If you've ever thought, "There's enough churches already, why start a new one?," here's why . . .
an exploration of Kingdom life at the intersection of God's Word and God's World.
Monday, November 22, 2010
Friday, November 5, 2010
Children's Dialogue
To continue our dialogue from our October 31st Sunday table talk, comment below in response to these two questions:
1. What are the needs of The Vine's and our community's parents (and how can we begin to meet those needs)?
2. What ideas, programs, ministries would you like to see The Vine offer for children and their parents/guardians?
Adoption
November is National Adoption Month so it's appropriate that I share about the journey that brought Laz to become my son. It's not a short story so pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee . . .
I don't remember the date, but I do remember the message that I shared at my last church - St. Paul's (now First Saints). We were preparing to start a new contemporary worship service and my message that morning was "More Than Enough Love to Go Around." I was speaking to the wonder as parents that you can love your second or third child just as much as you love the first. I was connecting this parenting truth to the knowledge that God's infinite love was great enough to love all adopted into His family - and that, as a church, adding this third worship service was an extension of God's love to our community. But at the end of the message, I threw one more curveball - that I sensed God calling Michelle and I to extend that love and grow our family - to adopt another child.
I looked at Michelle, her jaw dropped! We had briefly talked of adopting but nothing concrete - somehow the words came from my mouth and I couldn't take them back. But Michelle and I did talk, and those words uttered in community - faith community - became prophetic and a call on our lives. The Holy Spirit confirmed this call in both of us. We also sensed God calling us to adopt a boy, that he be younger than our youngest, Daniel, and that God was calling us to become an inter-racial family - our boy would be African or African-American.
We involved our children in this call. It seemed the Holy Spirit had already been at work in them. "Can he be a boy?" and then the most amazing request - "Can he be black?" More jaw dropping.
In the midst of life and ministry, the call never went away, but moved to the back burner. We were appointed to Bel Air in 2008 and the call soon returned to the forefront. Our good friends, part of our core team, Tony and Kathy Pitrat, had adopted a beautiful little girl from China, Grace, and were part of the church's adoption support group. Also in that group were Jen and Steve Barry. Michelle was sitting in the sanctuary when their new son, Nicholas, from Ethiopia, was baptized. Michelle sat crying as God reawakened our call to adopt.
At the same time, Michelle began subbing at William Paca Elementary, a predominately African-American Title 1 school. Her heart broke at teaching so many children hungering for love. We began to pray seeking guidance. Kathy became our counselor as she worked at The ARC and had experience in Foster Care to adoption as well as her own story with Grace.
But there is another storyline that adds to Laz's adoption - in our first year at Bel Air, we began exploring a house church model with the people who were part of our Off-Site Ministry. This brought us to worship one evening with a house church in Parkville, MD called Burning Heart. John Baylor, the pastor, had just returned from Uganda and was sharing of his experience. At then end of the evening, John invited us to go on their next mission. We were intrigued with Uganda and the idea of visiting. (Michelle and I had become friends in 1998 with a Ugandan pastor we met in Kentucky and in turn that relationship led us to sponsor a little girl from Uganda - Babra - through Compassion International.)
So God was at work on so many fronts - but we had one question - foster adoption or international adoption? While Michelle was praying one day she heard one word - "wait." We wondered why wait, because adoption in Uganda was non-existent as far as we were concerned - perhaps it was a call to see if we were to adopt from another African country? So to make it clear, we went to Uganda with the intent of meeting the young men - former child soldiers that John had told us about, to witness the miracles that he shared of, and to meet our sponsored child - Babra, but not to adopt.
But God had other ideas. In May of 2009, on the second leg of our mission/fact finding trip in Uganda, in MBale, we met Joe - Lazarus Ojoo. He shared his story of being orphaned and life on the streets, of rescue from a child labor orphanage and his current placement in ABU (the organization that was guiding our trip).
The next morning, as Michelle and I were walking to church, I asked Michelle, "Who was that young boy who shared last night?" She said, "You mean Joe?" I said, "Yes, the youngest one . . . we could take him home." Michelle's jaw dropped. She excitedly shared how God had awakened her in the middle of the night with two words - adoption and Joe. We sensed a confirmation from God but had no idea how since we were sure that adoption was not possible from Uganda (you would have to live in the country for three years as guardians to pursue adoption).
As we began to share our story with our mission group, one of the couples shared that they had friends who were adopting a child from Uganda. But no one was attempting to adopt a teenager. We asked for a blessing from the director of ABU to pursue adoption not having any idea where to begin or end.
