Christian Alliance For Orphans Summit

“Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.” -James 1:27

The Christian Alliance for Orphans is an amazing alliance of many amazing organizations, all with the common goal of serving orphans. Every member has its own specialization or focus of ministry, but ultimately desires to bring love and hope to the orphan. The organizations are broken down into 3 main areas of focus: international orphan care, adoption, and domestic foster care.

We had the privilege of attending the fourth Summit this week in Florida. It was actually only about 2 days long, but crammed full of information and networking times. Keith and I went because the Lord has given us such a passion for orphans, and because we desire to make a switch in ministry to something orphan related. We went to see what is out there and try to find a place we fit. I think we have found a couple places we fit, but have a lot of learning, talking and praying to do before we make a decision. We also have to determine what we are willing to give up in this process – are we willing to move far away from home, etc.

A highlight was meeting a blogger I’ve been following, Angela. She is also on staff with Campus Crusade for Christ and going through an adoption right now. We had mutual friends that introduced us and it took a while before we realized we knew each other. She is adopting two young children from Ethiopia, so we picked her brain on her process and Ethiopia. What a very neat family!

We picked up a ton of reading material, including several books that we hope to make our way through as we contemplate our future. I have started Children of Hope by Vernon Brewer and Noel Brewer Yeatts, founders of World Hope, one of the organizations present at the conference. I am not a big reader, but I have read about most areas of the world, with the exception of an area with a huge amount orphans: Africa. And the AIDS epidemic is huge there right now. I am hoping to become more informed. Here’s a quotation from the cover of the book:

“The HIV/AIDS pandemic is the greatest opportunity for the Church to be the Church. It is time for us to be the hands and feet of Jesus to those who need compassion.” – Rick Warren

The theme of the conference was “Be dooers of the Word.” “Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.” – James 1:22 The orphan crisis is huge. Is there any institution that can help? Yes – the Church! Our mighty God loves the orphan and is the only One who is able to save the 143 million plus orphans on earth today. The church has to be the solution and has to go and do their part. God has asked us to take care of orphans, and we must obey. What an awesome job He’s given us!

We heard from several great speakers, representing Family Life, Focus on the Family, Crown Financial Ministries, Calvary Church of Ft. Lauderdale….and got to attend seminars on our specific interest.

In pursuing our future plans, we also met with Campus Crusade’s Hope for Orphans staff and Global Aid Network (GAIN). Two very neat ministries! Hope for Orphans is currently a team of 3 core people, with a few other part-timers. They are out of Little Rock, AK and focus on helping orphan ministries connect and serve one another, as well as equipping the church to have orphan ministries. They are a resourcing and networking ministry that helped form the Christian Alliance for Orphans. They actually have a need for someone like Keith who can care for their web and video needs.

GAIN is primarily out of Dallas and Lancaster, PN and is the humanitarian aid arm of Campus Crusade. They send aid all over the world, to orphans and the poor, and share the Good News of Christ with them. They also need more people to help with their web and communications.

These two ministries are what we learned the most about at the conference, but before we move forward, we ant to research all our options, and then would probably like to go and visit each ministry before signing on.

It is a little overwhelming with all the choices and so much up in the air in our lives right now, but PRAISE the LORD, I am excited and trusting God right now!

Sorry for my disjointed post. We are a little sleep deprived and missing Koen right now. Can’t wait to see him in a few hours!

*Another Adoption Update

We have had a very full few days. Before I share all the wonderful things we heard about at the conference, I’ll share an adoption update.

After checking email several times a day for a week, we finally got a good explanation/response from our agency. It wasn’t that they weren’t trying to be timely, it’s that they were waiting on a JCICS conference call, and trying to get their facts straight.

Our agency said that the statements about Vietnam are not necessarily fact. There are many ifs in the process. If a new agreement is not resigned in the near future, Vietnam will stop taking dossiers on July 1st, and then if they are not near signing a new agreement when September 1st approaches, they will only process the adoptions of those who have referrals. It is good to hear those ifs. There is still some hope.

