Jochebed's Hope Adoption Ministry and Orphan Care

Home from the Orphan Care Summit

2010-05-02T09:17:00.000-07:00

I have just returned from the Christian Alliance for Orphans conference that was held in Minneapolis, MN. It was an amazing conference and it is obvious that God orchestrated my attendance at the conference to provide fresh wind and fresh fire to our involvement in and passion for adoption and orphan care. Our youngest, Alexa Grace, accompanied me on the trip and she was a great little travel partner! I didn't get to sit through too many small group workshop sessions, but she was a super conversation starter and allowed me to do lots of networking.

It was wonderful to spend so much time talking with others who are involved in adoption and orphan care ministry. I was reminded of the message of 1 Corinthians 12: 1-31 where Paul makes reference to the body of Christ being made up of many parts that comprise one body. It was so interesting to see how the different ministries were unique, but at the same time entirely complimentary. I am thrilled that God allowed me to identify a potential ministry partner in every area we are currently working (India, Uganda and Mexico). It will be exciting to see how these relationships grow over the next several months and how His kingdom is served.

I met lots of families who have large blended families of adopted and biological children. It seemed like the magic number was 11 kids! One of these fantastic moms I met was Dorothy at http://www.urbanservant.blogspot.com. I'm thrilled to begin following her blog and I think you'll like it too. I also met two of the moms who founded the ministry From HIV to Home. This ministry exists to support and promote the adoption of children who are HIV positive. Amazing God-honoring stuff!

I could go on and on telling you how God worked out the smallest details to make this trip smooth and to demonstrate that He was in control. My seat mate on the flight up to Minneapolis "just happened" to be a pastor from Jasper, Georgia and on the return flight, the flight attendant moved Alexa and I to the only open row of two seats on the entire plane. Alexa slept on the seat next to me for the entire return flight. God is so good and I give Him all the glory!

Spread the Word - Orphan care isn't an option

2010-04-25T09:20:00.000-07:00

Have you heard Kay Warren speak about the importance of orphan care and how it is a responsibiity of ALL who claim to be Christians? Kay is the wife of Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church in California. If you haven't heard her important message, here is the link:

http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100424/kay-warren-questions-christianity-of-persons-who-neglect-orphans/index.html

Her words hit especially close to home as Jochebed's Hope Adoption and Orphan Care ministry was really born out of a spiritual journey that began with reading Rick Warren's book, The Purpose Driven Life.

Quick Update

2010-04-21T07:43:00.000-07:00

Most of us have been closely following the status of Russian adoptions after a adoptive mother from Tennessee returned her son unaccompanied to Russia in an attempt to void the adoption. Thankfully, our adoption in Christ is permanent and irrevocable. If you haven't read Albert Mohler's recent post on this issue, you definetly should. You can read it here:
http://www.albertmohler.com/2010/04/16/when-adoption-fails-the-gospel-is-denied/

Also, we will be attending the Christian Alliance for Orphans conference in Minneapolis, MN on April 29-30th. Can't wait to attend this important conference to gather the latest information on orphan care projects around the world and to network with others who are involved in this work.

Adoption Financing Workshop - November 14th

2009-10-13T12:41:00.000-07:00

As part of National Adoption Month, Family by Faith Worship Center and the Abba Fund will present a workshop entitled “Financing Your Adoption in Challenging Times”. The workshop will be held Saturday, November 14 at 10:00 a.m. at the North American Mission Board conference center in Alpharetta, Georgia. The workshop is designed to present ideas, strategies and resources for making adoption possible and affordable in these difficult financial times. Jason Kovacs, adoptive father and director of ministry development for the Abba Fund, will be the featured speaker. The event is free but pre-registration is required. Attendees can register online by selecting event registration at www.familybyfaith.com. For more information e-mail info@familybyfaith.com.

A new area of service...

2009-04-24T14:12:00.001-07:00

In addition to our ongoing involvement with Casa Hogar Esperanza in Mexico, and our past contributions to two orphanages in Ethiopia, Jochebed's Hope has recently made a commitment to provide monthly support to an orphanage in Uganda. Here are the comments from the director of the orphanage upon receiving our first donation:

"You would be happy to know that this donation is going to help fund a 1-month supply of formula for all the children at the Home. Donations are very important as the Home receives no regular financial support from any church or charity, thus relying entirely on Friends like you to provide for all the children's needs. As you can probably imagine, this becomes extremely difficult at times as we often have between 40 -50 children in our care at any one time aged from hours old up to approximately 3 years. Currently we have 50 children all below 3 yrs.

