Project James 1:27

You know in James 1:27 God not only asks us to care for orphans but he also commands us to care for widows in their distress. I was asked to do a post on caring for widows and I will be honest and say this hasn't been easy for me. Ask me anything about orphans and I can either come up with an answer for you or lead you to someone that can. With the widow part being so difficult for me out of all honesty it shows me that I better start stepping up to the plate on this one more.

I could go Google widow ministry and give you tons of ways to help internationally but what about in our own backyards? So here are a few idea I have about ways you could care for widows and I would love comments from you on ideas you have.

Nursing homes are full of widows and I used to work at one when I was much younger. Something that really bothered me was that most residents rarely got visitors. How sad to think that these people who worked so hard through their lives, loved people, were brothers, sisters, moms, dads, aunts, uncles and on and on sit lonely through the last years, days, hours of their lives because it is too hard to visit them.

I think one great way of caring for widows would be to visit them. Speaking of nursing homes why not bring in some room decorations, clothes, lap blankets or flowers to make it feel more like home. A lot of places you could even put bird feeders outside their windows.

Now what about widows that are younger or just live at home alone? How about listening to them? If my husband is home late from work at all I start to get lonely even with 3 screaming kids. Imagine your husband not ever coming home. What about offering to help with things around the house or watch kids if they still have kids at home.

Call you church and ask if they know of anyways you could help widows in the area.

OK, it's your turn, how to you follow God's command to care for widows?

Sophia is a beautiful dark haired, dark eyes girl. She was born with only one kidney (don't let this scare you because I have a child with the same deformity), that is on the right side.She is active, walking, talking all independent.
Sophia is an orphanage favorite, is affectionate, and social and well loved.
If you or anyone you knows might be interested in bringing this precious child home then click here and scroll down until you see her precious face.
Don't forget there are also many, many children waiting in the US in the foster care system. There are links available on the right sidebar for children waiting in the US.

Look at the beautiful, little boy with brown hair and big brown eyes. This is Silas and he is 5 years old. Sials is affectionate and has a glowing personality. He is enagaging, alert, and aware. Silas was born with CP and all his limbs are affected by spasticity. He also has strabismus, which could be corrected with sury. He is not able to walk, but will truly blossom in a loving family who can provide therapy and encouragement for his progress. He is already 5 and is blessed to be at the baby, but will remain bedridden the rest of his life if he is not adopted soon.

Please pray for Silas and that God will bring him a family!

For more information on him or to donate toward his grant fund you can click here and scroll down into you find his precious little face.

There are hundreds of organizations worldwide making a difference in the lives of orphans.  Project James 1:27 is committed to highlighting some of these organizations.  Please note, we are not endorsing one specific organization or agency.  We are simply sharing our passion for orphan care by letting others know that these organizations exist.

China has had many organizations start by God calling adoptive families to band together to help children in plight.  These groups have grown and impacted the face of orphans in China in huge ways.  In ways only God could have orchestrated in that country.  Below are some agencies God is calling to big things.

Love Without Boundaries--works with orphaned and imporverished children in China.

Humanitarian Aid:

• Education--Believe In Me Schools, Mama's Wish, and additional programs
• Foster Care
• Healing Homes--Cleft Healing Homes, Heartbridge Pediatric Healing Unit
• Medical
• Orphanage Assistance

A few of the many ways you can help!

• Sponsor a Child
• Donate to a special project, nutrition program, or orphanage
• Shop LWB Store
• Shop Our eBay Store
• Shop Our Supporters
• Volunteer
• Shop AMAZON.com

Half the Sky Foundation--caring for China's orphaned children

Humanitarian Aid:

• Baby Sisters:  Infant Nurture Program-trains local women to become full-time nannies to nurture at this critical stage.
• Little Sisters:  Preschool Program--trains local teachers in Half the Sky’s curriculum  The curriculum is designed to teach children self-confidence, basic skills and love of learning to build upon later.
• Big Sisters Program:  gives older children individualized learning opportunities, according to their own interests and talents.
• The Family Village Program:  Children, whose medical and developmental challenges that won't allow them to take part in an adoption program, have the opportunity to grow up in permanent loving families.
• The China Care Program:  provides medical treatment and nurturing after-care for medically fragile orphaned infants.

There are many other ways they serve.  Additionally, they also train many volunteers to assist with these programs.

How can you help?

• A one-time donation
• Sponsor a child or project
• Check out their site to buy a card, or give a gift
• Volunteer your time

Other organizations/groups/advocates.  Please click their links for additional information and ways you can help!

Morning Star Foundation--works with children with severe medical needs, most of who require major surgery. The Foundation works with physicians and medical teams worldwide to provide the best care for the orphans.

The Starfish Foster Home--works with Chinese orphans who have special health needs that are the most at-risk in its partner orphanages.

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There are many noteworthy organizations working tirelessly for these children. Those above are just a few.  PLEASE consider taking the time to go to each website and pray over the volunteers, administration, and children invloved in each program.  There are people both stateside and in China working hard together to benefit these children.  They are being faithful to God's call. 

Could you be a part of their story?  Take a minute to explore the different ways you can help!  Know of other organizations?  Leave us a comment so we can spread the word!

Look at that precious smile would you. This is Lera and she is 4 1/2 years old. Lera lost the family that commited to bringing her home so she is now waiting again.