Here is another hopeful statement from our agency's update:"We all need to keep in mind that this is a very complex situation with various agendas existing among different parties.... While they may differ in their tactics and words used, all parties wish for adoptions to be done in an ethical, transparent and legal manner. So while it may appear through the AP reports that adoptions in Vietnam are at risk of stopping please know that all parties are willing to start the negotiations on the new agreement."

Our agency also believes that the Summary of Irregularities, is not the norm of Vietnamese adoptions. "This document has been criticized by most people familiar with adoptions in Vietnam, including representatives from other countries that adopt in Vietnam, as it presents a board picture of unethical conduct in Vietnam when, in fact, the alleged conduct is extremely limited to a few provinces and agencies." There are a few agencies, in a few provinces that are behaving questionably. The US Embassy discussed many bold generalities in the Summary and never stated any specific places, people or institutions. We have been told that the US Embassy has been asked to produce factual evidence, so that those at fault can be prosecuted and issues can be cleaned up.

Also, and perhaps most hopeful to us, is that Vietnam has stated they plan to become Hague approved in 2009. If and when they do, an agreement between the US and Vietnam is no longer needed! So, even if we can’t complete our adoption this year, we could potentially still adopt from Vietnam next year.

Some bad news is that Vietnam is giving less referrals to American agencies right now because of the issues. If they come so slowly, we are even less likely to receive a referral in time.

Keith and I have discussed this a little while we’ve been away. We don’t want to complete our adoption if we suspect our agency, their in country staff, the orphanage, officials, or anyone in the province of unethical behavior. It is our hope that the Embassy will release more specific information so that the adoptive parents and children can have peace about their own adoption histories. I don’t want my child learning some day, or even questioning some day weather her birth mother gave her up or not. I want her to know that her mom gave her up out of love, knowing that she wanted a better life for her daughter. (We heard a neat song by Nate Huss, an adoptee, about his birth mom)

At this conference we were wondering if the Lord would guide us in our adoption. Nothing became more clear, but we did become more aware of other options, and I think I am all the more open for special needs.

*To Grieve or Not to Grieve?

I don't know what to do. I am so sad when I think about it, and yet we haven't hit a dead end yet, we've just been warned that a dead end is likely. I feel alone. There are hundreds of others in the US going through what we are. We need a support group!
I don't think most people understand that Liv is in our hearts. We have pictured her and planned for her for months. Maybe this is a little like a miscarriage? To know a child is coming, but to have not yet seen or held her, and to lose her. Maybe it's not.

Blessings to you who are going through this too. Let's pray for each other, and pray that Vietnam will clean up its system, and that those orphans will have loving homes.

Off We Go

This week we head to a conference we have been looking forward to for some time. We are going to the Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit IV in Florida, where we will join hundreds of other believers who are like us- passionate in reaching and serving the Fatherless.

We are so hoping the Lord will guide us in our personal ministry, as well as in our adoption while we are there. Please pray that He would show us where He desires us to serve, and what we should do about our adoption.

We have to leave Koen behind with Grandma in Oregon for 4 nights, which I am feeling more and more hesitant to do. I know he will do fine without us, but will I do fine without him? After the conference, we will head to a Campus Crusade staff conference in central Oregon for several days. We will be on the road for a while, but will update you when we return.

*A Disappointing Announcement

Today I have sad news to share. Vietnam will close to US adoptions September 1st. This is incredibly sad news for adoptions in Vietnam. But, even sadder for us is that Vietnam will only complete the adoptions of those families who have referrals by September 1st. There is still a chance this could be us, but it is not likely.

I have noticed that my heart hasn't been so into this adoption as I feel it should be. I'm not sure if it is because I am guarding myself, or if the Lord is using this to guide us to other options, or if He is protecting me from the grief that I could feel, had I been more attached. I am sad, don't get me wrong. But surprisingly, I am not devastated.

The Lord has been reminding me of His promises that "All things work for the good of those who love God." And that His plans for our lives (including Liv's) are hopeful and good (Jeremiah 29:11). This is part of His plan. He called us to adopt, and He will bring it to completion. I can say that and I do believe it, but I pray for more faith, and that God would confirm this calling on our lives.

