He is the Reason for the Season

If you are needing a spiritual uplifting this Christmas season, visit this link. It is awesome. Thank you Karen H. for sending it us. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SXh7JR9oKVE&feature=youtube_gdata_player

A Different Type of Gift Catalog

When one thinks of a gift catalog, it is generally with personal interest. Christmas time and Sears catalogs are part of warm memories as I remember many hours pouring over the toy section each year as a child. Now I look at more advanced "toys" like cell phones, ipods, and laptop computers. However,  a catalog I saw today wasn't about me...thankfully.


This morning at The Shelter Church where David and I attend church, I picked up a gift catalog, but it wasn't anything like I had ever seen.  It was a catalog of humanitarian needs and places where resources and time could go. I was fascinated by the idea and so very proud of our church family as we see a deepening and widening of ministry there.


This catalog got me to thinking about not only the humanitarian needs listed in our church gift catalog, but so many others....so here is another gift catalog to prayfully look over.

For more information about this catalog gift visit this website:  http://www.achildshopeintl.org/KidsAgainstHunger.html

For more information on this "gift selection" visit:  http://www.actofkindness.blogspot.com/

 

For more information on the following needs, please visit lambinternational.blogspot.com.  On the left of the blog is information about how to give to these specific needs - the Canada Helps button. All financial gifts to LAMb International will be matched until December 31st up to $25,000.

The following are local "gift selections" of time and one's presence.

Contact information to deliver coats and blankets to local bins contact: shawnadkins1972@yahoo.com

Contact information to share in this gift of your presence,
contact Brad Colwell - 937-272-7236

Other Gift Suggestions from The Shelter today...

• Coin Up Laundry Minister - Give away quarters in laundry mats as random acts of kindness..helping a family with their laundry.
• Write a note of encouragement to someone who may be experiencing his/her first holiday without a loved one.
• Create your own family project...open the eyes of your heart to the people around you. Find a need and meet it in your local community this holiday season..

We really like this gift catalog the best over anything we have ever seen! 

Have a blessed Christmas season as we know that He is the Reason...for this Blessed Season.

UKRAINE WITHOUT ORPHANS - CATCH THE VISION

EVENT THAT WE NEVER WILL FORGET!!!

ONE OF THOSE GREAT MOMENTS WE WAITED FOR SO LONG.

by Maxim Slivka - Director of Marketing and Development (ILDC Ukraine)

This was not just an event. I would say it was historical event that may bring great change in the lives of many children in Ukraine.

Over 500 people gathered together at a conference in Kiev all committed to seeing a Ukraine Without Orphans in 2015. Hard to think or even imagine of this could have been possible, but many believe it is. We believe and hope that Ukraine can lead the former USSR in showing others how to divert children from orphanages

This great event was not just a conference but rather a challenge for churches, NGO’s and parents to get involved and take on the heart of the orphan. Today we share the hope and the passion to see a mobilized partnership of NGO's joining together and creating a NEW REALITY for children waiting for families - for children who would otherwise be quickly placed into an orphanage.

ILDC is the child welfare arm of LAMb International.  For more information, visit their blog: 
 
http://www.ildcua.blogspot.com/

A Vision for Poland

What an incredible and motivated group of people!  These were our thoughts as we worked with the Adoption Centre key workers in Wroclaw, Poland this past week.  On Monday and Tuesday during the day, we met with a group of government workers, non-government agencies and adoptive parents as we fashioned a vision for a new training program in the country.  Currently, once a family adopts, they have no post adoption training or support and the Adoption Centre wants to change all that.

This is the work team looking to bring post finalization adoption training to families in Poland.

While the plans are still in the early stages, we hope to hear soon that they have received a grant which would fund the development of this post adoption training program. This program will be modeled after the program written by the Institute of Human Services and the Ohio Child Welfare training program and be the first of its kind in Poland..  How fun is this!

During the evening, we had the privlege of once again speaking with adoptive families. Last spring, during our first visit there, we met so many committed families. It was good to renew acquaintances with them and to meet many more.

 David shares with adoptive families on Monday evening.

