're children. They're 2, 3 and 4 year olds. They should be running and squealing and playing tag. The boys should be pretending all the sticks around them are swords. They should be playing with balls and trucks and dolls. They should be smelling all the beautiful flowers around them and eating the ripening cherries off the trees.

Sometimes, instead of sitting, they walk. One day they did 3 slow loops around the grounds. About every 30 minutes, Vera's group would pass us. Vera would be playing in the sand or eating berries off a tree and here would come her group. 12 or so kids ages 2 to 4. Walking in circles. Never veering off the cement path. Never exploring all the awesome trees and flowers on the grounds. Never going down the slide or teeter-tottering or playing in the sand. Never running. I haven't seen any of these children run.

They sit.

And they walk.

One day we picked Vera up from her room and the kids were sitting all lined up in their little wooden chairs watching a soap opera. It may have been in Russian, but a soap opera is a soap opera no matter what country you're in. When we returned Vera over 2 hours later, her group was still sitting there in the same wooden chairs watching TV.

Another day when we arrived for our visit, no one was is in the big room, but we could hear the caregivers' voices. I ventured in and got a peek into the other room, the one I thought was their bedroom. I didn't see any beds, but there were a few little couches. The kids were all sitting on the little couches. Just sitting. The children were not talking...just sitting and staring.

I got to have lunch with Vera on Friday. Well, I got to go into her room during lunch and watch Vera eat with her group.

I cried on the way home.

Children do not belong in orphanages.

They started with borscht and bread.

See the darling one next to Vera with the pony tail on top of her head? That's 'Lisa.' She's the one who wanted me to pick her up when we first met Vera. She's the one who snuggled up next to Jon and patted his arm. She's the one who wraps herself around my legs every chance she gets. She's the one who will be on our hearts and minds when we leave here. I don't know 'Lisa's' story. I don't even know if she's adoptable. But she's the one. Jon and I discussed it and neither of us believe that Lisa is ours...but she is somebody's. Could she be yours?

See the beautiful girl on the right (below)? That's 'Nice Girl.' I don't know her story either, but I do think she's had visitors. One day while we were waiting for Vera (the kids are usually in tank tops and underwear, but sometimes they put a dress on Vera for our visits), I peeked in each and every locker in Vera's group. I wanted to cry. 10 of these children only have hats and shoes. And really, those hats and shoes belong to the orphanage. 10 of these children have nothing. Nothing to call their own. The 3 that had other things in their lockers were Vera (who has had several visitors), 'Allie' who we've seen several times with who we assume is her father, and Nice Girl, who must have had a visitor because she has a purse and a few other things in her locker.
Anyway, lunch was interesting. This (below) was the only time I could get Vera to look at me. I kept trying to talk to her, but she was very intent on her lunch. I think I figured out why. It was eerily quiet. There was no talking except the caregivers telling a little one to be careful (I assume). 13 kids, ages 2 - 4, and not one of them spoke a word during lunch. The only sound was the silverware clanking against the bowls and plates. I've taught pre-school and I remember what lunch with 15 three-year-olds was like. It was not like this.
Lisa and Nice Girl paid me a lot of attention. Aren't they just precious? After the soup bowls were taken away, the children were given plates with potatoes, green onions and another piece of bread. They wasted no time in digging in. Vera was taking such huge bites I kept telling her to slow down or she would choke. The others ate the same way. Quickly and with huge bites that were barely chewed before they swallowed. Vera finished her food and a caregiver started walking towards our table. Nice Girl started shoveling food into her mouth. I didn't realize what was going on until the caregiver reached for Nice Girl's plate. She was almost done and was still shoveling bites in as fast as she could. And away went her plate. Nice Girl wasn't done. She would've finished her food. Her eyes teared up as her plate was taken away with a few bites still on it. She wasn't done. She wanted to finish her lunch. Her mouth was so full from shoveling in those last bites that she could hardly chew.
Obviously these kids aren't starving. I have not seen one child here that looks malnourished in any way. For this, I am so thankful. So many people have told us that this is one of the nicest orphanages in Ukraine. I don't doubt that at all. It was just heartbreaking to watch the caregivers shove HUGE bites of food into little 2 year old mouths who hardly got to chew and swallow before the next huge bite of food was shoved into their mouths. What is the rush?

