Thursday, August 16, 2007

Fields of the Fatherless


I've been reading this book by C. Thomas Davis and it is changing my heart! I knew that God cared for the fatherless and widows and asks us to do the same, but did you know that caring for orphans and widows is mentioned 60 times in the Bible?? I was stunned.
Adopting isn't just about adding to your family. It's about saving a life. I've lost count of how many precious orphans we have prayed for, that they would live to be adopted. There is an interesting phenomena among families who adopt from Liberia. They almost always adopt more than one child (adopting three is actually quite common among these families), and many of the children are adopted because of medical necessity. The miracle of adoption is life.
I just received this email from a friend of mine, Jenny, a fellow adoptive Mom. Jenny and her husband have five biological sons, then adopted four girls from Liberia. They just recently had another baby- another precious girl. Jenny is so passionate, it's contagious:

Why Adoption?


Occasionally I hear people wonder out loud if adoption is really the most "efficient" way to help the orphan crisis. It may seem like a lot of time and resources are poured into a relatively small number of children, when in theory more could be helped by contributing to some type of institutional setting that could numerically care for more.

I believe Jesus was on to something though when He took just 12 disciples under His wing. I also believe He knew what He was doing when He designed the family. Relationships, not institutions, change people. And relationships are rarely efficient, they are time-consuming and costly.

Psalm 68:6 says that God sets the lonely in families. There are a lot of lonely "orphan" people in this world, and they are not looking for a ministry or an institution, they are seeking a friend, some type of family to belong to.

7 comments:

Brandi said...

Amen, Amen, Amen and I can't wait to go read the book!

Brandi

Lori said...

Ginger,
Well said! I'm anxious to read the book. What an amazing woman you are. When I grow up, I want to be like you:o) Thanks for inspiring me!!

Lori,
http://waitingforkenneth.blogspot.com
http://thekettelkamps.onedollaradoption.com

Tama said...

Sounds like just the read I need. Thank you for sharing it. Your blog is filled with how God provides for His children. I love your stories of what these little ones go through emotionally. I don't have a referral yet but am gleaning through all you who have yours home. I too have a friend with I think 19-20 children (I've lost track) but she was a product of foster care and has adopted several sibling groups out of the system (4 are bio's). AMAZING woman. They are military and you can bet that house is organized!
Thanks for sharing your heart!
Tama

~tmc~ said...

Ginger,
Just wanted to stop by and say I really enjoy your blog! (and your book recommendation--can't wait to read it!)
Traci

Jamie Wooddell said...

So true! I can't wait for it to be my turn. I know God has specific children in mind for our family. Just waiting for HIM to move in Mike. Meanwhile, I pray for them. I love watching the changes God has and is working in our lives.
Love you sis,
Jamie

Christy said...

Hi Ginger. First of all, thank you for commenting on my blog. You're right. Some times we just have to stop and savour the moment with our little ones. They are so fleeting.

I have loved sitting here reading over your blog. What a beautiful family you have! God bless you dear sister. I'm so glad to have 'met' you. I plan to visit often.

Anonymous said...

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