Passion1.27

Adoption Family Potluck

2012-02-08T13:26:00.001-08:00

Now that the Christmas season is over and as we head into Spring, we want to kick off the New Year and Spring with a family potluck!

We will meet at Grace Lutheran Church on Saturday, March 3 at 11am. If you would like more details, please email us at passion127ministry@gmail.com

We look forward to being together again, and meeting new families!

Information Seminar Saturday, October 29!

2011-10-04T08:53:00.001-07:00

Information Seminar Postponed

2011-08-22T06:04:00.001-07:00

The adoption information seminar scheduled for Saturday, August 27, 2011 has been postponed for a later date. Please check back for new, date, time and location information.

If we can assist you or help you get information, please do not hesitate to send us an email and we will assist you. Send email to Kristin at passion127@mchsi.com

Blessings,
Kristin

Save the Date!

2011-07-12T06:44:00.000-07:00

The next adoption & orphan care information seminar is coming up - August 27, 2011 from 9am - 12noon at Grace Lutheran Church, Destin. Double click the image below to enlarge with full details.

Mom's Coffee Group

2011-06-11T05:39:00.000-07:00

Support for mom's is very important at every step of the journey. We are kicking off our mom's coffee group next Saturday, June 18 at 9am at Panera Bread Company at Destin Commons. All adoptive moms, moms just thinking about adoption, those in the process and those who have adopted are invited...please join us!

If you will, take just a moment and email passion127@mchsi.com and let us know you will be there, that would be great! We look forward to seeing you next Saturday!

Thank You and Upcoming Events

2011-05-22T12:38:00.000-07:00

Thank you to everyone who gave of their time and talent at yesterday's information seminar. Thank you to everyone who came and attended the seminar too! We hope that the information you received was helpful. If we can help you any way, please do not hesitate to ask us - we are here for you every step of the way during your journey. Just email passion127@mchsi.com

We have an adoption family potluck coming up June 25 at 4pm. If you would like more information and details, please email at the address above.

Our Dad's group will meet in June - watch the blog and your email for date, location and time. This is a time for adoptive dads to connect and enjoy fellowship time as well as support from fellow dads.

We are going to kick off a mom's coffee time in June. If you are interested in this please let us know and we will be sure to get you the information on date, time, place...this is a great time for mom's to get together and chat, find support, share and just enjoy fellowship time.

Save The Date!

2011-03-28T12:07:00.000-07:00

The next adoption & orphan care information seminar is coming up - May 21, 2011 from 9am - 12noon at Grace Lutheran Church, Destin. Double click the image below to enlarge with full details.

Adoptive Family Get Together

2011-03-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

Passion1.27 will be hosting an adoptive family get together this Saturday, March 19 at 4pm in Niceville. This is a great opportunity to get together and meet other adoptive families to learn and support each other. Families at any stage of adoption welcome! Please email passion127@mchsi.com for more information.

Homes of Hope International

2011-03-11T10:33:00.000-08:00

Passion1.27 is pleased to partner with Homes of Hope International: An Orphan Hosting Ministry based in Thomasville ,GA. Homes of Hope is a Ukrainian hosting program. The program invites orphans from Ukraine to stay with host families in America for 4 weeks twice a year at Christmas and in the summer.

Homes of Hope held their first hosting session recently over the Christmas holidays and it was a great success! It was wonderful seeing the in-person faces of the precious children they had been seeing pictures of for so long.

Homes of Hope is currently gearing up for a summer 2011 session and hope to bring around 40 children to the North Florida, South Georgia region. The children have a great time on these trips, learn American culture and English, learn about the love of God, and experience the love of a family.

There is also the possibility of adoption by their host families or by someone they meet! This hosting experience is most likely the best chance for these older orphan children to find a family. Host families often become advocates for their host child to find a forever family in Christ.

For more information about the program, please see the photo flyer and click on the following link to see the summer 2011 hosting video.

Double click the image to enlarge

To Inquire about Hosting or for more information, Contact Mary Beth Goodwin or Margaret Bass at Homes of Hope International Phone: 229-977-6143; 850-228-3182 / E-Mail: hohinternational@gmail.com

Thank You to all Who Attended!

2011-02-21T12:08:00.000-08:00

On behalf of the team of Passion1.27, I want to thank everyone who came to the seminar on Saturday! We had a great turnout - about 40 people total and a really spirit-filled day! Thank you to everyone who worked on the seminar - all the volunteers and our speakers...everyone did a great job!

A few have asked about the first video - so here it is. The next seminar will be May 21, 2011.

Blessings to you all.

PKK - Passion1.27 Kids Kloset

2011-02-01T10:55:00.000-08:00

One of the missions of Passion1.27 is to help children where ever and when ever there is a need. We have received phone calls asking if we can help children who have been taken into foster care and the family needs assistance with meeting immediate needs of the child. Often times children enter foster care with just the clothes on their backs and need clothing, bedding, shoes, socks, diapers, etc... we have been able to respond, but it takes us a few days to get everything to the child. So, in order to be able to respond quickly to a need, we are opening the PKK - Passion Kids Kloset!