I don't understand this place. These children do not belong here. Why are they here? Where are their parents? Why have we let the orphan crisis become a crisis? These children need families. These children need to PLAY. These children need someone to hug them every day and tell them they are LOVED. The only sense I can make of their smiles that come so easily is that God watches over and upholds the fatherless.

This past week was hard for me. I cried a lot and had a good ole pity party. Was I crying because I miss my kids at home? ABSOLUTELY! I literally ache to hug my 3 oldest children at home. I knew being away for this long would be hard, but I had no idea it was going to be like this. And really, the first 3 weeks, though long, went pretty quickly. I missed the kids, but not like I have this week. But that's not the only reason for all the tears this week. I have cried for 'Lisa' and Nice Girl and so many other children that we've seen every day. So many other children that call us Mama and Papa. So many other children who need someone to come get them. So many other children living each day without hugs and 'I love you's.' So many children...

Children do not belong in orphanages.

I will leave you with Dueteronomy 10: 12 - 21. This passage has been such a comfort to me as I have sojourned in a land that is not my own.

"And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, to love him, to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and to keep the commandments and statutes of the Lord, which I am commanding you today for your good? Behold, to the Lord your God belong heaven and the heaven of heavens, the earth with all that is in it. Yet the Lord set his heart in love on your fathers and chose their offspring after them, you above all peoples, as you are this day. Circumcise therefore the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stubborn. For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing. Love the sojourner, therefore, for you were sojourners in the land of Egypt. You shall fear the Lord your God. You shall serve him and hold fast to him, and by his name you shall swear. He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen."

Roger's Newsletter Article

Adopting For The Gospel

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!" Galatians 4:4-6

I was going to write an article this month on what I learned on my trip to Canada. And perhaps I will write that one soon. It certainly was an eye-opening visit and I wholeheartedly believe that God is calling Clear Creek to adopt southwestern Ontario as a mission field and to begin a church planting movement there [please see last month’s Ripple for an overview of this opportunity]. I would write this month on adopting this area for the gospel, but God is doing something in my family that is even more significant for us and may be for you. He has called our family to adopt a child or children for the gospel.

The need for adoption is profound: in the United States alone, more than 500,000 children were in foster care system in 2005, the last year for which federal statistics were available. About 115,000 were waiting for adoption. Around the world, there are an estimated 145 million orphans who need a home and family. But for us this is not about social justice, nor is it about our need to fill a void in our lives by having more children. Trust me, with four kids running around my house, there is no void! We are blessed and treasure our kids as a heritage and gift from God (Psalm 127:3) but we do not feel a need to have more. But like many Christian families, we are beginning to understand the significance of the doctrine of adoption. God has adopted us, grafting us into His family. And so for the sake of the gospel and the magnification of God, we want to respond in joyful obedience to his call to adoption.

We are, of course, not alone in this. Many of you have already responded to God’s call and adopted children of your own. And there is definitely something happening right now among the people of God, a movement of adoption for the gospel as a recent article on SBC.net shows:

“Something is afoot among Christian families and churches of virtually every kind,” says Russell Moore, Dean of the School of Theology at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, who wrote a resolution on adoption that was unanimously passed at the 2009 Southern Baptist Convention. “God is calling the people of Christ to see the face of Jesus in the faces of orphans in North America and around the world. Southern Baptists have affirmed our belief in the authority of Scripture, and the Bible tells us pure religion is defined by care for the fatherless.

“We’ve been defined by our commitment to evangelism, and there is no greater field as `white unto harvest’ right now as children in orphanages, group homes, and the foster care system, children who don’t know a parent’s love and who don’t know the name of Jesus. When Satan wars against children, we should be the ones who have compassion on them, even as Jesus did and does.

