Posts Tagged ‘adoption’
Filed under: Adoption, Human Trafficking, Justice
We are in the midst of the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa and I’m compelled again today to pray for the lives of the 40,000 or so victims of modern-day slavery (i.e. sex trafficking) in the cities where these events are held. The World Cup is said to draw some 500,000 visitors from all over the world and it is well known among anti-trafficking groups that where massive sporting events take place, sex trafficking is rampant. The women and children involved in the forced prostitution there can expect to be raped between 10 and 30 times a night, and with so many visitors in one place, if you do the math you can see why these events are such a draw for traffickers.
Over the past few weeks many anti-trafficking groups, including our very own Exodus Cry, have taken to the streets of Johannesburg, Cape Town and many of the cities in South Africa. Blaire Pilkington, Exodus Cry’s director of philanthropy, and her team are there to pray, raise awareness and minister to girls and tourists wanting to buy sex in hopes that they can detour people from participating in this immoral industry and possibly rescue a few out.
“We’ve seen several women that have gotten rescued out of prostitution already….” says Pilkington in an update from their website. “We began ministering to the two ladies, telling them of the Lord’s love for them, His plan for their life… and the girls’ faces began to change as we talked, and they told us they were ready, they wanted out. We grabbed their hands and led them through the streets littered with clubs, pimps and prostitutes.”
Children are at the tip of the arrow when it comes to trafficking as the average age of those entering into sex trafficking is 12. An article by CTV News shares the story of a 15 year old named Maggie, who was able to escape after she had been captured. “There was this other guy looking good, then came to me and was like ‘I’m looking for people who want to do modeling,’” she recalled in Soweto, an impoverished Johannesburg neighborhood. “I said okay. I’m good for modeling and I can do it.”
Stories like these in foreign countries are far too common. But even in the U.S., according to the department of health and human services, we have more than 100,000 children who are involved in forced prostitution. Children need fathers and mothers like never before. What we are seeing today is prophecy fulfilled. The hearts of the fathers are NOT turned to the children today and because of this the children have turned their hearts away from the fathers. The fatherless generation that is being created in this world is setting the stage for the harlot babylon yet at the same time for the turning of the fathers’ hearts back to the children and for the return of Christ to the earth. In that moment we will see the finalization of our adoption take place and be together with our Lord forever.
Adoption IS the preventative measure for human trafficking. Adoption, in many cases, is a rescue operation that snatches children out of the hands of future traffickers. What the underground railroad was to slavery, adoption is to human trafficking and abortion.
Join with us… let’s start an adoption revolution.
Tags: adoption, Human Trafficking, underground railroad, world cup
Permalink Comments (0) Adam Parker Jul 13, 2010
Filed under: Adoption, Justice
For the Parker family and the little one we are adopting (rescuing)! July 25 is the RSVP date!
Go ahead and get your tickets now and reserve your seat for the Parkers Adoption Fundraising Banquet in the Tallahassee area at the Golden Eagle Country Club. Invites are being sent out now, but if you haven’t got an invite, don’t be shy. We would love to host you for dinner, share our vision and drop some very exciting developments to you!
Stephanie and I will be speaking that night as well as few others. Please join us!
We will be serving a catered full course dinner at our Adoption Banquet and will be selling tickets to cover the cost of the dinner and raise money for our adoption.
You can RSVP and buy your tickets using the Paypal link below or by emailing me at adamparker@ihop.org.
You can choose at what level you’d like to partner with us in this adoption by purchasing one of the following tickets (tickets are per person to cover the cost of the dinner in addition to helping raise money):
To RSVP and buy your tickets by debit/credit click here:
https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=1016595
If you can’t make the fundraiser, but would still like to contribute you can do it online by clicking the link above or by mail on our Partner page.
Tags: adoption, Banquet, Fundraiser, giving, Justice, Parker, Tallahassee
Permalink Comments (0) Adam Parker Jul 5, 2010
Filed under: Adoption, Justice
I wrote this post last week for the Orphan Justice Center which you can find here, but I thought that many of you would also love to hear some of these practical ideas for caring for orphans that anyone can do. You don’t have to be working in an orphanage in a country that ends with “stan” to be someone who cares for orphans. You can do it right along with your busy schedule.
In America, the task of caring for orphans (which I define here as any young person who has lost their parents through death, abandonment, abuse or neglect) for the most part has been given over to the government and to some whose heart has been moved to action. Most Americans think that adoption is a great thing, but less than 4% of American families have actually adopted according to the National Center for Health Statistics.
In the scriptures we see over and over again God’s heart of justice for the fatherless and His command for all christians to care for orphans. However, much of the church in America has adopted a similar cultural norm of pushing this responsibility off to others and allowing the government to take the lead role.
So I thought I would give 10 easy ways to care for orphans in an ongoing way.
