4theVoiceless Photos: Top 12 in 12 (#5-8)

4theVoiceless Photos: Top 12 in 12

Today: #5-8

Yesterday, we began a look back at the ministry of 4theVoiceless in 2012 through a series of my favorite photos of the year.  There are many more photos and memories that could have been a part of this series.  2012 was a great year for this, the first year of 4theVoiceless.

#9-12

Click on the photos to read (or re-read) the stories.

# 8

Progress on the House of Abraham

Jacob Walley and I joined with a team mostly from Charleston, Illinois, and a few from Florida in late October, early November, to help with the actual construction of the first House of Abraham building on their permanent site.  Between our crew and the Haitian workers working there that week, we made significant progress.  Work has continued on and off as funding has allowed.  This is the most recent photo I have of the work that has been done to date.  There is much left to do!

Relive our trip:
Days 1 & 2
Day 3
Day 4
Days 5 & 6
Day 7 (Wait until Photo #1 to re-read this one!)
Day 8

# 7

Russia Mission team, May

In May, a group of six young adults from CHC joined others from Texas on a trip to Russia to invest in Russian college students as they minister to orphans there.  In preparation for their trip, the group from CHC led worship and shared about their trip in many of our small groups.  Our small groups also invested prayer and dollars into this group as they prepared for their trip.

# 6

Baby Dedication for Annie Faith Basinger

Joel and Lisa Basinger helped start the ministry of 4theVoiceless, but they moved to Texas this year.  While there, they completed their adoption of Annie Faith.  During a visit to DeSoto County, they dedicated her to the Lord before a gathering of their former small group members and other friends.  Annie's adoption is significant because -- while there have been others before her who were adopted into families in our church and there are other families in the process now -- hers was the first adoption to be finalized after the beginning of 4theVoiceless.

# 5

You Can Go Home Again -- Homecoming at Wesleyanna UMC, Star, MS

I had the opportunity in July to return to Star, Mississippi, to my home church and preach a message at Homecoming Day on God's call to the church to minister to the voiceless (widows, orphans, foreigners, and the poor).  They were very encouraging to me personally and to the ministry of 4theVoiceless.  The people at Wesleyanna have bought bracelets, fed us a meal during our trip to the Baptist Children's Village home later this past summer, and provided recipes for our adoption cookbook.  Thanks again to my hometown for your support of 4theVoiceless!

Next Monday: Photos #1-4 from the ministry of 4theVoiceless in 2012.

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

4theVoiceless Photos: Top 12 in 12 (#9-12)

For a ministry that didn't even exist prior to this year, 2012 was quite the whirlwind year for the 4theVoiceless ministry.  While we may not have even put a dent in the world's orphan crisis, we certainly did more than nothing.  As ministry opportunities opened up to us throughout the year, God's provision did, as well, through great relationships and training opportunities.

Among the year's highlights:

We had several families enter into the adoption process, including one adoption that was completed in 2012.  At least three families completed PATH training and are now qualified to take in children to their homes through the foster care system.

We were a part of mission trips to the Baptist Children's Village in Mississippi, to a deaf school in Jamaica, to orphanages in Russia, and to the House of Abraham in Jacmel, Haiti.

We made paper bead jewelry and paracord bracelets and produced a cookbook to fund the 4theVoiceless ministry.  We had many opportunities to speak to people and make them aware of the needs of the fatherless both close to home and far away.

For the next few days on the blog as we close out the year, I want to share some of my favorite photos and review the stories behind them.  These photos capture some of the highlights of 2012.

Click on the photos to read (or re-read) the stories.

# 12

August Trip to Baptist Children's Village in Star, MS

A guys-only trip that was as much fun for the ones who went as it was for the kids that we served.  Nothing like a slip-n-slide on a hot summer day!

 

# 11

Bracelet Sales throughout the year to raise funds for 4theVoiceless

Crafts fairs, farmer's markets, Christmas fairs -- we served at them all!  Great conversations about orphan care and funds raised for adoption and orphan care at them all.

# 10

Hope for Haiti

The original "Hope for Haiti" post was by far the most popular blog post of the year.  These bracelets began a movement that so far has raised over $10,000 toward building a new House of Abraham home for children in Jacmel, Haiti.  Though there is still much left to do to make the new home a reality, the Hope for Haiti movement has generated interest and awareness in a great way this year.