Here is the statement from the US Embassy in Hanoi, Vietnam:
On April 25, the Government of Vietnam announced that it will allow adoption to be completed in cases where prospective adoptive parents have been matched with a child and received an official referral prior to September 1, 2008. It further stated that in accordance with Vietnamese law, the DIA will suspend the acceptance of new dossiers on July 1, 2008. On September 1, 2008 any dossier that has not received a referral will be closed and returned to the Adoption Service Provider. In view of the processing time required in Vietnam from placement to the Giving and Receiving Ceremony, an adoption process begun now cannot be completed before the current Agreement expires.

So, if we don't have a referral before the close, our dossier will be sent back. That makes me even more sad. Our hope and prayer is that Vietnam will reopen to US adoption in 2009 sometime. That would hopefully mean that if we didn't have a referral this time, that we would be toward the top of the list when it reopens, but I am not sure if I should have this hope or not. I need more information from our agency.

The Embassy also released a "Summary of Irregularities" about Vietnam orphanges/adoptions that is rather alarming. As I read it, I think maybe it is best if we don't receive a referral because so many children are being given up unethically. I do want to adopt a child that needs a family - not one who was given up just to make money. I don't want to always wonder if she really was an orphan. Maybe our child is somewhere else.

Among the things the Summary listed were (found at Voices for VN Adoption Integrity):

• strong financial incentive to maximize the number of children available for foreign adoption in their centers - those orphanages that have this incentive have seen a huge increase in the number of "abandoned" children in their facilities, while those without the incentive have not. It appears that some orphanage directors are trying to get more babies into their orphanage so they will receive more money!!
• during the required search and wait for a birth parent to come forward and claim their child, the information is not being properly advertised
• families have applied for domestic adoptions in Vietnam, but are often not processed because orphanages receive less money for domestic adoptions than they do for international. But, domestic adoptions are best option!!!
• the number of "abandoned" children has skyrocketed in orphanages were there is incentive, but remained stable elsewhere. Facilitators are deliberately staging fraudulent desertions to conceal the identity of the birth parents.
• Birth parents are receiving way more than enough in financial "compensation" for giving up their child - more than about a year's wages. Sometimes these parents are told their child will visit them often, and/or return home at a certain age, and/or send money from the US - all of which does not happen
• Often the individual who purportedly found the child (child finder) is a police officer, a village official or a member of their immediate family. These individuals are often related to the orphanage director or the local official who approves adoptions. Embassy investigations have shown that many of these reports are fraudulent.
• In five provinces, the Embassy has discovered unlicensed, unregulated facilities that provide free room and board to pregnant women in return for their commitment to relinquish their children upon birth.
• Attempts by U.S. officials to verify the accuracy of these documents have routinely uncovered evidence of fraudulent or inaccurate information. Fraudulent police reports have also been submitted to the Embassy in connection with adoption cases.

I am sad for Vietnam - that all this is going on and devastating the lives of many. And, I am sad for our family. I want to move forward. I want another child, and I want it by adoption. I don't want to wait forever. When we started this process a year ago (almost to the day!) I knew we could face huge hurdles. And, here they are. When is a hurdle so big that we should change course?

Will you pray with us for Vietnam adoptions, and for God's guidance as we decide what to do now?

Thank you.

My Big Boy

Koen is 2! He turned two at 4:39 this evening, and I'm so disappointed I forgot to look at the clock and be sentimental about the time. I was too busy preparing for our little family party tonight. We celebrated with a monkey theme. I didn't go too over the top this year, but did do a cute little monkey cake (banana flavor, of course) from Martha Stewart. Koen's eyes lit up when he saw it. He loves cake - and rarely gets to eat it! Grammi, Great-Grammi, Grampa, Aunt Laurie, and Great-Aunt Carrie joined us for burgers and fries. We were also celebrating Keith's birthday that is later this week - so the menu was his choice.