 These participants are both adoptive parents and adoption workers.

While there, Andrei, an adoptive father and our host while in Poland shared a video from a  national TV news broadcast that was filmed last spring during our visit.  We wanted to add this to our "scrapbook" of memories, so I have posted it below.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Andrzej, Kasha and their daughter, Maya.  This young couple is a real force in pursing support and education for adoption parents.

The Spring Video

We returned on Wednesday evening to Kiev, Ukraine to spend our last two days here working with the incredible staff of the International Leadership and Development Center. We look forward to returning home over the weekend to family and friends.  This has been a God-given incredible adventure and we hope, somewhere along the way, we have helped someone.

Thank you for checking in with us on our blog.....the journey continues

Hope for Orphans - Ukraine without Orphans by 2015

They came from many different towns and villages. Some traveled for hours - others just across town. What brought the over 500 people together this weekend in Kiev was an emerging vision. Empowered with the call of God's word to take care of orphans, dreamers came with a dream - Ukraine without Orphans by 2015

Christian organizations, church leaders, Christian family centers and foster and adoptive parents came together for the first Alliance National Conference. The goal of this conference was to issue the call for churches to step up and care for the thousands of children living without parental care in one of the 88 orphanages scattered throughout Ukraine or in other devastating life circumstances.

Much like sister movements in the United States  (i.e. Christian Alliance for Orphans) this Ukrainan movement could very well change the face of child welfare in this country. It was an incredible privilege to be part of this remarkable movement.  It is hoped that the Alliance in Ukraine will be a model to other countries on how the church can impact the lives of orphans.

 Ruby Johnston, co-founder of ILDC, told us of this adoptive father's incredible story of child rescue.

                            Coffee break time between workshops.

 Ruby, along with staff member and translator, Anya, challenged the groupto consider the power of networking.

 Our book. "Telling the Truth to Your Adopted or Foster Child" has been translated into Russian. We were asked to do a book signing on Friday evening and had the opportunity to present an adoption workshop on Saturday. What a gift we have been given to serve here.

The ILDC staff in Ukraine, l to r - Max, Oleg, Anya and Vika are pictured with the leaders of Co-Mission, an incredible resource organization located in Ukraine, Russia and the US.

We leave Sunday afternoon for our final work week overseas and will be joining our family just in time for Thanksgiving.

A Great Day with Ukrainian Social Workers and Foster Families

This week finds us in a different place, so different from Krygzstan, but in many ways the people are the same...kind, gracious and open. We have been training at the ILDC headquarters in Kiev, Ukraine. ILDC, the International Leadership and Develpment Center was born out of the work of LAMb International and its initiative is to impact the system of child welfare in this country.

Today, we started a two day training called, "Wounded Children, Healing Homes:How Traumatized Children Impact Adoptive and Foster Families." It is adapted from our book by the same title. We find that foster parents and adoptive parents struggle with many of the same issues around the world and it is our hope, that in one small way, we will encourage them and help them.

Today was almost too much fun...thought we would share a glimpse of the day...please click on this link to see the fun!

                                     http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D228Ogi7OCE 

At the end of this week, we have the privilege of attending and speaking at the "Ukraine Without Orphans" Alliance National Conference.  Church leaders and laymen are gathering from all over the country  are stepping up to their responsibility to James 1:27..taking care of orphans....It will be an awesome event.

The journey continues...home in 10 days...eager to see family and friends

Saying Good-bye for Now

Saying good-bye to our very special friends in Krygyzstan is always difficult.  On Friday evening, we all gathered at Lynn and Ruby's apartment for a dinner together. They are already gone and it wasn't the same without them. 

Pictured here: The Wright family, Talent and Acel and family, (our foster family for Dayspring), Natalia and her friend, Sergai and some extra young people. We missed our team leaders, Lynn and Ruby as they had already left two weeks ago for work in Ukraine.

It is Sunday evening, and we are sitting in an apartment in Kiev. We are here for three days of training and then an incredible adoption conference, put together by the church leaders in this country. We are excited to be a part of it.

Our journey continues...