Imagine getting a phone call that you are about to have a new baby in your home and you have nothing for a baby...no diapers, bottles, stroller, car seat... you can feel overwhelmed and may not be able to go and buy all new things right away. That's where the PKK comes in. We want to be able to help families who get a placement of child and need clothes, or diapers, or a high chair- if the need is just temporary or more permanent, we are here to help.

How can you help? Do you have new or gently used clothing? Baby items? Shoes? We are accepting donations for our Kids Kloset now. We need everything from diapers to baby clothes, toddler clothes to children and youth sizes. We can also use baby furniture (Pack N Play), high chairs, etc... so instead of donating to Good Will or consigning items, will you consider donating them to PKK so we can help children in need?

For more information, please call Kristin at 850.419.2563 or passion127@mchsi.com Thank you, and God bless you!

Information Seminar February 19, 2011

2011-01-26T11:50:00.000-08:00

Webinar on Connecting Your Family

2011-01-23T10:37:00.000-08:00

Connecting Your Family Inside and Out:

Helpful advice on how to develop a stronger connection with your child.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011, 7:00-8:00PM Central Time

Question and Answer Session: 8:00-8:30 PM Central Time

Cost: $15 Click here to register

Secure parent-child attachments are essential to healthy child development, but often adoption can present challenges to the process.

Join world renowned attachment expert Dr. Dan Hughes as he shares family centered strategies on how parents can connect to their child as a toddler, tween and teen. Dr. Hughes will be joined by Lynn Wetterberg, Executive Director of ATTACh. Lynn will discuss finding attachment related resources and provide information on finding adoption competent professional support.

•Advice on connecting with your child throughout their development

•Expert insights into attachment and attunement

•Information on finding professional support and resources

•Question and Answer session

Registrants will be contacted and asked to submit questions prior to the event. We will address as many questions as time will allow.

Speakers:

Dr. Dan Hughes, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist who specializes in the treatment of children who have experienced attachment disorganization, abuse, neglect and childhood trauma. Dr. Hughes developed Attachment-Focused Family Therapy (AFFT), a treatment model used frequently in attachment therapy. He is the author of Facilitating Developmental Attachment (1997), Building the Bonds of Attachment (2006) and Attachment-Focused Family Therapy (2007).

Lynn Wetterberg, M.S., C.P.A. is the Executive Director of the Association for Treatment and Training in the Attachment of Children (ATTACh), a national organization of clinicians, advocates and parents of attachment disordered children.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011
7:00-8:00 PM Central Time

Q & A: 8:00 - 8:30 PM Central Time

Cost $15

Upcoming Information Seminar

2011-01-19T10:16:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! We are still in the planning state for 2011 and our information seminar schedule. But, we are excited to tell you that our first seminar for 2011 is next month! So, mark your calendar - Saturday, February 19 from 9am - 12noon at Grace Lutheran Church, Destin. We have professionals from the adoption and foster care field on hand to answer all your questions. Not called to adopt? Learn what you can do to help orphans, children in foster care, and families who are adopting. There is something for everyone!

The Bible calls us to care for the least of these - there are millions of children who need help and just want to be called sons and daughters. We are God's plan A for these children - there is no plan B. Join us and learn what you can do.
You can register by calling 850.419.2563, email passion127@mchsi.com or online

Adopt An Angel

2010-11-24T15:13:00.000-08:00

THANK YOU! We did it! Every child on our list has been sponsored! If you missed out on this, please email me as there are other ways you can help foster care children this Christmas. Thank you all again!

Have a happy Thanksgiving!

Adopt an Angel: Sponsor a Local Child This Christmas

2010-11-22T18:25:00.000-08:00

Kids just want to be kids. Christmastime is a time of year most kids eagerly anticipate. But some kids in our community aren’t in the most ideal situations and have other worries – worries that small children shouldn’t have to think about so dreaming of Christmas is distant memory. Right now, there are about 500,000 children in the US Foster Care System. Children end up in foster care by no fault of their own…

This Christmas, Passion1.27 is committed to helping eleven (11) struggling families and children who have experienced abuse or neglect and are now in the care of FamiliesFirst Network of Lakeview (FFN). Six children have been sponsored so far...we are asking you for help to help these kids in our community…in our neighborhood (Fort Walton Beach and Santa Rosa Beach).

Last year, nearly 1500 children in Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, and Walton counties received gifts through many gift-giving efforts from local fundraising events, holiday parties, and community outpouring of concern. The children targeted are living with families who cannot stretch their income to include holiday celebrations; arriving in foster care after all other community supports have finished distributing; or staying with relatives unprepared for the expense of unexpected children.