Although this was a little party, our little place seemed very small tonight. We squeezed around the table and enjoyed the food (all except Koen who had already filled up on olives, and was saving space for monkey cake). Koen enjoyed opening the gifts (family spoiled him!!!), but when I decided to get one out of the box, he only wanted to play with it and not open the rest of the gifts (oops- Mom error!). So, we stopped for cake. He and Papa enjoyed blowing out their candles. We had to relight them for more photo ops :). Koen had a few bites, and seemed to enjoy the cake (especially the chocolate frosting), but he quickly decided he wanted to go back to playing with his new toy. He enjoyed playing with Grampa while the rest of us finished our cake, and then finished opening his gifts.

I was really amazed at how well Koen related to everyone tonight. With our prompting, he would say thank you to everyone, and give them a hug. I think he did a really good job at making everyone feel loved. He is such a social boy! And I am so thankful for our family, that loves him so much.

After everyone left, Koen immediately climbed back up to the table and finished his cake. That's a lot of sugar for a little boy to eat after bed time! We brushed his teeth well tonight, and put him down. He actually fell asleep quickly. I think all the stimulation exhausted him!

I have been so blessed to be Koen's Mama. He is a joy, and it's fun to see more and more of his personality come out. Here are some pictures of the festivities:

Playing with Grampa and the favorite toy of the evening

Thanking G-Aunt Carrie

Koen with Aunt Laurie and Grammi

A new pillow from Grammi - Koen trying it out

Monkey cake before

Monkey cake after (not so happy about losing that ear!)

Facts

I was just sitting here crying over the need of orphans. I am ready and willing to help, but feel like I can't. Why is it so hard? Lord, show me how.

Here are the facts:

What is the need?
• Over 143 million children have lost one or both parents. 1
• At least 16.2 million children worldwide have lost both parents. 2
• Every 14 seconds a child loses a parent due to AIDS. 3
• Conflict has orphaned or separated 1 million children from their families in the 1990s. 4


Where are they?
• 43.4 million orphans live in sub-Saharan Africa, 87.6 million orphans live in Asia, and 12.4 million orphans live in Latin America and the Caribbean. 5
• 1.5 million children live in public care in Central and Eastern Europe alone. 6
• At any given point there are over 500,000 children in the U.S. Foster Care system. 7
• In some countries, children are abandoned at alarming rates, due to poverty, restrictive population control policies, disabilities or perceived disabilities, and cultural traditions that value boys more than girls. 8

What about AIDS?
• More than 14 million children under the age of 15 have lost one or both parents to AIDS, the vast majority of them in sub-Saharan Africa. 9
• By 2010, the number of children orphaned by AIDS globally is expected to exceed 25 million. 10
• AIDS is more likely than other cause of death to result in children losing both parents. 11
• As the infection spreads, the number of children who have lost parents to AIDS is beginning to grow in other regions as well, including Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean and Eastern Europe. 12

What happens to the children?
• Children are profoundly affected as their parents fall sick and die, setting them on a long trail of painful experiences often characterized by: economic hardship, lack of love, attention and affection, withdrawal from school, psychological distress, loss of inheritance, increased physical and sexual abuse and risk of HIV infection, malnutrition and illness, stigma, discrimination, exploitation, trafficking, and isolation. 13
• Orphaned children are much more likely than non-orphans to be working in commercial agriculture, as street vendors, in domestic service and in the sex trade. 14
• Unaccompanied boys are at high risk of forced or ’voluntary’ participation in violence and armed conflict. 15
• Orphanages, children’s villages, or other group residential facilities generally fail to meet young people’s emotional and psychological needs. 16

What about foster care?
• On average, children stay in foster care for 30 months, or 2.5 years. 17
• 118,000 children were waiting to be adopted on September 30, 2004. 18
• On average, those children waiting for adoption have been in foster care for 43.8 months, almost 4 years. 19
• 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. Of those who aged out of foster care: 20
Outcome 21
Earned a high school diploma: 54%
Obtained a Bachelor’s degree or higher: 2%
Were unemployed: 51%
Had no health insurance: 30%
Had been homeless: 25% 22
Were receiving public assistance: 30%

Is there any hope?
• Yes. There is One who infinitely loves each orphan and calls His people to join Him in caring for the fatherless. Each one of us can Show Hope to an orphan.
• If only 7% of the 2 billion Christians in the world would show hope to a single orphan, looking after the child in their distress, there would effectively be no more orphans. We can each do something.

