Until Every Child Is Home


Book Description

“A wise and experienced guide, Todd Chipman offers practical direction on how local congregations can do better in our quest to care for those Jesus calls ‘the least of these my brothers.’” –Russell Moore, author of Adopted for Life Your church is doing so much already. Trying to convince people to do foster care or adoption can feel like just another daunting, impossible task. It’s hard enough to get volunteers for the nursery, much less volunteers to foster or adopt a child! But what if we’re thinking about it the wrong way? What if orphan care actually increases your church’s capacity to do ministry? What if this one ministry opens doors to many others? Discover how orphan care transforms 6 key aspects of your ministry, meet dozens of families and churches who have experienced the transformative power of orphan care, and learn how you can get involved even if you’re not ready to foster or adopt. After catching the vision for this vital ministry, you’ll be ready to join them!




Orphanology: Awakening to Gospel-Centered Adoption and Orphan Care: Awakening to Gospel-Centered Adoption and Orphan Care


Book Description

Orphanology unveils the grassroots movement that's engaged in a comprehensive response to serve hundreds of millions of orphans and "functionally parentless" children.You'll see a breadth of ways to care with biblical perspective and reasons why we must. Heartwarming, personal stories and vivid illustrations from a growing network of families, churches, and organizations that cross culture show how to respond to God's mandate. The book empowers:- churches--to plan preaching, teaching, ministering, missions, funding adoption, supporting orphans;- individuals and families--to overcome challenges and uncertainties;- every believer--to gain insights to help orphans in numerous ways. Discover how to - adopt;- assist orphans in transition;- engage in foster care;- partner with faith-based fostering agencies;- become orphan hosts.Along with their families' adoption stories, Merida and Morton give steps for action and features on churches doing orphan ministry, faith-based children's homes, orphan-hosting groups, and other resources.




Raising Other People's Children


Book Description

Raising Other People's Children helps you navigate the complicated world of foster and step-parenting with better awareness and greater empathy, providing real-life solutions for forging strong relationships in extraordinary circumstances. Drawing on Debbie Ausburn’s decades of experience with every facet of the foster care system, Raising Other People's Children provides expert guidance viewed through the lens of real human interactions. The responsibility and complexity involved in raising someone else’s child can seem overwhelming. Regardless of whether you’re a stepparent, foster parent or adoptive parent, it is on you to take on the challenge of caring for them, helping them to move forward while also meeting their unique emotional needs.




This Child, Every Child


Book Description

Takes a look at the lives of children around the world through the lens of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and through stories of statistics.




Foster the Family


Book Description

There are great rewards that come along with being a foster parent, yet there are also great challenges that can leave you feeling depleted, alone, and discouraged. The many burdens of a foster parent's day--hurting children, struggling biological parents, and a broken system--are only compounded by the many burdens of a foster parent's heart--confusion, anxiety, heartache, anger, and fear. With the compassion and insight of a fellow foster parent, Jamie C. Finn helps you see your struggles through the lens of the gospel, bringing biblical truths to bear on your unique everyday realities. In these short, easy-to-read chapters, you'll find honest, personal stories and practical lessons that provide encouragement and direction from God's Word as you walk the journey of foster parenting.




Honey for a Child's Heart


Book Description

A modern classic with over 250,000 copies sold, Honey for a Child's Heart is a compelling, essential guide for parents who want to find the best books for their children ages 0–12. A good book is a gateway into a wider world of wonder, beauty, delight, and adventure. But children don't stumble onto the best books by themselves. They need a parent's help. Author Gladys Hunt discusses everything from how to choose good books for your children to encouraging them to be avid readers. Completely revised and updated to keep pace with the ever-changing world of children's literature, this fourth edition of Honey for a Child's Heart reflects Hunt's broad tastes in books. Rooted in experience, her suggestions will enrich the cultural and spiritual life of your home. She shows you how to: Understand the importance of being a read-aloud family, enjoying books together by reading aloud Give your children a large view of the world, of truth, and of goodness Encourage each child's imagination and good use of language Find the best books for your children Illustrated with drawings from dozens of children's favorites, Honey for a Child's Heart includes book lists geared to your child's age and filled with nearly 1,000 long-time favorites, classics, and wonderful new books that will enrich your child's life. Thousands of parents have used it to furnish their children's inner spirit with the wonder and delight of good reading.