When we returned home, Michelle's mother found a webblog of a couple, who were adopting from Uganda. The website led to guidance and several phone calls and soon we realized that it was very possible to bring Joe home. All along, we kept in contact with Laz (from Joe to Laz? another day) through email. In one email he shared about dreaming of being in a deep dark pit and looking up and seeing Michelle at the top. This was before we dared tell him of what we intended to do.
We went through the process of home study through the summer and fall of 2009, contacted our lawyer in Uganda and waited for the call to fly over to finalize the court process. We decided that Michelle would fly over alone to finalize the adoption since I couldn't leave my church work - it would take a minimum of three weeks if everything went smoothly. Our Ugandan adoption counselors pointed us to a travel agency that specialized in international adoptions. What an adventure for my wife who had never had any desire to visit Africa and now was going alone!
We received the call from our lawyer at the end of January that our court date was eminent so Michelle flew over and . . . waited. I'll save the Ugandan part of the story for another blog (or Michelle can write of her adventure), but in summary, our government decided to change the requirements for obtaining visas just as Michelle was flying over and three weeks became five months! We were Laz's legal guardians but could not obtain his visa, because the American Embassy was looking for specific language that our ruling did not contain. Five months living on a shoe-string budget, staying in hotels that most of us would not consider one star, eating the local food, using the local transportation. (You can stay in Uganda in resort style settings, but this wasn't in our realm.) Through all this, Michelle and I remained steadfast - both of us single parents. God called - that sustained us. That and the church's support and prayers of our friends were such a blessing. The love offering of BAUMC came at an opportune moment. (We still have so many to thank.) Skype and facebook became a lifeline.
In July, with pressure from some very dear advocates in Washington, the embassy finally granted Laz's visa and Michelle and Laz flew home. Here's a "first person" video of our reunion.
Now four month's later, on November 3, FINALLY, the call has begun. Judge Whitfill helped us celebrate the year and a half process to bring Laz home. Folk in adoption circles call this "Gotcha Day" and is celebrated just like birthdays.
We now have four children. The adventure now really begins. We are still learning, blending, trying to figure out how to be family. The money's a little tighter, the schedule a little crazier, the house a little smaller, but the joy is greater.
There are an estimated 143 million orphans in the world today - a humanitarian crisis. That is enough children to go three times around the world at the equator.
James wrote, "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." (James 1:27)
Don't easily dismiss the idea that God may be calling to to make a difference - whether through adoption or through sponsoring a child. You can make a difference. The cost to adopt is not insignificant, but the government is giving significant tax breaks (not just deductions) to bless those who are adopting. Foster care to adoption is a much less costly. But you can never place a cost on the blessings received. Where God calls, He also provides. The rewards are great. You can do it!
Thanks everyone who helped us fulfill God's call. God is smiling and so are we.
I don't remember the date, but I do remember the message that I shared at my last church - St. Paul's (now First Saints). We were preparing to start a new contemporary worship service and my message that morning was "More Than Enough Love to Go Around." I was speaking to the wonder as parents that you can love your second or third child just as much as you love the first. I was connecting this parenting truth to the knowledge that God's infinite love was great enough to love all adopted into His family - and that, as a church, adding this third worship service was an extension of God's love to our community. But at the end of the message, I threw one more curveball - that I sensed God calling Michelle and I to extend that love and grow our family - to adopt another child.
I looked at Michelle, her jaw dropped! We had briefly talked of adopting but nothing concrete - somehow the words came from my mouth and I couldn't take them back. But Michelle and I did talk, and those words uttered in community - faith community - became prophetic and a call on our lives. The Holy Spirit confirmed this call in both of us. We also sensed God calling us to adopt a boy, that he be younger than our youngest, Daniel, and that God was calling us to become an inter-racial family - our boy would be African or African-American.
We involved our children in this call. It seemed the Holy Spirit had already been at work in them. "Can he be a boy?" and then the most amazing request - "Can he be black?" More jaw dropping.
In the midst of life and ministry, the call never went away, but moved to the back burner. We were appointed to Bel Air in 2008 and the call soon returned to the forefront. Our good friends, part of our core team, Tony and Kathy Pitrat, had adopted a beautiful little girl from China, Grace, and were part of the church's adoption support group. Also in that group were Jen and Steve Barry. Michelle was sitting in the sanctuary when their new son, Nicholas, from Ethiopia, was baptized. Michelle sat crying as God reawakened our call to adopt.
At the same time, Michelle began subbing at William Paca Elementary, a predominately African-American Title 1 school. Her heart broke at teaching so many children hungering for love. We began to pray seeking guidance. Kathy became our counselor as she worked at The ARC and had experience in Foster Care to adoption as well as her own story with Grace.