The home was started and continues up to today, to care for abandoned and parent less babies and children from across Uganda . Every child has been found somewhere, often in appalling places such as rubbish bins, gardens, roadsides, public toilets, etc. The children are found from hours, days, weeks, or months old and often in very poor states of health. We therefore try to provide for all the needs of such children, from medical requirements to daily foods, etc, relying entirely on friends for support. So a big thank you on behalf of all the children who rely on friends like you, but can not talk for themselves. Once again, thank you for supporting these very needy and precious lives in our care. "

Representatives of Jochebed's Hope will be visiting this orphanage in May. The purpose of the trip will be to evaluate long term support needs.

As an adoption AND orphan care ministry, Jochebed's Hope will not provide support to orphanages or organizations who oppose the practice of adoption in principle. While millions of children worldwide will never be eligible for adoption because of governmental restrictions, we will not contribute to those who favor long term institutional care over the permanency of a family. We believe this is a biblical response. Psalms 68:6 tells us that God sets the lonely in families. The family is a crucial part of God's kingdom plans on earth and a basic right of every child.

Have a blessed Easter

2009-04-10T09:56:00.001-07:00

Enjoy this video - You will need to "stop" the Playlist at the bottom of the page before starting the video so that the two musical sources aren't playing on top of each other.

Why did Jesus come?

2009-04-05T19:27:00.000-07:00

Galatians 4:4-8 (New King James Version)
4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.6 And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” 7 Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

Have you ever really considered all of the reasons God sent his son, Jesus? If you asked most Christians the short and sweet answer would probably be “to save us from our sins”. While that is true, I love the detailed account that Paul provides in Galatians as to exactly why God sent Jesus to earth in human form. There are four specific reasons that are outlined in this scripture. First, God sent Jesus to redeem those under the law (verse 5). The second reason (also in verse 5) is that we might receive ADOPTION. This is the true definition of a forever family; becoming a part of God’s family by faith in Jesus Christ! The third reason is that we might have an “Abba! Father!. This is the most intimate term Jesus ever used in calling out to God. It is the equivalent of us crying out “Daddy!” And, in verse 7, Paul presents the fourth reason which is providing for us to become heirs. In Romans 8:17, Paul even uses the term “permanent heirs”.

Why did Paul use the term adoption? He is the only writer in the New Testament to use this term and he does so five different times. Paul was an expert on the law. At the time of his writings, under Roman/Syrian a man could disown a biological child at any time for any reason. But, if a man adopted a child, he could never disinherit that child. The adopted child was a permanent heir!

If someone asked you to summarize the entire Gospel or the Bible in its simplest terms, you could do it this way—Creation, The Fall, Redemption, Adoption. Our adoption into the family of God offers the same thing that earthly adoption does…the opportunity for a new life. Simple and straight forward? Yes! And, sometimes, matters of faith just shouldn’t be so complicated.

Time to let you in on a little "project"

2009-04-03T11:08:00.000-07:00

If you're reading this blog, then you have become familiar with our adoption and orphan care ministry, Jochebed's Hope. Well, now it's time to let you all in on another little project we've been working on.

In late 2008, God began to reveal "the rest of the story" to us and He began sharing a vision of a church that would focus on adoption and orphan care as its primary ministries from a physical, but more importantly, from a spiritual perspective. We are right now in the midst of planting a new church in the north Atlanta area called "Family by Faith Worship Center". The mission statement of the church is "To unite all people into the family of God through the process of adoption by faith in Jesus Christ". While most of the time, churches are birthing ministries, but this is a case of a ministry birthing a church. Family by Faith will be affiliated with the Southern Baptist Convention.

As a church, we will unapologetically promote physical orphan care and adoption. We believe that James 1:27 and Matthew 25:40 command us to care for those who cannot care for themselves. Psalms tell us to be a helper to the fatherless. 100% of our mission work will be to orphanages and we will financially support and provide for those within the church who wish to adopt. Even more importantly we will seek the spiritual orphans and those in need of spiritual adoption. The true "orphans in their distress" are those without a relationship with Christ. And, while it is terrible to be an orphan in this lifetime, it is even more disturbing to think of being an orphan for all eternity. We are going to use the metaphor of adoption as a powerful evangelism message. We will focus on the fact that our adoption into the family of God through faith in Jesus Christ is the foundation of the Gospel.

Our timeline is to begin holding Saturday night services during the summer, and we will move to Sunday morning services in August when school starts back. If you, or someone you know, would like to learn more about Family by Faith, you can reach me by e-mail at info@jochebedshope.org.