Lera has been blessed with down syndrome and she is high functioning, affectionate, and well loved in her orphanage.

Lera is facing imminent institutionalization. A solid commitment from a new family could still save her.

Lera has a grant of $8,605 towards the cost of her adoption!

If you or someone you know might be interested in bringing Lera home you can click here for more info.

Just a reminder, many children are also available for adoption in the US. We are unable to place photos of waiting children in the US but we have placed links on our right sidebar of websites that you can visit of children in the US waiting.

If I had a nickel for every time I heard the following phrases, this ministry could fund several adoptions!

• "We have always thought about adopting but just haven't."
• "We thought we would adopt after we had our own children."
• "Oh, she/you/they couldn't get pregnant, so they adopted."
• "They must not be able to have children of their own because they adopted."

Since this should educate as well as encourage you, let's talk terminology first.  The words/phrase about biological children being our own, whereas adoptive children aren't can be hurtful.   We adopted our twin daughters over two years ago.  They are 100% our children.  They just don't happen to be biological.

Ok, moving on...

The phrases mentioned above indicate that adoption tends to be Plan B, or a second choice at creating a family.  It becomes an "if" "then" statement.  "If I don't get pregnant, then we can always adopt."

Why does adoption have to be Plan B?  For many, including my husband and me, it was our Plan A. 

Let me get personal.  Once my husband and I decided to start our family, a barrage of medical issues arose.  We tackled each one, and pushed forward with growing our family.  We knew it was possible to, but was it important to us to have a child biologically?  Why should adoption be Plan B?  Why should we try to have biological children first?  Who says that's the way it is supposed to be?  Was our ultimate goal to become parents?  Yes!  We wanted more than anything to become parents.  It was at that point, we knew adoption was our Plan A.  If we became pregnant at some point, that was ok too...but adoption didn't have to be our second choice.

Fast forward now...it was four years ago last week that we attended our first meeting with our adoption agency.  It was an informational seminar.  We sat among dozens of other people, who were also mentally begging God to reveal His plan for parenthood.  How did I know?  They wore the same faces of anticipation, joy, emotion, hope, and wonder that we wore. Was it their Plan A?  Or B?  I really don't know.

What I do know is that we were all adopted by God.  Jesus was adopted by Joseph.  Several others were adopted too!  Moses (see Ex 2:10), Samuel (see 1 Samuel 2:1), and Esther (see Esther 2:7)!  Yes, adoption holds a special place in God's heart.  Why does it have to be Plan B?

Had we waited for biological children, we would have missed out on two of the most wonderful, funny, bright, charming, gorgeous blessings God ever created.


Where do you fit in?  Do you already have biological children?  Is your heart big enough to love another child?  Could you be a foster parent?  Could you adopt?  Could you support someone else who is through prayer or financial means?  Ask God!

Are you struggling with infertility?  Are you just starting to think about parenthood?  Remember, adoption does NOT have to be Plan B. 

Thankfully, God knows our hearts and the rest of your story!  Ask Him what His plan is for you and your family!  If you would like us to pray for you, please leave a comment and we will commit to praying!  Email us at projectjames127@aol.com


For the Fatherless,

Rett

This week I want you to meet a little girl named Mindy. Those of you that were at church this weekend heard Joe and LeaAnn talk about their precious daughter they are bringing home soon that has down syndrome. I thought in honor of them I would do our child of the week on a little girl that is about to face the same thing their daughter would have if her family wouldn't have found her.

This weekend Mindy celebrated her 4th birthday. I have two 4 year olds so I know what a birthday celebration looks like for a 4 year olds. I also know that 4 is when they see themselves as BIG and they look forward to what the future holds for them.

Mindy and many other children with down sydrome though don't get such a celebration on their 4th birthdays. Mindy lives in a country that as soon as she turns 4 she is just waiting to be transferred anyday to a mental institution where 90% of the children die in the first year because it is so bad.

I'm not a pastor but I bet I could give a sermon on children with special needs. Believe it or not a lot of Christians don't understand people adopting kids with special needs. I could go on for hours on this subject but I won't, I will leave it at what the Bible says. Genesis 1:27 says So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and femal he created them. If you read that closely you will see first of all that all of us our made in God's image. God didn't say that only healthy, beautiful children were made in his image. Every male and female was created in his image. Look at Mindy again....she is made in the image of God.

Mindy only has a few short weeks, maybe even days to have someone step forward to be her family or she will be transferred to a horrible place. Please pray for Mindy, pray that God helps her find her family before it's too late. Mindy and the other 147 million orphans in the world deserve to have a family.

If you want to find out more about Mindy or want to help her find a family you can click here and scroll down until you find her beautiful face.

http://www.reecesrainbow.com/ is a ministry that fights very hard for children with down sydrome, other special needs, and children affected with HIV. If God is speaking to you about adopting or helping others adopt by placing grant money on children you can click here to see the many, many waiting children just waiting for a safe place to call home.

Situations like this don't only happen in other countries. Many, many children are waiting in the foster care system right here in the US and not all of them have good, loving homes. We are not able to post pictures of children waiting in the US but we have left links on the right sidebar that will direct you to children waiting in the US. Good, Christian foster homes are also a big need in the US. Do you have an extra bed in your home? Maybe an extra chair at your dinner table?