A New Season

Oftentimes we want to understand it all and see all of the little details.  At least, that's the way I am.  I believe that over these past 2 months God has really been confirming and showing me what He has planned for me here in Mexico.  I feel like I can sort of see the big picture- working to unite orphanages and churches to put these kids in orphanages into families-whether it be through adoption or a permanent foster care.  God’s plan for these kids is not an orphanage.  The Bible talks about orphan care, but it never mentions orphanages.  It talks about families and the church taking in orphans into their homes.  God’s original plan for these children was for them to be in a family.  So why not go back to that original plan and put these kids in families.  Work with the legal system to make adoption and foster care more feasible.  Connect with the orphanage and train families within the church that desire to adopt.  Work with the orphanage to connect with government agencies to facilitate the legal process in adoption.  Legalize a system that resembles foster care to put kids in families that legally cannot be adopted. Yes, right now orphanages are necessary, but I know of so many families that want to adopt, but because of difficult laws, it is almost impossible.  So why not work with the legal system to empower these families to invite an orphan into their family.

These kids need a family.

This is what God has put on my heart.  And honestly it has been so encouraging to see that He has put the same desire on the hearts of those around me.  This past Friday an orphanage in Chapala held a conference for various pastors, church members and orphanage directors.  They invited me to share about what we feel God is leading us to do in orphan care and the importance of placing these kids in families.  I was prepared to share a few verses but while listening to another speaker, God brought to my mind the verse in Deuteronomy 7:6-8

“For you are a people holy to the Lord your God.  The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession, out of all the peoples who are on the face of the earth.  It was not because you were more in number than any other people that the Lord set his love on you and chose you, for you were the fewest of all peoples, but it is because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath that he swore to your fathers, that the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.”   

Instead of going with my original plan, I decided to share this verse and how God has a plan for these orphans and He has chosen them as His treasured possession, not because they were the greatest people or the most important.  But He sets his love on them and chooses them.  He takes them into His family.  He rescues them and redeems them, because He loves them as His sons and daughters.  After speaking, an older woman approached me and shared her story about how she grew up as an orphan and how she is finally starting to understand how much God loves her and how she is part of the family of God.  She said God really spoke to her through those verses in Deuteronomy in how much He loves her.  It was so encouraging to see how all of us at the conference were in sync with the fact that Mexico doesn’t need more orphanages, but rather families in which to place these children. 

Conference

At the conference an orphanage director (from Orphanage Josiah & Bethany) shared about what this orphanage has been doing.  I actually met him 3 years ago, but they have changed their orphanage model drastically over these 3 years.  They currently have various little houses on the orphanage campus and in each house a husband and wife with 1 child (or 2-3 if they are biological siblings).  They have had this ‘foster-care’ setting for the past 2 years in which the child is in an actual family and they have seen dramatic changes and transformations in the children.  Kids who have wet the bed for 10 years, no longer wet the bed.  Kids who were failing in school, succeeding.  Kids who were full of anger and rage, for the first time feel loved, chosen and accepted. 

This is essentially the model we would like to see expanded to other orphanages.  They are currently in the process of passing a law to enable foster care where these families living on campus could live in their actual homes with their  'adopted’ child.  It was such a blessing to be able to talk with this director to hear of his experiences and how God has been giving him the ability to work with the government to facilitate adoptions and foster care. 

In 2 weeks we are having a meeting with various orphanage directors who are interested in this model to dialogue about how to implement it legally and how to transition into this model.  Please pray for this upcoming meeting.

God seems to be putting all of the key people together to make this happen here in Guadalajara.  I am working with an orphanage in Chapala that wants to base their orphanage off of this model (Josiah & Bethany).  The director from Josiah & Bethany is completely open and willing to guide, teach, equip and work together with us.  The team I am working with at Kids in Victory is completely supportive and excited about this opportunity to work towards putting these kids in families.  My church and other churches at the meeting in Chapala want to get involved.  We have invitations from an organization (back2back) to train with them and learn from them on how to better serve orphanages.  God is putting it all together.  I’m not sure what it is all going to look like.  I don’t have all of the little details, but I am convinced that God is at work.  My plan has always been to open an orphanage.  But I truly believe God’s plan for these kids is not another orphanage, but a family.  A real family.

Volunteers at the orphanage in Chapala where I am serving.

Birthday Pizza with Brayan and Rodrigo (Rodrigo took the picture, as you can see it is upside down)

I’m trusting God’s word.  “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.” Psalm 32:8

Rain season has started here in Guadalajara.  Something new.  God is starting something new in orphan care here in Mexico.  

I am waiting.  Waiting on God.  I pray that this song would reflect my attitude everyday. 

Lord, today You know what I need to do,
but You can do more in my waiting,
than in my doing I can do.
I won't run anymore, I'm waiting on You.

Edgar helping Coby with his flash-cards

Jorge with a classmate dancing at a school event

We were able to get 4 new kids enrolled in school without birth certificates, report cards, etc.  Praise God!

On the way to get their shots...

Driving the kids to get their immunization shots

Chavita, 12 years old, was scared out of his mind to get his shots.  He screamed, cried and hit and kicked the nurses while they and one of the older boys tried to hold him down.  When the nurses gave up, I went over to talk to him.  I asked him if he knew why he had to get a shot.  He didn't know why.  So I explained to him that the shot was to protect him from getting sick in the future.  Yes the shot was going to hurt a little bit, but it was better than getting really sick for 1 week in the future.  We prayed a few minutes that God would give him peace and strength to have the shot.  Then we went back into the room and he grabbed my hand as I hugged him and the nurses were able to give him his 2 shots.  Sometimes we just need somebody to explain things to us, pray for us and hold our hand.  Good thing we have God to do just that.

Hanging around waiting to get their shots...

Thank you for your prayers, support, love and encouragement.  I could not be here without you!

Join me in praying for...

-This upcoming meeting with orphanage directors. (June 12th)

-Changes in the law to facilitate adoptions and foster care.

-Families within the churches that want to adopt.

-That God would give me direction as to what He wants my role to be in this adoption/foster care project.

-For the kids and that they would not lose hope.  That they would believe Deuteronomy 7:6-8