It's about time for some photos from Mexico!

2009-03-13T05:18:00.000-07:00

Okay, you've all waited patiently and I've been far too long in posting some photos from our recent mission trip to Mexico. Here are some photos from Day #1 when the kids received their personalized blankets.

Day #2 included treating the kids to McDonald's and ice cream!!!!!

Day #3 came far too soon. We spent the day at church worshipping with the children and then toured some of the Baptist churches in Cancun. It was a stark reminder of why the Lord is so greatly needed in this area.

Connecting with our friends at Weaving Families

2009-03-05T17:24:00.001-08:00

Our friends at Weaving Families have asked a "Forever Families Friday" question about breaking the news of a referral to friends and family. The most exciting moment we have had in sharing the news of an adoption referral was with our daughter from Korea. We were the third family that a new agency had worked with to do an adoption from Korea. The family just before us sent their paperwork in to Korea the first week of July. Our paperwork was sent in the third week of July. By the middle of August, the family right before us had received their referral of a beautiful baby girl. Then we were told we were next on the list and that our referral could come "any time"! We were so excited! Then weeks turned into months with no referral. It became very frustrating and depressing. The week before Christmas we started trying to reach our caseworker without any success. Finally, around the middle of January our caseworker called to tell us that Korea had halted their intake of new adoptive families and they did not know when (or even if now) we would get a referral. It was devastating news. Several weeks later while I was in a meeting at work my boss answered the phone. She told me that it was our caseworker and that she was going to come by the hospital to visit someone and she was going to stop by and say "hello". I didn't expect anything or think this was unusual at all. Imagine my surprise a few minutes later when our caseworker walked in to my office and handed me a button that said, "It's a girl"! We had our referral!!!!!!! My husband was a teacher at a school about 45 minutes away and so I called a local florist and asked them how quickly they could get there with a balloon bouquet that said "It's a girl". They walked into his classroom at school and delivered the balloons and a message that said "Call me...we have a baby girl!" Randy leaped over the desks and flew to the office to call me to share the news. It was an unforgettable, life-changing moment.

Seeing God on a mission trip

2009-03-01T17:37:00.000-08:00

Well, our last full day here is ending. The church service was led by the Holy Spirit today. The response was amazing. God gave the words that this church needed to hear. After church we went out to eat with Pastor Asencio and Esther to a wonderful open air restaurant. I had a true Mexican burrito and chicken soup that was incredible. We went back to the orphanage and had coffee and apple pie. Not true southern apple pie, but the best store bought they had. We fellowshipped with them and played with the children.

At 4:00 this afternoon, Greg Ware, missionary for the Georgia Baptist Convention and leader of the Cancun Bible Institute, picked us up and gave us a tour that was life changing. We saw poverty like I have never seen before. Of the 42 Baptist churches here in Cancun, many do not have roofs or they have no running water or electricity. Many meet on dirt floors or if it rains they meet in mud. God is working here, but with the movement of the Holy Spirit, Satan is working overtime. Alcoholism, drugs, divorce, suicide are rampant.

Please pray for Asencio and Esther, that they raise the children at Casa Hogar Esperanza up in the sight of God and they do not waiver from the mission that God as anointed them with. Please pray for the children that God continues to place a hedge of protection around the home and around the schools and neighborhood. Please pray for Greg and his family as they continue to serve God in a hostile environment and that God blesses their family. He has 4 beautiful children, two of which are adopted. Thank you for your thoughts and prayers during this wonderful trip. Each time I am around the orphans, it makes me more passionate to reach the spiritual orphans. The ones that not only have no earthly hope but have no eternal hope. We leave tomorrow so I will talk with many of you then. Once again, thanks for your prayers.

Your brother in Christ,
Randy
James 1:27

Mission to Mexico Round #2: Day #2

2009-02-28T19:10:00.001-08:00

What another whirlwind day here in Mexico! I was excited that I would get to sleep until 6 AM. For those of you who know me, that is late. Well, I did sleep until 6:00 AM, but that was Atlanta time. In Cancun, it was 5:00 AM.

I got up and did my running and then took an incredible prayer walk. As I look at the beautiful sky, the vibrant flowers, the gorgeous birds, all I could think about was "I see the hand of God". We got ready and had breakfast with local missionaries from the Georgia Baptist Convention. There are 42 local Baptist churches in greater Cancun. Most of these are small but they are growing. God is working! What a blessing it was to meet them and find out how we can partner with them as we continue our mission work in Bonfil.