During the introduction of the resolution, Moore appeared on stage with Timothy and Benjamin, the sons he and his wife adopted seven years ago. More than 8,000 messengers met the resolution and its unanimous passage with lengthy, enthusiastic applause. “I was overwhelmed with emotion on the platform to see my sons, two little ex-orphans, looking out on a sea of yellow ballots as thousands of Southern Baptists affirmed that we want to be the people who love fatherless children,” he said.

“I realized that, in an alternative story, my boys would still be in an orphanage, not knowing even the name of Christ Jesus. But here they are, at the Southern Baptist Convention, calling by their very presence the world’s largest Protestant denomination to recognize there are hundreds of thousands of children as helpless and alone as they once were.

“My prayer is that twenty years from now there are thousands of Southern Baptist pastors, missionaries, and church leaders who started their lives as orphans, now preaching the gospel of God their Father.”

Caroline and I and our children rejoice that God might allow us to show forth His glory in this way and so we are pursuing adoption. We are early in this, and have not yet been matched with a child. The process is long and expensive and heartbreaking. And so we would appreciate your prayers.

As you may have heard me say before, everything is doctrinal. When we got married 20 years ago, I began to better understand Christ’s love for His bride, the church. When I became a dad, I began to understand what it meant for God to so love the world that He sent his only begotten son. And now as we begin this new chapter in our lives, I find myself looking in wonder at the doctrine of adoption. The more I see of God and the truth of His word, the more I am amazed at His grace poured out for me. May we respond to His faithfulness with our obedience, for His gospel and glory.

Resolution On Adoption And Orphan Care
Southern Baptist Convention, June 2009

WHEREAS, In the gospel we have received the "Spirit of adoption" whereby we are no longer spiritual orphans but are now beloved children of God and joint heirs with Christ (John 14:18; Romans 8:12-25; Galatians 3:27-4:9; Ephesians 1:5); and

WHEREAS, The God we now know as our Father reveals himself as a "father of the fatherless" (Psalm 68:5) who grants mercy to orphans (Deuteronomy 10:18; Hosea 14:3); and

WHEREAS, Our Lord Jesus welcomes the little ones (Luke 18:15-17), pleads for the lives of the innocent (Psalm 72:12-14), and shows us that we will be held accountable for our response to "the least of these brothers of mine" (Matthew 25:40); and

WHEREAS, The Scripture defines "pure and undefiled religion" as "to look after orphans and widows in their distress" (James 1:27); and

WHEREAS, The satanic powers and the ravages of sin have warred against infants and children from Pharaoh to Molech to Herod and, now, through the horrors of a divorce culture, an abortion industry, and the global plagues of disease, starvation, and warfare; and

WHEREAS, Southern Baptists have articulated an unequivocal commitment to the sanctity of all human life, born and unborn; and

WHEREAS, Churches defined by the Great Commission must be concerned for the evangelism of children—including those who have no parents; and

WHEREAS, Upward of 150 million orphans now languish without families in orphanages, group homes, and placement systems in North America and around the world; and

WHEREAS, Our Father loves all of these children, and a great multitude of them will never otherwise hear the gospel of Jesus Christ; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That the messengers to the Southern Baptist Convention meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, June 23-24, 2009, express our commitment to join our Father in seeking mercy for orphans; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we call on each Southern Baptist family to pray for guidance as to whether God is calling them to adopt or foster a child or children; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage our pastors and church leaders to preach and teach on God's concern for orphans; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we commend churches and ministries that are equipping families to provide financial and other resources to those called to adopt, through grants, matching funds, or loans; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage local churches to champion the evangelism of and ministry to orphans around the world, and to seek out ways to energize Southern Baptists behind this mission; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we encourage Southern Baptist churches to join with other evangelical Christians in setting aside a special Sunday each year to focus upon our adoption in Christ and our common burden for the orphans of the world; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we pray what God is doing in creating an adoption culture in so many churches and families can point us to a gospel oneness that is determined not by “the flesh,” or race, or economics, or cultural sameness, but by the Spirit, unity, and peace in Christ Jesus; and be it finally

RESOLVED, That we pray for an outpouring of God's Spirit on Southern Baptist congregations so that our churches will proclaim and picture, in word and in deed, that “Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world.”

