I apprehensively dressed for the day, carefully choosing all black to project the most intimidating image that I could. Black nails and lipstick, eyeliner, shirt and pants. It was the day my little sister and I were being taken from the orphanage where we’d been for the past three years to a private children’s home. As the child services vehicle wound its way through the mountains of Costa Rica, I fought dismay at the thought of living in the jungle. I remember praying as a child that God would save me from the cycles of witchcraft, parties, drugs, and violence that… Read More
Adoption/Foster Care
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Some moments impact your life forever. One of those moments was the summer that I took time off from my secretary job to be a volunteer counselor for two 11-year-old foster girls at Royal Family Kids Camp. This is a week-long camp designed to ignite hope and deepen faith in the hearts of children ages seven to eleven who have been abandoned, abused or neglected. Since we knew this was their last year attending camp, the girls and I lived life at high speed. They wanted to accomplish all the camp activities they had not tried in past years, learn new skills… Read More
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One day, I had a conversation with my husband’s sister where she described a recent dream. She saw my husband holding a dark-skinned little girl and calling him Daddy. This really moved me. A couple of days later, I was scrolling on YouTube, and saw a video of two little boys from the Philippines singing a beautiful worship song together. Once again, I became emotional, and God gave me a vision. He put it on my heart that there was a little girl with chunky cheeks and big brown eyes who needed us. He told me we needed to bring her… Read More
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In light of recent Christian persecution in Pakistan, it is important to recognize and honor those doing the work of Jesus Christ in a mostly Muslim country. Only about 1% of the population openly identifies as Christians. On August 16, 2023, several hundred people were brutally attacked on a Christian settlement in Pakistan in the Punjab district, hitting too close to home for Rimsha Kamran, Sawera Shahbaz, and Faisal Masih. Together, these three believers in Jesus are running orphanages in Punjab, Pakistan, under the name of “Life Saving Ministries.” They have come together to serve children through Christ, and have combined… Read More
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As a teacher, I never thought I would adopt one of my students, but you never know what the Lord has as His will for your life. I work at a school located in a very urban area. It’s a fairly rough school and there are a number of students who, unfortunately, are part of the Department of Children and Families. I’m used to seeing kids who come from difficult backgrounds. I felt nudged to get personally involved with one of my students several years ago. I discovered one of my first graders was not allowed to go back home. It broke… Read More
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In the depths of my heart, a fire burned—a calling that could not be ignored. As a single mom, life had dealt its blows, but my faith in Christ remained my anchor. With trepidation and trust, I opened my home to foster children, answering God's whispered invitation. Jamal and La' Velle were the first, their laughter filling my once-empty rooms. Together, we journeyed—a dance of laughter, tears, and victories. In doubt, I turned to prayer, finding solace in God's unchanging love and His call to care for the vulnerable. More children came, each carrying their own stories of shattered dreams. In our… Read More