This year the need is even greater in our current economic situation. Children on the Holiday Registry are referred by caseworkers with personal knowledge of the child and the family situation. Each child’s wishes, sizes, and demographic information are summarized.

Please click the photo to enlarge it to read; if you feel led to sponsor one of these children, please call or email me with the child’s name so we can ensure the child hasn’t already been sponsored and I will send you the detailed information (sizes, etc…) for the child. Our deadline is December 15. Contact Kristin at Passion127@mchsi.com

Information Seminar Postponed

2010-11-10T11:41:00.000-08:00

The information seminar scheduled for Saturday, November 13, 2010 has been postponed. The new date is Saturday, March 12, 2011 from 9am - 12noon at Grace Lutheran Church, Destin. We apologize for any inconvenience. Thank you and stay tuned for more details!

How Can I Care For Orphans?

2010-11-08T11:14:00.000-08:00

The numbers are massive. We have an orphan crisis that is of epic proportion. But what can I do? Let's take a look at the numbers to know what this orphan crisis looks like.

- There are 163 Million orphans in the world.

- Approximately 40 Million orphans live among the top unreached people groups
(These people have no access to the gospel, no Bible in their own language, no church. Visit www.joshuaproject.net for more information on Unreached peoples.)

- More than 15 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS.
(Africa has the largest population of people affected by AIDS. Unless we do something this number will continue to grow exponentially.)

- In the US there are approximately 500,000 children in foster care.
(There are approximately 300,000 protestant churches in the United States. It is estimated that 4,000 new churches are being planted each year in the U.S. Foster children need the church. There are also 130,000 children in the US Foster system that are currently available for adoption at little to no financial cost.) source: toomanymillion.org

Who will care for them? Who will pray for them? Not everyone is called to adopt, but everyone is called to do something to care for orphans. So who? The Church. The Body of Christ. You and Me...that's who. We are God's Plan A...there is no Plan B.

When Christians open their hearts and homes to orphans through adoption, foster care and orphan care, they are a living example of the Gospel and what Jesus did for us. We take care of those who are destitute because Jesus cared for us in our destitution. We love...because He first loved us. What a great way to show the world the love of Jesus Christ - by getting involved and personal with orphans.

Here are 10 ways every Christian can care for orphans
1.PRAY. Everyone can pray. Start by a concerted effort of 40 days to pray for orphans and let God speak to you on what He wants you to do. You can find a prayer guide to help you by clicking here.

2. SPEAK UP for them. Carry a waiting child’s picture and show it to other believers. Ask if they, or someone they know, would give this child a home.

3. PROVIDE for their needs. Give sacrificially to a reputable orphanage. Financial gifts can be designated for specific items and aid needed by orphans.

4. SUPPORT those who support them. Mow, baby sit, or organize meals for a week for foster and adoptive parents. Pray with them and tell them you appreciate what they do. Encourage a family adopting by hosting a shower for them.

5. PROTECT them from harm. Become a foster parent or emergency foster parent.

6. VISIT them where they are. Go on a mission trip to an orphanage as an individual or family. Visit GainUSA.org or HelpOrphans.org for information. Take dinner to a foster group-home on a regular basis.

7. GIVE sacrificially to them. Support reputable orphan care organizations on an ongoing basis.
Contribute generously to an adoptive family to help offset their costs.

8. ENCOURAGE them to press on. Sponsor a child, support them financially, and encourage them through your letters. Become a mentor or tutor to a teenager in a foster group-home.

9. ADOPT them into your family. Give a child a home through international, domestic, or foster care adoption. Adopt a young adult who has aged out of the foster care system.

10. MOBILIZE your church for them. Be a catalyst in your church for starting a sustained orphans ministry.
(Source: Hope For Orphans)

We have a special opportunity to help orphans and marginalized children in Ethiopia. These children are from the village called Korah. Korah means “cursed’. Korah is a village not visited by anyone. Korah is the city dump. It's not even a village. People live here. Mothers feed their children from here. They await the garbage trucks to arrive and then scrounge through to find something...anything. See a short documentary of Korah here

The Village of Korah - A short documentary from Session 7 Media on Vimeo.

The people and children of Korah are “the least of these” and have been forgotten. Until now.

A young family answered God's call to care for the people of Korah - they sold everything they have in Nashville and moved to Ethiopia. They started the ministry Project61 which is based on Isaiah 61:3, and are working through partnerships with families like you and me to provide for the children and people of Korah.

Here is the bulletin insert from Sunday, November 7, 2010 (can enlarge by clicking on the image)

Through our partnership with Project61, we are asking for your help now, through a monetary donation, which will provide towels ($2) and Bibles ($8) to these precious children. Our prayer is that you would ask God how you should respond to the call to care for orphans. Our hope is that you begin to see the face of Christ in these children. 163 Million orphans is a lot. But, you can change the world for one.