After lunch, we went to the orphanage and played with the kids and helped Esther around the home. We took them to McDonald's tonight. What a treat for them and a blessing for us. They never get these special outings as a group, so this was truly a special time. Imagine only being able to go to McDonald's one time a year, possibly on your birthday. To watch them run and play and doing the things we take for granted was incredible. After they ran for 2 hours we bought them ice cream which was another rare treat. It was a true blessing! I promise there will be lots of photos added when I get back home.

We came back to the hotel around 7:00 PM. I started to put the finishing touches on my sermon for tomorrow. Please pray the Holy Spirit works tomorrow during the service. God is doing tremendous work here. Please pray for the children and Asencio and Esther. We love them so much. Thanks for each of your prayers.

In Him,
Randy
James 1:27

Mission to Mexico: We are BACK!!!

2009-02-27T19:57:00.000-08:00

What an amazing first day for our trip back to Mexico and to Casa Hogar Esperanza. Asencio met us at the airport and there were Francisco and Cesar waiting for us. What awesome hugs those little guys can give! We arrived at the orphanage and a wonderful Mexican lunch was waiting for us. You haven't had Mexican food until you have eaten Esther de Mancilla's cooking. The beans are great!

After lunch we gave each of the children their blankets. They went from sad faces to wonderful smiles. I will be sending out pictures when I get back home. The children walked around, outside and inside, wrapping themselves in their blankets. They kept looking at their names on the blanket. The girls loved their purses and hair accessories so much. Lorena kept kissing her brush. That is HER brush. She was so excited. Thanks to Jennifer Chandler and her GA's from her church (First Baptist - Cedartown) for collecting those things for the girls.

We went upstairs and many of them had already covered their beds with their blankets. They were VERY proud of them. Speaking of upstairs, Esther showed us the new mattresses and the windows. What a blessing to know that these children will not get wet, because of broken windows, during rainy season. Also, one of the ministry trips that I had been planning was to come down and fix the roof of the orphanage. A couple came down from another city in Mexico and brought others with them and fixed the roof. That was a huge blessing. There is still so much more that needs to be done. After all of that the children wanted to play. We played soccer for 2 hours in the street. We used rocks as goals and made sure we didn't get hit by cars or trucks. I thought I was going to die! We called it a night and let Asencio drive us to our hotel around 7:00.

Tomorrow we are having breakfast with some missionaries from Georgia who run the Cancun Bible Institute. We are very excited to learn more about this ministry.

Powerful food for thought

2009-02-23T05:20:00.000-08:00

Someone sent me this quote and I love it! Thought I would share:

"The effects of sin include abandonment. The purpose of the gospel is adoption. The kingdom of darkness works feverishly to create "fatherless generations." The church must commit itself to a parenting culture, both spiritually and physically."~Glenn Burris

Upcoming "Adoption Sunday" & Mexico trip

2009-02-15T14:04:00.000-08:00

Our next "Adoption Sunday 2009" will be at Crossover Community Church in Blue Ridge, GA on March 15th. Randy will be preaching at the 10:30 a.m. worship service on "In the Father's Arms: Our Adoption in Christ" The church is so excited and working hard to promote the event in the local community. We pray that hearts will be touched and lives will be changed on this day.

Representatives of Jochebed's Hope will be traveling back to Cancun, Mexico on February 27th, 2009 for a visit to Casa Hogar Esperanza, the orphange we support there. We are so excited to see the children again and to continue the work that we began last fall. One of the important tasks will be to identify a solution to a roof problem at the orphanage that allows water to leak and pool outside of the hallway to the children's bedrooms. The roof was damaged during a hurricane a few years ago and has never been properly repaired, so we hope to change that. We are also hoping to replace the furniture in the main living area of the orphanage, to get the kids some much needed toys, and to make sure that the food needs are provided for over the next several months. Those working with Jochebed's Hope have recently become official missionaries of the North American Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention. During this visit we hope to meet with other Southern Baptist missionaries in the Cancun area to expand our efforts and maximize our resources to spread the love of God and hope of a Savior with those in need.

John Piper on Adoption

2009-01-25T08:56:00.001-08:00

John Piper is an adoptive father and Pastor for Preaching at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He grew up in Greenville, South Carolina, and studied at Wheaton College, where he first sensed God's call to enter the ministry. He went on to earn degrees from Fuller Theological Seminary (B.D.) and the University of Munich (D.theol.). For six years he taught Biblical Studies at Bethel College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and in 1980 accepted the call to serve as pastor at Bethlehem. John and his wife, Noel, have four sons, one daughter, and an increasing number of grandchildren.