London, ON

We arrived in London, Ontario last night. 13 hours in the car, but a relatively easy trip. We traveled through Indianapolis and Fort Wayne, Indiana; Toledo, Ohio; and Detroit, Michigan before entering Canada at Windsor, Ontario. I get really nervous at the border check- afraid I will say something weird or wrong! I played it cool this time, except when they asked us if we knew anyone in London and I shook my head no when Roger was saying yes! We decided later, that this is definitely the case- he knows the guys he's talked to there, but I don't! Checked into the hotel after eating at a double decker McDonalds- which the kids thought was really fun.



Cheap gas? I think not- that's $127.7 per liter! 4 Liters per gallon= $5+ per gallon! The dollar menu at McD's is $1.39! Everything here is a little more expensive. The US dollar and the Canadian dollar are at about even right now. The last time we went on mission to Canada, we could get 1/3 more for our dollar. Yikes! Needless to say, we are watching our budget very carefully and looking for deals.



Sam thought this was a funny picture....notice the sign! We stopped for Timbits (donut holes) between church services. Tim Horton's is like McD's in the US. There is one every 1/4 mile! They call it "Timmies". We used to eat at them in Maine after church- yummy soup and sandwiches to0.

We attended two church services this morning. They were very different from each other. The first one was at a large "mega" church that has 2300 people in attendance over the weekend. The service was well done, the building very nice, everything was very pleasant. Of course, we can't help but scope out things, and found it lacking in authenticity. No one greeted us. No one told us where the restrooms were (Nat!). No one pointed us to childcare (though we possessed an 18mo old). The service was smooth. The sermon nice. But that's just it! I'm not sure that Jesus was invited. The bible story (not even Jesus) was presented as a life additive.


Next, we worshiped at a multi-cultural worship service that was help in a secondary school. Much more authentic worship. Many cultures represented- 5 different African countries. Today they celebrated World Refugee Day because many of those present are refugees from their own countries. The Pastor/Elder leading this ministry has a real heart for these people. He told us that 20,000-30,000 people live within about a mile of the school where they are meeting! There are a lot of high rise apartments in the area. So, we enjoyed this experience much more. Isaiah didn't exactly blend in with the other kids!



After church, we went to the city center to walk around. There were a lot of people out and about. The weather was really nice and there were two festivals going on down there. We ended up eating at..... you guessed it- Subway!!! LOL!!! The best part was when the kids asked for American cheese and the young adults guys behind us made fun of us. the. whole.time.we.were.there. Roger talked with them and asked them to friend him on facebook. They were actually very nice!

Tomorrow, we are off to one of the outlying counties around London. We are headed into the areas where we have heard there are no churches. It will be interesting to see if that is true and to try to get a pulse for those communities.

How Can a Church Build Strong Families?

By: Scott Brown

Here is the bottom line: You cannot minister to the weak families unless you have strong families. Strong families are dependent upon obedient men and holy women. If we never have healthy families, then we will never have healthy churches.

The following six things are biblically mandated elements of church and family life. Each one can help to foster healthy family life, and ultimately strong churches.

1. Provide biblically qualified elders

When a church establishes biblically qualified elders who manage their households well (1 Timothy 3), they are providing for long term social change. As these men lead by example, the whole church begins to understand how a biblically ordered family functions.

2. Encourage biblical headship in the home

How do you define a broken family? It starts with the role of the head of the house. Families are broken by men and women who do not fulfill their God ordained roles. If the church ever hopes to minister to broken families, it must start by going back to scripture to find how men should be spiritual leaders in their homes. We need to be about the business of equipping men for biblical manhood.

Who will minister to the lost youth of this generation? Families and churches must reach out to preach the gospel and teach all that Christ commanded.

3. Stop creating weak families through your programs

We believe that the modern church has missed the mark by doing things that keep families weak. The church has not maintained biblical priorities for family life. When we do this, we end up withholding adequate role models or worse, we have no good role models for our weak families. If you want to build strong families you have to stop creating weak families by maintaining unbiblical, family weakening practices. Until this changes in a church, families will remain weak and broken.