# 9

CHC Mission Team to Haiti in March

Kim Bennett felt like she had to lead a team of ladies to care for orphans.  This became a reality when 10 ladies, along with Jim May, our missions pastor, went to Haiti in March.  This trip generated an incredible amount of interest in serving there and assisting Fenel & Mimi Bruna and the staff who serve at the House of Abraham.  This trip took place before we began blogging, but you can read how the trip affected my friend Stephanie by clicking on the photo.  She blogged in detail about their trip on her blog, Welcome to Walley World.

Check back tomorrow for photos #5-8 of the 4theVoiceless year in photos top 12 on '12.

Thanks for reading.

4theVoiceless,
Al

How Many Orphans Do You Know By Name?

How many orphans do you know by name?  That was a questions Tony Merida asked pastors and church planters at the One8 Network Boot Camp last week in his message “The Gospel and Mercy Ministry.”  What a challenging question.

Having the right theology about the marginalized (the orphan, the widow, the foreigner, and the poor) is much easier than personally serving them.  Think about these specific questions:

• The right theology says that believers are all adopted into God’s family.  But has that led us to adopt or help others adopt or personally serve orphans in any way?
• The right theology says that it is the responsibility of the church to take care of its widows.  But have we personally spent time with the widows in our churches and gotten to know them and served them where they had needs?
• The right theology says that the foreigner living among us is loved just as much by God as much as we are.  But what specific kindnesses have we personally shown those who were born in other lands and speak other languages?
• The right theology says that we should serve the poor.  But are we satisfied with meeting the physical needs of the poor by sending money but without personally getting to know them?

Do you know an orphan by name?

On the Friday night before our 4theVoiceless mission team visited one of the Baptist Children’s Village homes a couple of Saturdays ago, I asked them to consider what one of the most valuable things that each one of the children we would meet would have, something personal and unique and precious to each of them.  One of our team answered, “Their names.”  One of our main focuses during the time we were able to spend with those precious children, then, was in learning each of their names.  Everyone likes to be known.

I didn’t really consider something until just now as I was writing:  I don’t remember one time that the children asked our names.  Perhaps that’s all just as well.  We didn’t go to be known but to get to know.  We went to be the body of the Father to the fatherless. 

• God used our backs to let His kids play “horsie.”
• God used our voices and arms and legs to tell His kids of His “Marvelous Light.”
• God used our laps to take His kids down a slip ‘n slide.
• God used our hands to serve His kids lunch.
• God used our hands to draw His kids pictures on their goodie bags.

Years from now I hope those children remember their Father’s kindness, not the names of some men and boys from DeSoto County, Mississippi, for it is His kindness that leads us to repentance.  The only name they really need to remember is Jesus.

4theVoiceless doesn’t exist to be known but to know.  It’s a simple mission, really.  To know children who don’t have a loving home, wherever the Lord would lead us, and to let them know that they are personally known and loved by their Father.

Thanks for reading.  Now move toward the fatherless…personally.
Al

Orphan Care Made Easy: A Pictorial Guide

Now, we all know that the title to this post is misleading at best.  Orphan care can be very demanding.  Caring for foster children pulled from tragic situations can reveal more baggage than we feel we are equipped to handle.  Adopting children from other cultures takes much time, many tears, and exhausting patience.  But getting involved in caring for kids doesn’t have to be so complicated.

This past weekend a small team of men and boys from 4theVoiceless visited the Baptist Children’s Village home in Star, Mississippi.  Our team was comprised of three adults, two teenagers, and four boys ages 10 and under.The following is a pictorial guide to getting involved with connecting with kids in crisis.  (No photos were taken of the children at the home for privacy and legal reasons.  Just imagine other kids, mostly below the age of six, sprinkled throughout these photos.)

How to get involved:

Go to them.

 

Ride bikes with them.

Pull their wagon.

Set up a slip 'n slide.

Slide down said slip 'n slide with them.

Avoid crashes on aforementioned slip 'n slide.

Cook them lunch.

Our team did a great job engaging the kids at the children's home.  One of my two favorite highlights was seeing our teenage young men find the little boy least likely to engage with everyone else and staying with him all day and getting him involved.  My other favorite is seeing the four house parents -- who are constantly cooking, cleaning, parenting, etc. -- sitting on the front porch in their rocking chairs doing absolutely nothing but enjoying watching the kids play.

Five of our team were on their first mission trip of any kind. They did very well, and I would take them back in a heartbeat. For at least a day, our focus was entirely on others.  We should all move toward more of that.

Thanks for reading.  Now you find a way to move in kindness toward children whose homes are not God's original design for the family.  Chances are pretty good that you will be blessed more than they will be.

4theVoiceless,
Al