Anonymously Blessed

2009-01-23T11:59:00.000-08:00

Jesus says in Matthew 6:3-4a, "But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret." Jesus knew that this practice teaches us to not only be generous, but humble as well. In verse 2, He references others who announced loudly "with trumpets" when they gave and states that they have received their reward in full. In other words, their recognition is an earthly one seen by other people. However, when we give in secret and with humility, it is God alone who sees what we've done and as Jesus states, He will reward you for that.

With two small toddlers, running errands during the day can sometimes be a chore, but today was an exception. I've been anonymously blessed, secretely encouraged, and wonderfully uplifted all through the efforts of a total stranger today! I was in line at a store purchasing two small toys for the boys when a man in the line behind me offered to pay for my items. Since the purchase had already gone through my debit card, he handed me $10. I explained to him that we had an adoption and orphan care ministry and that I was going to put the money toward an upcoming mission trip to Mexico. He said, "Here then" and handed me some additional money. I explained more about our ministry and he said that he had led a blessed life and that God had been so faithful and good to him and he wanted to share that with others. I was completely in shock, caught completely off guard by this "Divine appointment" which God has surely arranged to encourage our work in this ministry. Thank you, Lord, for providing unexpected blessings in your perfect timing. All praise, Glory and Honor to you, Father for the anonymous generosity of a stranger.

December Update

2008-12-28T07:03:00.000-08:00

Though I haven't posted in a few weeks, the last part of the year has been a very busy time for our ministry.

I'm thrilled to report that all of the children's blankets were sponsored through our "Covered in Hope" project. We are finishing up the embroidery on the blankets and Randy will be delivering them personally to the kids at Casa Hogar Esperanza when he visits in early February. It would cost hundreds of dollars to ship the blankets and packages can get delayed for weeks in customs, so we believe we are being better stewards of the ministry funds by carrying the blankets along with us on the plane.

We are also excited to announce that we have provided our first adoption grant. Through this aspect of Jochebed's Hope, we were able to assist a family who has adopted seven children from Liberia in West Africa. The funds that were provided were needed for the family's re-adoption expenses here in the U.S. We are very hopeful that this part of our ministry will continue to grow and we can help remove the financial barrier that prevents many children from being adopted.

Before the year is out we will also be making a donation toward the operation of two orphanages in Ethiopia, Hosanna House and Beacon House. These two orphanages are operated by the African Widows and Orphans Project. This is a ministry of Kingdom Kids Adoption Ministries. We have been familiar with Michelle and Steve Gardner and their work for several years and it is just amazing to see how God has grown their ministry and taken them in this new direction.

As the year draws to a close, we are in awe of the vision God has provided for this ministry throughout 2008. We wait in anticipation of all that He will do in 2009! Most importantly, we are thankful that we are God's adopted children through the saving grace of his one and only natural son, Jesus Christ.

Be a part of "Covered in Hope"

2008-11-15T16:13:00.001-08:00

Change an orphan child’s life…give a gift of hope and love this Christmas season

“Covered in Hope” is a special project of Jochebed’s Hope, Inc. to provide hope and love to children at Casa Hogar Esperanza orphanage in Cancun (Bonfil), Mexico. This project will provide each child with a personalized blanket that will be their very own possession. For children who arrive at the orphanage with nothing and often leave many years later with nothing, an item that is “theirs” and theirs alone holds special significance.

Your gift of $22 covers the cost of the blanket and the embroidered personalization. For more information e-mail us at info@jochebedshope.org.

Did you see this video?

2008-11-03T19:36:00.000-08:00

If you didn't see the ESPN video about Georgia football coach Mark Richt and how his family has been touched by adoption, you missed a blessing! We didn't see it on the original air date as we were in Mexico, but a family called us while we were there who had been considering adopting and they said "We know that adoption is something God is calling us to do when we can't even watch a football game without hearing about it!" LOVE IT!!!

A wonderful day at the Children's Home

2008-10-28T05:50:00.000-07:00

We spent all of Monday afternoon and evening at the children's home. It was great! We had the chance to spend lots of time with each of the children and really got to know them individually. It is so obvious in this type of group setting how some children are so resilient despite past trauma and how, for others, the pain of past abuse is so real and so fresh, even if they have been at the children's home for years now.