To donate, contact Kristin here

Adoption & Orphan Care Information Seminar Saturday, November 13, 2010

2010-10-11T18:47:00.000-07:00

Have You Ever Thought…
♥ One SECOND about adoption or orphan care?
♥ What can I do that would make a difference in the life of a child?
♥ About offering your LOVE to a child in need?
♥ Of living the Bible’s MANDATE to care for orphans?
♥ That I could actually save a LIFE?

If you answered Yes…

Please join us for a free, (non-committal) morning of information, experience and support!
♥ Hear from adoption and orphan care agencies and experts in the adoption field
♥ Take a journey through first-hand stories from families who have adopted
♥ Learn what you can do to care for orphans if you aren’t called to adopt
♥ Personal one-on-one time with agencies and families to gather all the information you need to begin your journey

You can learn about orphan care opportunities, adoption processes, costs, what you can expect...AND have the opportunity to ask all the questions you have wanted to, but were afraid to ask.

Saturday, November 13, 2010 from 9am - 12noon at Grace Lutheran Church, Destin, FL 4325 Commons Drive West.

For more information, please call 850.419.2563 or email passion127@mchsi.com.

Save The Date!

2010-09-13T13:33:00.000-07:00

Mark your calendar! The next information seminar will be Saturday, November 13 from 9am - 12noon at Grace Lutheran Church, Destin. Watch for more details to come!

Dress for a Cause

2010-08-01T15:04:00.000-07:00

Check out this awesome way to help children and get great adoption awareness gear! Just visit Dress for a Cause - Korah and read how you can participate! I encourage you to find out more about Korah too - you can read a blog post here and also find out more about Project61.

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More information coming soon on our support group meetings. The Dad's Night Out will be meeting in August - stay tuned for details.

Upcoming Empowered To Connect Conference

2010-07-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

Full Details - Click Here

September 10-11, 2010 - Nashville, TN

REGISTER BEFORE AUGUST 11 TO RECEIVE THE EARLY BIRD RATE!

Show Hope is partnering with Empowered To Connect to present the Empowered To Connect Conference during September 10-11, 2010 in Nashville, Tennessee. This two day conference will be hosted at Covenant Presbyterian Church by longtime Show Hope board members and friends of the Chapmans, Dan and Terri Coley. This conference features two tracks with sessions and workshops led by Dr. Karyn Purvis and Michael and Amy Monroe. All participants are highly encouraged to attend sessions on both days. Professionals are eligible to receive CEU credit for their participation in the conference.

Day One is specifically designed for those focused on serving and supporting others, including social workers, agency professionals, church staff and ministry leaders, counselors, therapists, adoption and orphan advocates, and others involved in adoption and foster care ministries or services.

Day Two is tailored to the needs of adoptive and foster parents (pre and post adoption and foster care).

Conference sessions will be held from 9am-5pm on both days. Light refreshments will be provided during breaks throughout the event, with "on your own" lunch breaks scheduled from 12-1:30pm.

Christianity Today

2010-07-26T06:24:00.000-07:00

There are two great articles that are "must" reads in the July issue of Christianity Today. Follow the links to read the articles.
Abba Changes Everything and Churches Adopt Adoption

You can also read more on the blog of Christian Alliance For Orphans

Free Adoption & Foster Care Information Seminar

2010-07-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

Recent News In Adoption And Orphan Care

2010-05-27T11:09:00.000-07:00

Information Courtesy of Loving Shepherd Ministries Stepping Stones EBulletin

Loving Shepherd Ministries would like to share recent updates and changes to various international adoption programs. It is our goal to keep church ministries and families aware of program fluctuations and changes. In the world of international adoption, a flow of constant change can be expected.

Russia - There has been uncertainty and unknowns since the tragic incident of the 7-year-old Russian boy, adopted by a U.S. family, who was sent to Moscow on a one-way flight and abandoned. Since this occurred, there has been speculation of a call by the Russian government for a moratorium (suspension) on all U.S. adoptions from Russia. In recent meetings between the Russia and U.S. government, significant progress has been made, and an agreement on basic principles of adoption has been reached. This agreement is to establish an improved intercountry adoption process. Based on this agreement between both countries, the adoption process will continue to be open to new families.

Haiti - As of April 14, 2010, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and U.S. Department of State announced that the Humanitarian Parole program was ending and that Haiti was reopening the adoption process. However, LSM cautions families interested in Haitian adoption that it is still unclear how the adoption process will be affected. The Haiti government is accepting dossiers under the same laws that were in effect pre-earthquake. However, the government is currently looking at new adoption laws. It is anticipated that the Haiti adoption process may actually take longer than it did previously. Therefore, certain agencies have reopened their Haiti program to a limited number of new families. Again, much caution is urged for new applicants, and agencies are asking for much patience.