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Sources: Shaohannah's Hope Myspace
1 Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, United Nations Children’s Fund and the United States Agency for International Development, Children on the Brink 2004: A joint report of new orphan estimates and a framework for action, Population, Health and Nutrition Information Project for USAID, Washington, D.C., July 2004, p. 7. http://www.unicef.org/publications/index_22212.html.
2 Ibid, Children on the Brink 2004, p. 29.
3 UNICEF, Press Release: As G8 leaders discuss global poverty, UNICEF puts spotlight on children in poor countries. http://www.unicef.org/media/media_21421.html
4 UNICEF, Aug 2006. From website, “Child Protection from Violence, Exploitation and Abuse.” http://www.unicef.org/protection/index_orphans.html
5 Ibid, Children on the Brink 2004, p. 3
6 UNICEF, Aug 2006. From website, “Child Protection from Violence, Exploitation and Abuse.” http://www.unicef.org/protection/index_orphans.html
7 Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and reporting System (AFCARS) 11 data submitted for the FY 2004, 0/1/03 through 9/30/04. http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/afcars/ tar/report11.htm
8 Human Rights Watch. Easy Targets: Violence against Children Worldwide. New York: Human Rights Watch. 2001, pp. 25-26. http://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/children/
9 Global Partners Forum convened by UNICEF with support from UNAIDS. The Framework for the Protection, Care and Support of Orphans and Vulnerable Children Living in a World with HIV and AIDS, July 2004, p 5. Global Strategic Framework: http://www.ovcsupport.net
10 Global Partners Forum convened by UNICEF with support from UNAIDS. The Framework for the Protection, Care and Support of Orphans and Vulnerable Children Living in a World with HIV and AIDS, July 2004, p 5. Global Strategic Framework: http://www.ovcsupport.net
11 Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, United Nations Children’s Fund and the United States Agency for International Development, Children on the Brink 2004: A joint report of new orphan estimates and a framework for action, Population, Health and Nutrition Information Project for USAID, Washington, D.C., July 2004, p. 11. http://www.unicef.org/publications/index_22212.html
12 Global Partners Forum convened by UNICEF with support from UNAIDS. The Framework for the Protection, Care and Support of Orphans and Vulnerable Children Living in a World with HIV and AIDS, July 2004, p 7. Global Strategic Framework: http://www.ovcsupport.net
13 Global Partners Forum convened by UNICEF with support from UNAIDS. The Framework for the Protection, Care and Support of Orphans and Vulnerable Children Living in a World with HIV and AIDS, July 2004, p 9. Global Strategic Framework: http://www.ovcsupport.net
14 United Nations Children’s Fund, The State of the World’s Children 2006. Dec 2005, p. 50. http://www.unicef.org/publications/index_30398.html
15 Ibid, UNICEF, Aug 2006. From website, “Child Protection from Violence, Exploitation and Abuse.”
16 Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS, United Nations Children’s Fund and the United States Agency for International Development, Children on the Brink 2004: A joint report of new orphan estimates and a framework for action, Population, Health and Nutrition Information Project for USAID, Washington, D.C., July 2004, p. 20. http://www.unicef.org/publications/index_22212.html.
17 Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and reporting System (AFCARS) 11 data submitted for the FY 2004, 0/1/03 through 9/30/04. http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/afcars/ tar/report11.htm
18 Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and reporting System (AFCARS) 11 data submitted for the FY 2004, 0/1/03 through 9/30/04. http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/afcars/ tar/report11.htm
19 Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and reporting System (AFCARS) 11 data submitted for the FY 2004, 0/1/03 through 9/30/04. http://www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/stats_research/afcars/ tar/report11.htm
20 National Foster Care Month, Facts about Children in Foster Care, 2006 Fact Sheet. http://www.fostercaremonth.org/FactsAndStatistics/
21 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.
22 Cook, R. (1991). A national evaluation of title IV-E foster care independent living programs for youth. Rockville, MD: Westat Inc. http://www.cwla.org/programs/fostercare/factsheetafter.htm