1. Pray for them
When you pray for orphans and for families who are adopting, you are partnering with God’s heart in such an incredible way. In Luke 18 Jesus says that those who cry out night and day will have “speedy justice.”
2. Partner Financially with the Parker Family
We are building a team of partners who want to see an adoption revolution. Our mission is to rescue, adopt and restore orphaned children and our partners are an integral part of making this happen. Click here to become a Partner with the Parker Family.
3. Give Finances to Adoptive Families
We have families in the OJC family who are currently adopting and you may also know families who are adopting. Adoptions range from $7,000 – $30,000 so it really does take a community to rescue a life. We are among many who are CURRENTLY RAISING FUNDS for Adoption. Click here to give towards our Adoption.
4. Help raise funds for Adoptive Families
The task of fundraising for adoption is a hurdle sometimes for adoptive families. Having people who will help raise those funds makes a huge difference for both the child and the family.
5. Give your time to help an adoptive family
At OJC we have people who are committed to giving their time and energy to help adoptive families. We call them FIA’s (Family Integration Advocates). They also give time and energy to training and becoming skilled in child development and caring for orphans who have come from less than optimal circumstances. You may have an organization that does this in a different way through mentoring or big brother / big sister. Either way, giving your time to care for a child can change their life forever. Click here for more information on becoming an OJC FIA >.
6. Volunteer 2-4 hours a week/month with a Organization that Helps Orphans
Many organizations that help orphans have ways that you can volunteer hours a week or hours a month. This can be anything from mowing a lawn, delivering food, helping with paperwork or providing respite care.
7. Volunteer to mow an adoptive families’ lawn
Don’t want to bother with an organization? Get involved yourself. Ask if you can mow a lawn, wash a car or help with a household project they are working on. Any amount of help you can give will go a long way for families who have adopted.
8. Sell unwanted household items on ebay and donate the proceeds
Again finances is an easy way to help, so find some unwanted household items… or even some valuable stuff and downsize! Donate that $50 you got from selling an end table or the $500 you got from selling that toolbox. Even a small gift goes a long way.
9. Ask your church to sponsor an orphan monthly or give towards an adoption.
Your church may already have adoption support on their radar, but if they don’t you can suggest it as a mission project! Saving the life of an orphan from an abusive, neglectful or abandoned situation will change their life forever. What better ongoing mission project than to get to the end of the year knowing your church has rescued x number of orphans!
10. Become an Adoptive or Foster Family
Consider becoming an adoptive or foster family. Visit an adoption agency or attend an adoption or foster care info meeting and find out more about adopting a child. You’ll find that adoption is easy. It’s not something that comes naturally, it may take some training and preparation and will stretch you like nothing else. But it’s putting one foot in front of the other and taking one step at a time. Adoption must be done and children need families, why not yours? Click here to find out more about becoming an OJC Family >.
Tags: adoption, Caring for Orphans, foster care, giving, Volunteer
Permalink Comments (1) Adam Parker Jul 3, 2010
Filed under: Adoption, Justice
You may or may not know this, but Stephanie and I recently brought 3 kids into our home. This has been such a roller coaster journey through the grand canyon and back, but well worth it. My wife is a champion Mom. She amazes me at how she is able to manage, encourage, and raise up 5 kids as well as teaching at the Daniel Academy AND homeschooling David and Manuel. She wrote a little about the last 6 weeks and I wanted to share that with you here.
Manuel, 6, Gerardo, 4 and Dana 2 came into our home 6 weeks ago. The beginning of their time here was very challenging. They weren’t used to structure or discipline or bedtime and those three things are huge parts of our family life. So, needless to say, the first couple of weeks held a lot of battle of wills. Overtime though the kids grew to not only obey our house rules, most of the time, but to actually enjoy the rules and the structure we have in place. They thrive on living within a schedule and we have seen much progress.
Manuel came to us very behind in school, but I have been homeschooling and he is making steady strides to catch up. He is also opening up and receiving our love more readily. Gerardo came to us hungry for attention and when we showered it upon he turned into this amazing outgoing little boy who is the life of the party, A.K.A our house. Dana was prone to many tempers in a day, but now her attitude is much more obedient and she is starting to really let her personality shine. She loves to be girly and often has a half dozen hair clips in her hair and gets very upset if she isn’t wearing her favorite shoes and dress. Unfortunately, the 4 boys have their G.I.Joe’s attack her doll house, so her girliness is often thwarted by the boys. David is loving being the oldest. He is trying hard to be an example and all the kids are lucky to have him for a big brother. Noah, who has always been super social, has taken it to another level with these kids. He is loving the interaction with all his brothers and sister. Life to him is one big play date. Not everything is perfect and easy taking in 3 kids and going to a family of 5 overnight, but the positive far outweigh the negative and we love having these children in our home!