Ethiopia - As of May 9, 2010, the Court of Ethiopia officially announced that adoptive parents must appear at a federal court hearing for their adoptive child in order for the adoption to be approved. This new requirement will affect all pending and new adoption cases and will now require two trips to Ethiopia for adoptive parents.

Nepal - The U.S. State Department issued an adoption alert for this country on May 4, 2010. Due to the possibility of an indefinite nationwide strike, the adoption process and appointments at the Embassy are halted. According to the U.S. Department of State, "The U.S. government strongly discourages prospective adoptive parents from choosing adoption in Nepal because of grave concerns about the reliability of Nepal's adoption system and the accuracy of the information in children's official files."

Adoption certainly requires much faith, patience and stamina. Please remember: It starts with only one. By listening to God's call we can, one by one, care for the needs of the orphans worldwide. It only takes one person, one family, one church, one heart and one passion to bring the message of the orphan to God's huge family.

Free Adoption & Foster Care Seminar July 17

2010-05-25T06:53:00.001-07:00

Empowered To Connect

2010-05-04T16:49:00.000-07:00

This is a terrific FREE download! This study guide is intended to help adoptive and foster parents understand how to build strong and lasting relationships with children. This is a terrific resource! Click Here to download the free study guide.

Adoption Tax Credit Extended and Improved

2010-03-25T11:15:00.000-07:00

The Adoption Tax Credit, which was scheduled to expire in 2010, has been extended for one year, through 2011. The Adoption Tax Credit will see several positive adjustments, as confirmed by Joint Council on International Adoption Services:
•The maximum credit will increased from $12,150 to $13,170,
•The Adoption Tax Credit was made refundable. If a family has no tax liability, the IRS will refund the amount due.

Please consult a tax professional for all of your tax questions.

The extension of the Adoption Tax Credit through 2011, was passed as part of the health care reform bill which was signed into law by President Obama on Tuesday, March 23, 2010. The changes have been published in detail by the Journal of Accountancy:

"For 2010, the maximum adoption credit is increased to $13,170 per eligible child (a $1,000 increase). This increase applies to both non-special needs adoptions and special needs adoptions. Also, the adoption credit is made refundable. The new dollar limit and phase-out of the adoption credit are adjusted for inflation in tax years beginning after Dec. 31, 2010. Also, the scheduled sunset of EGTRRA provisions relating to the adoption credit is delayed for one year (i.e., the sunset becomes effective for tax years beginning after Dec. 31, 2011).

For adoption assistance programs, the maximum exclusion is increased to $13,170 per eligible child (a $1,000 increase). The new dollar limit and income limitations of the employer-provided adoption assistance exclusion are adjusted for inflation in tax years beginning after Dec. 31, 2010. The EGTRRA sunset of provisions relating to adoption assistance programs is also delayed for one year (i.e., the sunset becomes effective for tax years beginning after Dec. 31, 2011)."

- Journal of Accountancy, March 22, 2010

Free Adoption and Foster Care Information Seminar

2010-02-18T10:38:00.000-08:00

Join us for our upcoming adoption information seminar, Saturday, April 17, 2010 from 8am - 12noon. We will meet at Grace Lutheran Church, in Destin; we will meet in the Fellowship Hall. Please take a moment and call or email to register for the seminar. 850.419.2563 or passion127@mchsi.com Thank you and we look forward to seeing you!

HopeForHaiti Donations

2010-02-02T11:15:00.000-08:00

Haiti Contributions Qualify for 2009 Deduction

2010-01-27T08:03:00.001-08:00

Haiti Contributions Qualify for 2009 Deduction
The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced that taxpayer contributions to the Haiti earthquake relief effort made between January 12 and February 28, 2010 may be deducted on 2009 income tax returns. Those who have already filed may amend their 2009 income tax return to take advantage of the new deduction. The language of the bill states that a taxpayer may treat any contribution, defined as a “cash contribution made for the relief of victims in areas affected by the earthquake in Haiti on January 12, 2010, for which a charitable contribution deduction is allowable under section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986,” made after January 11, 2010 and before March 1, 2010, as if such contribution were made on December 31, 2009. Please consult your tax advisor for more information. Please visit the IRS website for complete details.

Wondering Were You Can Give to Help Haiti's Orphans?

2010-01-20T10:42:00.000-08:00

Are you wondering where you can give? Head on over to our friends at Together For Adoption's website for a list or reputable organizations that are providing humanitarian relief in Haiti. Most of these organizations focus on the orphaned and most vulnerable children in Haiti.

Intercountry Adoptions

2010-01-19T11:14:00.000-08:00

The Department of State(DOS) has posted a statement on the possibility of future adoptions in times of disaster and conflict. Adoption Alerts from the US State Department.