But there is another storyline that adds to Laz's adoption - in our first year at Bel Air, we began exploring a house church model with the people who were part of our Off-Site Ministry. This brought us to worship one evening with a house church in Parkville, MD called Burning Heart. John Baylor, the pastor, had just returned from Uganda and was sharing of his experience. At then end of the evening, John invited us to go on their next mission. We were intrigued with Uganda and the idea of visiting. (Michelle and I had become friends in 1998 with a Ugandan pastor we met in Kentucky and in turn that relationship led us to sponsor a little girl from Uganda - Babra - through Compassion International.)
So God was at work on so many fronts - but we had one question - foster adoption or international adoption? While Michelle was praying one day she heard one word - "wait." We wondered why wait, because adoption in Uganda was non-existent as far as we were concerned - perhaps it was a call to see if we were to adopt from another African country? So to make it clear, we went to Uganda with the intent of meeting the young men - former child soldiers that John had told us about, to witness the miracles that he shared of, and to meet our sponsored child - Babra, but not to adopt.
But God had other ideas. In May of 2009, on the second leg of our mission/fact finding trip in Uganda, in MBale, we met Joe - Lazarus Ojoo. He shared his story of being orphaned and life on the streets, of rescue from a child labor orphanage and his current placement in ABU (the organization that was guiding our trip).
The next morning, as Michelle and I were walking to church, I asked Michelle, "Who was that young boy who shared last night?" She said, "You mean Joe?" I said, "Yes, the youngest one . . . we could take him home." Michelle's jaw dropped. She excitedly shared how God had awakened her in the middle of the night with two words - adoption and Joe. We sensed a confirmation from God but had no idea how since we were sure that adoption was not possible from Uganda (you would have to live in the country for three years as guardians to pursue adoption).
As we began to share our story with our mission group, one of the couples shared that they had friends who were adopting a child from Uganda. But no one was attempting to adopt a teenager. We asked for a blessing from the director of ABU to pursue adoption not having any idea where to begin or end.
When we returned home, Michelle's mother found a webblog of a couple, who were adopting from Uganda. The website led to guidance and several phone calls and soon we realized that it was very possible to bring Joe home. All along, we kept in contact with Laz (from Joe to Laz? another day) through email. In one email he shared about dreaming of being in a deep dark pit and looking up and seeing Michelle at the top. This was before we dared tell him of what we intended to do.
We went through the process of home study through the summer and fall of 2009, contacted our lawyer in Uganda and waited for the call to fly over to finalize the court process. We decided that Michelle would fly over alone to finalize the adoption since I couldn't leave my church work - it would take a minimum of three weeks if everything went smoothly. Our Ugandan adoption counselors pointed us to a travel agency that specialized in international adoptions. What an adventure for my wife who had never had any desire to visit Africa and now was going alone!
We received the call from our lawyer at the end of January that our court date was eminent so Michelle flew over and . . . waited. I'll save the Ugandan part of the story for another blog (or Michelle can write of her adventure), but in summary, our government decided to change the requirements for obtaining visas just as Michelle was flying over and three weeks became five months! We were Laz's legal guardians but could not obtain his visa, because the American Embassy was looking for specific language that our ruling did not contain. Five months living on a shoe-string budget, staying in hotels that most of us would not consider one star, eating the local food, using the local transportation. (You can stay in Uganda in resort style settings, but this wasn't in our realm.) Through all this, Michelle and I remained steadfast - both of us single parents. God called - that sustained us. That and the church's support and prayers of our friends were such a blessing. The love offering of BAUMC came at an opportune moment. (We still have so many to thank.) Skype and facebook became a lifeline.
In July, with pressure from some very dear advocates in Washington, the embassy finally granted Laz's visa and Michelle and Laz flew home. Here's a "first person" video of our reunion.
Now four month's later, on November 3, FINALLY, the call has begun. Judge Whitfill helped us celebrate the year and a half process to bring Laz home. Folk in adoption circles call this "Gotcha Day" and is celebrated just like birthdays.
We now have four children. The adventure now really begins. We are still learning, blending, trying to figure out how to be family. The money's a little tighter, the schedule a little crazier, the house a little smaller, but the joy is greater.
There are an estimated 143 million orphans in the world today - a humanitarian crisis. That is enough children to go three times around the world at the equator.
James wrote, "Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you." (James 1:27)
Don't easily dismiss the idea that God may be calling to to make a difference - whether through adoption or through sponsoring a child. You can make a difference. The cost to adopt is not insignificant, but the government is giving significant tax breaks (not just deductions) to bless those who are adopting. Foster care to adoption is a much less costly. But you can never place a cost on the blessings received. Where God calls, He also provides. The rewards are great. You can do it!
Thanks everyone who helped us fulfill God's call. God is smiling and so are we.
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