- Stephanie
Tags: adoption, Family, foster care, Justice
Permalink Comments (4) Adam Parker Jun 2, 2010
Filed under: Adoption, Featured, Human Trafficking, Justice
In preparation for my missions trip to Thailand as well as in this journey of adoption that God is taking us on, I have been doing research on orphans and human trafficking. I have been reading a book called “The Natashas” which has really opened my eyes up to the atrocities that are going on around the world as well as in our backyard.
One of the most appalling things that I have come across in my journey so far is the targeting of orphans for sex-slavery. In March 2003 the U.S. State Department reported a “pattern of trafficking” involving orphans in Russia. According to the Country Reports on Human Rights Practices, the girls at risk are those who “must leave orphanages when they graduate,” usually at sixteen or seventeen.
According to data from the Health and Social Development Ministry, more than 730,000 children in Russia either have no parents or have been abandoned by their parents. Of this number about 200,000 of them live in orphanages and internats.
More than 160,000 children are waiting to be adopted according to the state database. International adoptions have been hampered by recent legislation. As of March 2007, only 20 organizations had received accreditation from the government to oversee international adoptions. In 2007, 9,000 Russian children were adopted by foreign families. More than 4,000 of these went to the United States.
Statistics sited from the article “Russian Orphans” By Svetlana Osadchuk in the May 19, 2008 edition of the Moscow Times.
The horrifying thing is that traffickers often know precisely when these girls are to be turned out of the institutions (“some orphanage directors sold information… to traffickers”) and are waiting for them, job offers in hand. The State Department also notes that throughout Russia, there are “reports of children being kidnapped or purchased from . . . orphanages for sexual abuse and child pornography” and that child prostitution is “widespread” in orphanages in Ukraine. And in Romania, “many orphanages are complicit in letting girls fall victim to trafficking networks.”
What if Christians began adopting at-risk children from countries where they were being targeted?
Tags: adoption, Human Trafficking, Justice, Modern Day Slavery, Orphanages, orphans
Permalink Comments (3) Adam Parker Jun 1, 2009
Filed under: Abortion, Adoption, Featured, Justice
How did it take us this long?
There are 143,000,000 orphans in the world today. 143 MILLION! The number is so incredibly large that we just look at the number and skim past it without it really phasing us. But to put a little perspective to this… Let’s take all of the people that live in New York City (8,214,426), plus all the people in Los Angeles (3,849,368), then add the people in Chicago (2,873,326), and then add the people from the next 47 largest US Cities…. PLUS… the entire population of Ireland (4,109,086), as well as Nicaragua (5,603,000), and Norway (4,770,000), then all the people from Denmark (5,457,415), then Costa Rica (4,113,884), and the entire population of Greece (11,170,957), and then finally ad the 62,000,000 who live in France to equal the 143,000,000 orphans worldwide.
We cannot help all 143,000,000, but we can help one at a time. And that one is hugely significant.
But getting back to my original question… how did it take us this long? Stephanie and I have been christians for a long time and are just NOW really beginning to make the sacrifices to bring in kids into our family. Where is this teaching in the body of Christ? Maybe we were just in the wrong circles, and I know some are doing it, but largely the body of Christ is VERY Vocal on being “Pro-Life” but nearly silent when it comes to Adoption. People are wanting see an end to abortion, but aren’t even looking at one of the main solutions.
The Inconvenience of the Orphan
The main thing that I see as the roadblock to many taking the next steps to adopting is being the inconvenience that taking in kids would bring. Many are not quite at the point in life where they feel they are “well-off” enough to adopt. Or maybe they are older and their kids are grown, and starting all over seems too much. I am of the opinion that if you are a you should either be adopting, or walking along side those who are adopting. No kid should grow up without a family.
It’s not even well known that if you adopt locally, many times you can adopt at little or NO cost at all. I encourage you to call your local department of human services and find out about adopting through your state’s foster care system.
Tags: Abortion, adoption, Justice
Permalink Comments (0) Adam Parker May 24, 2009
Filed under: Justice
These are just a few posts that came from blogs I have visited over the past week. If you have any links to add in these categories or other justice categories, feel free to post them in the comments.
Adoption
Abortion
Human Trafficking
Tags: Abortion, adoption, Human Trafficking, Justice
Permalink Comments (2) Adam Parker Apr 14, 2009
Filed under: Justice
It is 2009 and this is the year we have decided to walk out James 1:27 “Pure and undefiled religion is caring for widows and orphans in their distress.” We have recently completed our training in the Missouri Foster Care system and are preparing our family to bring in kids who have no home or family.
Most kids looking to be adopted or are in some type foster care system are non-caucasian. I came across a post today Randy Bohlender wrote about Why Race Doesn’t Matter that I found to be very insightful and wanted to share it with the rest of you. Enjoy.
Tags: adoption, foster care, Justice, orphans, race
Permalink Comments (0) Adam Parker Apr 12, 2009
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