Also, the Bethany Christian Services just received word that Secretary
Janet Napolitano announced a humanitarian parole policy allowing
Haitian orphans to enter the United States! We are praising God for
this news, and thanking Him for working through the necessary individuals
to help this come to fruition. Link to Bethany's Haiti blog for the related Press Release and Fact Sheet.

Pray for Haiti - Pray for the Orphans

2010-01-15T08:06:00.000-08:00

Pray for Haiti’s children. More than 200,000 of Haiti’s orphans live in orphanages while others are living in foster care or live on the street. Many more Haitian children have become orphans as a result of the earthquake. As we pray together to our Abba Father, let’s especially remember the children in Haiti.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Here are some online opportunities to donate:
If you want your donation to go toward helping orphans, you can support Bethany Christian Services who is working to care for orphans in Haiti. Select “Haiti – Earthquake Recovery” in the Gift Designation pull-down menu. Donations will be used by Bethany’s partners that are in Haiti serving orphans.

World Vision
Red Cross’ International Response Fund
Hope International
Compassion International
Mission for Haiti
Buckner/Dillion International
Samaritan's Purse
Thrivent Financial for Lutherans

So many families are in the adoption process and waiting to bring their children home from Haiti. There are stories after stories of these families... here is just one to highlight who is also raising money to help Haiti. Aaron Ivey serves as Pastor of Worship at The Austin Stone Community Church Thursday night KVUE News interviewed Aaron and his wife, Jamie, about their family’s efforts to bring their son home from Haiti. Aaron was also able to bring attention to Haiti’s current orphan crisis.

Check out what the Iveys are doing to raise funds for their partner ministries in Haiti.

The UAB International Adoption Clinic

2010-01-13T11:20:00.000-08:00

Here is a great article on UAB International Adoption Clinic in Birmingham. You can visit the clinic's website at http://adoption.chsys.org

International adoption is an intimidating process. First, there are the requirements of the child's native country: prospective parents' age, length of marriage, financial prerequisites. There is a long and uncertain wait for approval. Then there's a journey to a strange country where an entire life is entrusted to your care. And finally, there's the enormous responsibility of raising a child.
All new parents feel nervous and unprepared, but parents who have adopted internationally must also deal with the physical, emotional, and developmental issues associated with their children spending their first months or years in a foreign orphanage.

That's where the International Adoption Clinic at UAB comes in. The International Adoption Clinic at UAB offers pre- and post-adoption services designed to help parents and children adjust to their new lives. Before parents adopt, the clinic offers information on medical issues associated with the child's country of origin, a review of medical and developmental issues related to international adoption, as well as advice on promoting attachment and emotional adjustment. After the child is brought home, the clinic schedules two half-day sessions that screen for medical, developmental, and emotional issues. The clinic's services continue as the child grows to help parents address the child's educational and continued developmental needs.

Families of international adoption face many challenges, but they are sure to find a sympathetic ear at the clinic. Four out of the five women running the clinic have adopted internationally themselves. There's Jennifer Chambers, MD, a pediatrician and mother of twin girls Lily and Kate; Jill Barnhart, an occupational therapist and mother of Jonathan and Abby; Leigh Anne Harrington, a clinical social worker and mother of Meredith and Ally; and Lyn Zimmerman, medical assistant and mother of Natalie, Joey, Eric, and Richard.

"It's our passion," Harrington says of her work at the clinic. "We want to see these children achieve their potential."
Making It Personal

The women of the International Adoption Clinic live the practices they teach their patients. "It's not just a job to us," Harrington says, and Chambers completes her sentence: "It's an extension of our lives."

Chambers, who started the clinic because there wasn't one in the Southeast, had always been interested in adoption, and she and her husband, Phil, saw a need among children overseas. They had hoped to have two children eventually, but it was Phil who suggested twins, and they soon embraced the idea. "If we could give two children a home, we should," Chambers says of their decision. The couple adopted Lily and Kate from China in September, 2005, just before the girls' first birthday in October.

Although she had been working with adopted children in the clinic for years, the clinical practice and the emotional connection were miles apart. "Nothing can prepare you for falling in love with your child," Chambers says.

Harrington was the only one of the women to have already adopted when they started the clinic. Her daughter Meredith is now six years old, and the Harringtons have adopted again with Ally, age four. Harrington knows the complications and joys of adoption first hand as her family has since discovered that Meredith has a twin sister who was adopted by another family and is living in Chicago (for more about their story, visit http://www.twomerediths.com).

Barnhart and her husband were waiting to adopt their son Jonathan when the clinic started five years ago. They're the only couple to have adopted a boy, which is not unusual, given the high percentage of girls in Chinese orphanages. They've since adopted their daughter, Abby.

Zimmerman is the veteran among the group. After giving birth to three sons, she adopted her daughter, Natalie, 19, from Korea in the late 1980s. International adoption was much less frequent then, and when Natalie was little she would sometimes announce to roomfuls of curious people, "This is my mother. I'm adopted."

