Today is day six of #AskBetterQuestions. In less than a week, Amanda and I will be at CAFO2015. As we prepare for this gathering, we want to engage the families, churches, leaders and influencers who are passionate about adoption and orphan care to stop and ask better questions. We would love for you to join in the conversation! In a perfect...
Do you feel the tide turning? When I began to speak boldly about corruption in international adoption a year ago, I faced a lot of opposition. The adoption and orphan care movement was growing quickly within the Christian community, as thousands of families and churches where embracing God's heart for orphans. At the same time, there was a lot of fear that talking about corruption in...
My friend Holly is one of the most fearless voices in the adoption blog world. Holly and her family lived and served in Democratic Republic of Congo for four years. During this time, they supported an orphanage in Eastern DRC called Tumaini - or "Reeds of Hope". While living in DRC, Holly adopted two children and began facilitating international adoptions...
My last post definitely struck a nerve. I am thankful to see more and more families truly wrestling through the issues with international adoption. Many of you have said something very important - this is not all black and white. Sometimes it is hard to know what is best for a child, even when we are willing to surrender our...
I have never met an adoptive parent who began the time-consuming, heart-wrenching, wallet-emptying process of international adoption with a desire to traffic a child. Our family adopted for a few simple reasons. We wanted one more child and could not get pregnant again. We believed we had been adopted by God and that adoption was a demonstration of the gospel. We thought there was...
I serve on the Advisory Committee for A Child's Voice, a non-profit that advocates for the rights of children in Uganda and across Africa. Today I had the honor of guest posting on the ACV website, telling a story you need to read...
Do you have a heart for orphans? Are you a family who has adopted - or who feels called to adopt? Are you a Christian pastor or leader who wants to start an orphan care ministry? In recent years, Christians have awoken to God's heart for the Fatherless. We have been told there is an orphan crisis - that there are...
Last night I could hardly sleep. I was thinking about mothers and babies in Africa. About young women who face difficult choices and impossible odds. And about how the simplist of things - a sterile razor blade, a bar of soap, a warm blanket - can mean the difference between life and death for a mother or her child. I was also thinking about...
There are 163 million orphans in the world today. 163 million children who have experienced the death of their mother or father. Or both. Most of the world's orphans still live with their families and in their communities. But the loss of a parent makes a family vulnerable to poverty and injustice. This is why the Bible calls Christians to provide and...
I'm thankful I am only one of many who are passionate about reforming international adoption and orphan care. As this blog continues to grow, I hope to become a resource for my readers who want to learn more about the orphan crisis and how to respond. From time to time, I will share relevant, helpful articles and blog posts. Here are a...
Over the last few weeks, I went to the Orphan Summit in California and then eventually to Uganda to do research for the book I am writing. In both of these places, I had the opportunity to visit and interview people who are passionate about orphans and adoption in Uganda. In conversation after conversation, however, I watched these friends who share...
I am in the process of writing a book, In Defense of the Fatherless: Redeeming International Adoption and Orphan Care. Here are some answers to questions you may have. Why does there need to be another Christian book about orphans and adoption? In recent years, evangelical Christians have awoken to God’s heart for orphans. In response, thousands of Christian families are considering...