It was an awesome experience to learn things about each of the kid's personalities. For example, Mauricio (age 10) is the leader of the younger boys. He makes the rules and gives instructions to all of the others. Pedro, (age 12) is the artistic one. He created some beautiful artwork on our computer in the "Paint" program which we will share at a later time. Cesar (age 7) is an absolute ham, he LOVES the camera! Evelyn, (age 7) is the energetic little sister to a very reserved Lorena (age 15). I could go on and on. Needless to say, we fell in love with each and every one of them. The greatest gift is that they are no longer just a name or a face, but a very "real" child and we can pray specifically for each of their needs.

The window repair man came to the home and completed his assessment of what needs to be done to stop the water coming in around the windows. We have provided the money to Pastor Asencio to get this done, and then we will purchase the new mattresses for the boys room as soon as the work is complete. One photo below will show the conditions of the mattresses. Imagine sleeping on that every night! We come home with a very specific list of needs that we will be working on over the next few months.

The pizza party was a big hit! This was such a rare treat for the kids, and we quickly learned why. At the Domino's Pizza by the orphanage we paid $18 US dollars for one large pizza. You have to understand that the average daily wage in this area is $5 US dollars per day for a ten hour work day. Imagine working almost four days to buy one large pizza!

Saying good-bye to the children last night was very difficult. Precious Evelyn wanted me to tuck her into bed and kiss her goodnight. I kept trying to leave and she kept reaching out for me saying "no, no, no". If she was trying to break my heart, it could not have been any more effective! How can we wait a few months to come back here?

A Blessed Sunday!

2008-10-27T05:14:00.000-07:00

Day two here in Mexico was a wonderful day! We were thrilled to see the new church that is under construction...Congregation Roca Fuerte, which means church of the "Strong Rock". This is the ninth church that Pastor Asencio has built in 42 years in the ministry. When the church is completed, the sanctuary will seat 1,000 people. Currently, the congregation meets in a tent that is adjacent to the construction site. It was awesome to be here and to see what God is doing and the potential that this church has to reach people and change lives.

Randy preached during the morning service. This was his first time to preach with an interpreter. Something must have gotten through, and God was definetly present, because eight people were saved at the conclusion of the service. Praise the Lord! We were so blessed by the music, the prayers, and the worshipful attitude of the people.

Following a busy morning and afternoon at the church, we had lunch with Pastor Asencio and Esther. It was great to have this time to discuss ideas for the orphanage and to come up with a "game plan" for meeting the needs that we saw on Saturday. Today we are contacting a window maker to see about getting the new windows for the boys room as our first priority. We are also discussing many other long range plans and ideas and learning so much about the orphanage operations. This is exactly what Randy and I have prayed for and what we hoped to accomplish on this trip.

Pastor Asencio explains plans for the new church to Randy and

some other visitors from California.

This is the tent (below) where worship services are currently

being held. It was "standing room only"!

This is a front view of the new church. The sanctuary will actually be on the second level with parking underneath because of the potential for hurricanes and flooding. The big tall building to the right is a new hotel that is being built.

Rear view of the new church

Randy and the other visitors from California standing in part of the rear of the new church. Randy met these people in the lobby of our hotel and invited them to church!

Our time with Pastor Asencio and Esther has been a blessing! Their lives have been so devoted to serving God.

Tonight, we are having a pizza party for the children at the orphanage. We noticed a Domino's Pizza nearby and realized this would be a rare treat for the kids and a nice break for the caregivers. We are already sad thinking this will be our last time with the children, as they will be at school on Tuesday before we leave.

2008-10-26T06:06:00.001-07:00

Wow! It is hard to know where to begin reflecting on our first day in Mexico and our first visit to Casa Hogar Esperanza. To say it has been amazing is an understatement. While we have corresponded with Esther and Asencio now for months, there is nothing like seeing things for ourselves and being "up close and personal" with the kids. We came expecting one set of needs, and quickly discovered a much more immediate concern. Just after we arrived, it began raining very hard. It rained so hard that there was 6-8 inches of rain standing in parts of the home's courtyard. We found out that the roof of the home had been damaged during Hurricane Wilma. There is a crack down the center of the roof that runs the entire length of the home and allows water to come into the upstairs hallway right outside of the children's bedrooms. In the boy's room, the windows leak terribly and water comes in during frequent rain storms and gets the bedding soaked. Correcting this problem has become our number one priority.

The outside photo, along with the one below shows another need. The home is currently housing 18 children, three girls and 15 boys. That many children generates a lot of laundry, and they have no clothes dryer. Clean clothes became drenched again in the rain and the home's stairwell become a clothesline when it is raining. A clothes dryer would make a huge difference and make the laundry chore so much easier.

One of the highlights of our day was having dinner with all of the kids and Esther and Asencio. It was amazing to see Esther prepare dinner for all 22 of us!