Adoption was a completely different experience for Zimmerman. "It was like I'd been handed the greatest gift in the world," she says.

The women describe themselves as moms running a clinic part-time. They juggle office hours with mothering hours, and it's the significance of their work that keeps them plugging away.

"It's important enough to make us not be stay-at-home moms," Chambers says.

The Process

Although the clinic's staff has adopted primarily from China, they see children from 20 countries around the world, including Russia, Ukraine, and Guatemala. Children who are adopted internationally face a number of obstacles because they spent their first months or even years of life in an orphanage. Sometimes these difficulties don't manifest themselves completely until years after the children come to live in the states.

When Chambers first sees a child who has just been brought home, she gives them a physical exam just as she would a newborn baby, regardless of their age, and she takes special care to look for problems associated with their countries of origin. Most will not have had regular medical care, and 20 to 25 percent will have parasites.

Being an adoptive parent has given Chambers a whole new understanding of what the children and parents are going through at this time. "It makes me a different, better doctor," Chambers says.

Differences in developmental opportunities can also create challenges for the children. For example, children in orphanages rarely get to crawl. They are either lying in their cribs or they are placed in walkers. This may seem minor, as long as they learn to walk, but Barnhart says crawling is an important milestone that shouldn't be skipped because the motion and muscles used actually prepare the child's hands for writing when they're older. If they never crawl, writing will be more difficult.

When the parents travel to the country where they will be adopting, they can see first-hand the deprivation their children have faced in orphanages, but when they return to the states and the children are happy and well-fed, it can be easy to forget that the earlier deprivation can have consequences that lie below the surface. Identifying and
handling those potential problems is where the International Adoption Clinic comes in.

Barnhart also recommends pairing basic sign language with the English they speak to their children to help in language acquisition and early communication. Lily and Kate Chambers were soon able to communicate using 50 different signs. "Signing is amazing," Harrington agrees, " because you can see what a child is thinking before they can verbalize it."

The Cares of Parenting

Adoption carries with it unique worries as well as the ordinary ones of parenting. "I worry about their happiness more," Harrington says, "because I know there's an initial loss that you can't change."

When Zimmerman brought her daughter Natalie home from Korea, she worried that her older children wouldn't accept her, but they did. Then, when Natalie was 14, Zimmerman's husband died, and she thought, "Now I've gotten Natalie into this."

"I worry about their birth mom," Chambers says. "Is she OK? I wish she could see them here so she won't worry about them."

Lily and Kate's birth mother can't see them now, but their mother can. That's the beauty of adoption.

"It's the thought of a child without a family and a family seeking a child brought together," Harrington says. And in the face of that bond, "biological connection is not that important.

Resources

Visit the International Adoption Clinic's website to learn more about its mission, services. and contact information. http://www.adoption.chsys.org

Alabama Post Adoption Connections offers education, support groups,
and counseling services for families of adopted children. http://www.casapac.org

Free Adoption and Foster Care Information Seminar

2009-12-16T13:14:00.000-08:00

Passion1.27 The Heart of God Adoption and Orphan Ministry, will be presenting an adoption and foster care information seminar on Saturday, January 9, 2010 from 8am – 12pm.
Whether you are curious, exploring, or thinking and praying about adoption or foster care, this one day seminar will help prepare you for taking the next step to making a difference in the life of a child.

Hear from the professionals in the adoption field as well as first-hand stories from families who have adopted internationally, domestically and from foster care. Learn about the different types of adoptions, the process and what is involved in adopting.

There is no cost to attend this seminar.

Where: Kelly Plantation Owner’s Club
4393 Commons Drive East, Destin, FL 32541

Information and Registration please call Kristin at 850-419-2563 or email Passion127@mchsi.com

Please register by January 8

Adoption from Ronnie Floyd on Vimeo.

Make a Difference in the Life of a Child This Christmas

2009-11-20T09:52:00.000-08:00

Christmastime is a time when kids deserve to just be kids. To help answer that call, Generous Heart and Passion1.27 has partnered with FamilesFirst Network of Lakeview and is hosting a toy drive benefitting children and teens in foster care as well as needy single mothers and children in our area. We are collecting new, unwrapped toys, gift cards, baby items and monetary donations to help bless these children and show them that they are loved by people in their community.

Toys can be dropped off at Eagle's Wings Books and Gifts in Destin, (next to Dollar Tree), and monetary donations and gift cards can be mailed to Generous Heart Ministry, PO Box 5316, Destin, FL 32540, please note Operation Santa in the memo line; 100% of the donation is used to purchase gifts for the children. Last year some of these children did not receive one gift; that won't happen this year.

Please help make a difference in the life of a child this Christmas. Thank you and blessings to you.

Orphan Statistics

2009-10-27T13:24:00.000-07:00

by Jason Kovacs
These are the most recent and reliable statistics on the global orphan situation.