Every Child, No Matter How Many, Is Special


Book Description

In "Every child, no matter how many, is special.", readers are treated in humorous detail to large-size family dynamics, which any size family will enjoy. Told through the eyes of author Stephen F. Gambescia and his siblings, Every child gives readers a glimpse into their childhood years growing up in a household of sixteen children. From the multiplicity of everyday events (recruiting "volunteers" to help with laundry, coordinating school lunches, food shopping or preparing meals), to the signature family-life events (hosting New Year's Eve parties, terrorizing neighborhood kids with their version of a Halloween haunted house, preparing for Christmas dinner or vacationing at the Jersey shore), Stephen captures the profound blessings of a large family and how managing a larger-than-average family is a testimony to his parents' amazing dedication, wisdom and self-sacrifice. In the words of his mother and her legacy on behalf of fellow parents, "A family is a family whether there is one child or sixteen children. Every child is special."




We Chose You


Book Description

Every Family is Created by God God forms families in many different ways and sizes, but all are equally important and special. When adopted son Calvin needs to tell about his family for a class assignment, he discovers his parents were praying for him long before they chose him. Not only that, but God chose them for Calvin. It wasn't by chance and it wasn't an accident. It was according to His plan. We Chose You was written to communicate to all children, whether birthed or adopted, that they are chosen. That they are secure. That they are loved. This is a message every child needs to hear. Let this book give you the words to tell your child about your family's unique story.




Casting Lots


Book Description

Susan Silverman grew up with parents who were, both before and after a devastating loss, atheists. Yet, as a young adult, she shocked everyone who knew her ("But you were elected Class Flirt in high school!") and became a rabbi. What was not surprising, however, was that she built her own big, unwieldy family through both birth and adoption, something she had intended from childhood. With three daughters and two sons ("We produce girls and import boys"), this unique family becomes a metaphor for the world's contradictions and complexities-a microcosm of the tragedy and joy, hope and despair, cruelty and compassion, predictability and absurdity of this world we all live in. A meditation on identity, faith, and belonging-one that's as funny as it is moving-Casting Lots will resonate with anyone who has struggled to find their place in the world and to understand the significance of that place.




Now I Am Known


Book Description

At age ten, Peter Mutabazi ran away from home. For five years he survived on the streets of Kampala, Uganda, a city of 1.5 million, until one man saw potential in him. This man not only supported Peter through school but also altered Peter's outlook in every possible way. Since then, Peter has served as a relief coordinator during the Rwandan genocide, worked for the International Committee of the Red Cross during the Sudan conflict, emigrated to the United States, fostered countless children, and become a single adoptive parent. He speaks seven languages and has traveled to more than one hundred countries as an international advocate for vulnerable children. Now I Am Known is Peter's inspiring true story. In it he reveals the transformational power of taking risks, learning to forgive, overcoming self-doubt, breaking negative patterns, and believing in a better future marked by hope and purpose. *** "God met Peter Mutabazi in the midst of his agony, and he will meet you in yours too."--Kyle Idleman, bestselling author of Not a Fan and One at a Time "Peter's astounding and unlikely true story proves that if you remain committed and give it your all, great things will happen."--Sanya Richards-Ross, Olympic gold medalist and founder of MommiNation "A must-read for anyone wondering whether they can actually make a difference in this world."--Kelly Slater, American pro surfer and world champion "One of the most redemptive stories you'll ever read."--Jedd Medefind, president of Christian Alliance for Orphans