The best part of the day? Spending time with the kids!! It is great that smiles and hugs can be international language.

Headed off to church! More news from Mexico later!

On Mission to Mexico!

2008-10-25T10:08:00.000-07:00

As I write this blog entry, we are at the airport in Fort Lauderdale, FL waiting for a connecting flight to Cancun, Mexico...

I wanted to take this opportunity to update each of you regarding our adoption and orphan care ministry, Jochebed's Hope, Inc. God is at work and our ministry has been growing by leaps and bounds over the past several months. We have taken many practical administrative steps to support this growth and are looking forward to seeing where God will take us in the months ahead.

I have an immediate need that I would like to ask for each of you to pray for. In May, Randy and I traveled to Cancun, Mexico and we met a pastor and his wife who run an orphanage there. Their names are Esther and Asencio Mancilla. The name of the orphanage is Casa Hogar Esperanza which means "House of Hope". There are currently 32 children at the orphanage, but the number ranges from 20-40. Since that trip, we have been supporting this orphange through financial donations. They receive no other government or private support and survive only on what the pastor and his wife can earn.

Our trip has four specific purposes. One is to research all of the needs to help plan a larger group mission trip back to Mexico in either late February or early March. They have many physical needs (painting, building of closets, electrical, etc.) that we know of. We just need to know exactly what we will need in terms of manpower and materials for our trip back.

The second is to take care of an immediate need. The children at the orphanage are getting no practical training. When they reach 17, they must leave the orphanage. Our ministry is planning to buy them two computers and two-three sewing machines. This will provide the children with marketable job skills that will help them secure a better future for themselves. Thirdly, we want to buy them a large quantity of non-perishable food. Finally, we would like to purchase some new mattresses. We bought several replacement mattresses for the orphanage over the summer, but they have taken in more children since that time and are in need of more mattresses.

Please say a special prayer for us this Sunday morning, October 26th, as Randy will be preaching at the church in Mexico. We are so excited and feel so blessed for this opportunity!

We have several "Adoption Sunday" events scheduled at area churches in the next few months. This past Sunday we were at Macedonia Baptist Church in Hiawassee, GA. Randy preached a sermon entitled "In the Father's Arms: Our Adoption in Christ" and then we offered a two-hour workshop that afternoon to introduce people to the practical "how to" aspects of adoption. In the workshop, we cover the very basics of domestic and international adoption and adoption through the foster care system. The church in Hiawassee blessed our ministry with a very generous love offering.

I would like to ask each of you to prayerfully consider supporting our ministry through a financial gift. Jochebed's Hope is incorporated in the state of Georgia as a non-profit ministry. We plan to devote one-half of funds raised toward orphan projects and the remaining one-half toward adoption projects, including adoption assistance and birthmother needs. It is our goal to keep administrative expenses to an absolute minimum and all of our efforts for the ministry are strictly volunteer.

If you have not visited our website recently, please do. Our website is www.jochebedshope.org. We have added several new features. We will be adding a new section in the next few weeks geared toward those facing an unplanned pregnancy, urging them to choose adoption rather than abortion.

Congratulations!!!

2008-10-13T13:50:00.000-07:00

This is an exciting week as two families our ministry has assisted in their adoption journey will be meeting their new babies. Congratulations to Monica and J.J. (a boy!) and to Rebekah and Jonny (a girl!). What a joy!

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. (James 1:17 NIV)

40 Days for LIFE

2008-09-20T18:01:00.001-07:00

40 Days for Life is a focused pro-life campaign with a vision to access God’s power through prayer, fasting, and peaceful vigil to end abortion in America.

The mission of the campaign is to bring together the body of Christ in a spirit of unity during a focused 40 day campaign of prayer, fasting, and peaceful activism, with the purpose of repentance, to seek God’s favor to turn hearts and minds from a culture of death to a culture of life, thus bringing an end to abortion in America.

For more information visit: www.40daysforlife.com

Worth the Wait

2008-07-10T10:04:00.001-07:00

"Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may life you up in due time. Cast all your anxiety on him because he cares for you." (1 Peter 5:6)

One of the most difficult areas of spiritual growth is often learning to wait upon the Lord and knowing that His timing is always perfect. As an adoptive parent, it seems we live by the proverbial phrase "Hurry up and wait!" That waiting can seem almost unbearable at times when the desire to love and hold your child is so strong.