*The most recent estimate is that there are approximately 145 million orphans in the world (UNICEF 2008). For this number, an orphan is defined as a child who has lost one or both parents.

*More than 15 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS, over 11.6 million of whom live in sub-Saharan Africa.

*In 2007 67.5 million Children in South Asia and East Asia had lost one or both parents due to all causes.

*Included in the 2008 estimate of 145 million orphans are more than 92 million that have a surviving mother—-with whom they most likely live.

*Another 38 million have a surviving father.

*Approximately 15 million children are “double” orphans—growing up without either mother or father. That’s about ten percent of the whole 145 million.

*The UNICEF orphan numbers (145 million) are only for deceased parents. If you were to factor in single parents in general, we’d be talking a number many times higher.

*The UNICEF orphan numbers DON’T include abandonment (millions of children) as well as sold and/or trafficked children. Are the millions of kids abandoned in China not orphans?

*The UNICEF orphan numbers DON’T include many non-reporting nations (namely, Middle Eastern Islamic nations) where shame and divorce abandonment are rampant. 200,000 + orphans in Iraq, for instance, are not part of the count.

*I think we’re looking at a number quite higher than 15 million “double orphans.” We often communicate that the real number of kids that fall into our care categories is somewhere around 40 or 50 million.

*According to data released in 2003 as many as eight million boys and girls around the world live in institutional care. Some studies have found that violence in residential institutions is six times higher than violence in foster care, and that children in group care are almost four times more likely to experience sexual abuse than children in family based care.

*As of 2002 in Europe and Central Asia, over one million children lived in residential institutions.

*Worldwide an estimated 300 million children are subjected to violence, exploitation and abuse, including the worst forms of child labour in communities, schools and institutions, during armed conflict, and harmful practices such as female genital mutilation/cutting and child marriage.

*In the US there are approximately 500,000 children in foster care (Based on data submitted by states as of January 16, 2008)

*130,000 of those children in foster care are waiting and available for adoption. Children waiting to be adopted include children with a goal of adoption and/or whose parental rights have been terminated. Children whose parental rights have been terminated, who are 16 years old and older, and who have a goal of emancipation are excluded from the “waiting” population. An individual child is included in the count for each year that he or she has these characteristics on the last day of the year.

*Approximately 51,000 children are adopted from the foster system each year.

*That leaves 79,000 children annually in the US needing an adoptive family.

*Each year, an estimated 20,000 young people “age out” of the U.S. foster care system. Many are only 18 years old and still need support and services. Several foster care alumni studies show that without a lifelong connection to a caring adult, these older youth are often left vulnerable to a host of adverse situations:

Outcomes

*Earned a high school diploma 54%

*Obtained a Bachelor’s degree or higher 2%

*Became a parent 84%

*Were unemployed 51%

*Had no health insurance 30%

*Had been homeless 25%

*Were receiving public assistance 30%

Sources: http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/afcars/trends.htm, http://www.unaids.org/en/KnowledgeCentre/HIVData/GlobalReport/2008/2008_Global_report.asp, http://www.unicef.org/sowc09/docs/SOWC09-FullReport-EN.pdf, Young adults ages 18-24 years old 2.5 to 4 years after leaving foster care: Cook, R. (1992). Are we helping foster care youth prepare for the future? Children and Youth Services Review. 16(3/4), 213-229. Cook, R.; Fleishman, E., & Grimes, V. (1989). A National Evaluation of Title IV-E Foster Care Independent Living Programs for Youth (Phase 2 Final Report, Volume 1). Rockville: Westat, Inc., http://chrisitianallianceblog.org/?p=74, http://abandoned-orphaned.typepad.com/paulmyhill/2009/08/the-count.html

I list these statistics with a broken heart and realization that each number represents a real, living child who is in desperate need of care and a family. We can become easily overwhelmed with these statistics but I pray for my self and for the church that they would lead us to pray more specifically and passionately for them. I pray they will move us to act with greater urgency to see each one of these children cared for in the name of Christ.

About The Ministry

2009-09-14T12:22:00.000-07:00

“Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” James 1:27

Our mission is to be a voice for the unborn and give hope to children waiting to be adopted by bringing them together with prospective adoptive families who will give these children not only their hearts and homes, but hope and a future.

How can you help? You can make a difference in the life a child by giving of your time, talent or treasure. Pray for the unborn and children awaiting adoption as well as the adults in their lives and the professionals who work with the children and families.

Explore adoption. We are here to mentor and support you through the adoption process and after placement.

Here are some facts to just ponder...

127,000 children in U.S. foster care are waiting to be adopted.

There are 143 million orphans in the world.

More than 60,000 families in the U.S. wait to adopt each year.

There are 2.1 billion professed Christians on earth. If only 7% of those Christians responded, every single orphan would have a home.