4. Make the church a true family

You must give broken families a biblical church family that exemplifies Christ’s love for the church. It is in a healthy church family that people with broken families learn something they did not know before – how to be a family (Mark 10:30).

5. Provide for the lifestyle of Titus 2 women in the church

Titus 2 gives a picture of women in strong families ministering to young families. When you promote Titus 2 women who will instruct the younger women you have provided a key component to church and family life that generates strong women and strong families. If you do not encourage women to be holy keepers at home you will never be able to have strong families. This is a culture defying act but it must be done because it is a key component to biblical Christianity.

6. Provide intergenerational worship and education

Families are strengthened by participation in biblical discipleship methodology that is intergenerational. This is the only pattern that we find in Scripture. There is no such thing as age specific ministry in the Bible. It needs to be admitted that putting thirteen year olds with thirteen year olds is a very foolish and unscriptural practice. Until churches change this and similar practices, the vicious cycle of decline will continue.

Two critical issues need to be addressed. First, refusing to give priority to making strong families in our churches ensures that we will always be calling people to weakness.

Second, neglecting the biblical directives for family life rejects the major biblical methods for ministry to youth.

Our failure to obey the word of God in ministry to youth is of enormous significance for the prosperity of the church. At this time, as we continue many unbiblical practices, we are systematically sending our young people on the path of destruction. It is fracturing our families. It is corrupting our churches. It is destroying the next generation.

If we ever expect to see change, it is important to stop doing the things that make for weak families and start practicing the things that strengthen them.

It's Not about Hymns...but about Heart!

The kids and I are learning about and singing "I Sing the Mighty Power of God" during our hymn study in school. The hymn was written by Isaac Watts in 1715. At the time that he was writing hymns, Isaac was considered to be very controversial because he was introducing a "new" way of worshiping in church. Hymns were beginning to take the place of singing the Psalms. Churches all over England were having troubles over this and many churches divided over it, including the church once pastored by John Bunyan. By the way, Watts also wrote "Joy to the World"! It's not about style, but substance. And it's not about preference, but hearts bowed before him with undying gratitude for what He has done. If we truly understood worship- we wouldn't be able to get off of our faces. Oh to have that kind of heart of worship!

Psalm 33

The Steadfast Love of the LORD

¹ Shout for joy in the LORD, O you righteous!
Praise befits the upright.
²Give thanks to the LORD with the lyre;
make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
³Sing to him a new song;
play skillfully on the strings, with loud shouts.

⁴For the word of the LORD is upright,
and all his work is done in faithfulness.
⁵He loves righteousness and justice;
the earth is full of the steadfast love of the LORD.

⁶By the word of the LORD the heavens were made,
and by the breath of his mouth all their host.
⁷He gathers the waters of the sea as a heap;
he puts the deeps in storehouses.

⁸Let all the earth fear the LORD;
let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him!
⁹For he spoke, and it came to be;
he commanded, and it stood firm.

¹⁰The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing;
he frustrates the plans of the peoples.
¹¹ The counsel of the LORD stands forever,
the plans of his heart to all generations.
¹²Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!

¹³The LORD looks down from heaven;
he sees all the children of man;
¹⁴from where he sits enthroned he looks out
on all the inhabitants of the earth,
¹⁵he who fashions the hearts of them all
and observes all their deeds.
¹⁶ The king is not saved by his great army;
a warrior is not delivered by his great strength.
¹⁷ The war horse is a false hope for salvation,
and by its great might it cannot rescue.

¹⁸Behold, the eye of the LORD is on those who fear him,
on those who hope in his steadfast love,
¹⁹that he may deliver their soul from death
and keep them alive in famine.

²⁰Our soul waits for the LORD;
he is our help and our shield.
²¹For our heart is glad in him,
because we trust in his holy name.
²²Let your steadfast love, O LORD, be upon us,
even as we hope in you.

ESV