I have struggled through this with three adoptions now, and "waiting" has been both a test of faith and an opportunity for growth. I know in my heart, and in my head, that God holds the clock of my life and that to cooperate with him, I have to submit to His timing. Waiting upon the Lord's timing requires trust and humility. Trusting God means putting away our own agenda, expectations and pride and just giving it up to Him. This is especially true when circumstances are out of our control.

We can not and should not try to force God's timing. When God promised Abraham a son, Abraham became prideful and wanted things done according to his own schedule. By acting without the Lord's leading, Abraham showed that he expected God's will to revolve around him and he stepped outside of God's plan. We need to remember that out of God's love and wisdom flow His plans and His path for our lives. He is CERTAIN of what is best for us and we need to continue to seek His guidance and to be confident that God loves us.

I love the Hebrew word for wait which means, "to wait with hopeful expectancy". It reminds me that we can trust in God's promises; that whatever He has promised, will come to pass, even if it means waiting a little (or a long) while. God is so faithful, even when I'm not!

God makes a promise,

faith believes it,

hope anticipates it, and

patience waits knowingly for it.

"Thank you Lord, for using my children every day to remind me that your timing is perfect and your blessings are worth the wait. Help me to always trust you enough to be patient for your ways and your timing."

149 Members of Congress say "Continue Vietnam Adoptions"

2008-07-09T17:26:00.001-07:00

From the National Council for Adoption:

149 members of Congress signed a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on July 7 urging her to negotiate an interim Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the Government of Vietnam that allows adoptions from Vietnam by Americans to continue while addressing concerns regarding the adoption system in Vietnam. The signers agreed that “systematic reform and more effective safeguards are needed to prevent abuses” in the Vietnamese adoption process, and urged the State Department to “work with the Vietnamese Government to implement proactive measures designed to guard against abuse.” Furthermore, however, the letter stated that “signing an interim agreement with Vietnam is consistent with your goal of moving toward a Hague-compliant system” in Vietnam, and that “it is not in the best interest of children to remain institutionalized or homeless during the period of transition” to a Hague-compliant system. NCFA applaudsthese Members of Congress for addressing the need to prevent the imminent disruption of adoptions from Vietnam. NCFA joins them to continue to urge that the State Department work expeditiously on behalf of Vietnamese orphans.

Sharing the load...

2008-06-30T05:32:00.000-07:00

"Carry each other's burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ." (Galatians 6:2 NIV)

This weekend our local church hosted the Ugandan Children's Choir from the Royal School and Orphanage in Kampala, Uganda. We were fortunate to host two of the boys, one age 12 and ther other age 13 in our home on Saturday night. Uganda is a nation whose people are in overwhelming need as their country has been ravaged by war, AIDS, and malaria. The extreme economic conditions in Uganda have led to an ever increasing number of displaced orphans, estimated at between 1 and 2.3 million. Despite these hardships, the children we met were extremely joyful and hopeful.

While certain doors in the world of international adoption have been closing, others are being opened. For anyone interested in adopting from Uganda, Lifeline Children's Services based in Birmingham, AL has a wonderful new program.

This weekend's devotional from the North American Mission Board site was so appropriate as it talked about the need to bear one another's burdens, whether that means for one night or a lifetime. Here are some excerpts:

"When God places people in your life who are in need, He is aware of what they lack, and He knows He has given you the resources to meet those needs. You know God does nothing by accident. Recognizing a need in someone's life can be one of the greatest invitations from God you will ever experience. Allow God to help you see beyond the obvious needs of others to the things He wants to accomplish in their lives. Don't miss God's activity because you are reluctant to carry the load of others"

Just getting started...

2008-06-25T04:41:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the Jochebed's Hope blog. This will be a venue for posting developments in the area of adoption and orphan care. One of my online friends sent me a wonderful e-mail a few weeks ago and it really summarizes what Jochebed's Hope and this ministry is all about.

My friend Jenny, an adoptive mom, writes "Systems don't save people. Jesus works through His spirit and His body acting as His hands and feet. An institution isn't going to pay attention to the needs of the "least of these". Wheter it is children overseas or children across the street, we need eyes to see what is on the heart of Christ. His heart breaks over how children are being treated worldwide. No matter what other Christian-ly activities we are involved in, meeting the needs of the defenseless has to be a priority. It's not about warm fuzzies or feeling good about yourself either (orphans tend to bite the hand that feeds them at times!!!) It's about faithfully sowing love into all kinds of soil and trusting God for the harvest in His timing. But there is something about the soil of young hearts about to dry up unless something is planted and watered that really pulls at me"

I was so moved by these words. I pray that God will reveal more of His heart for the "least of these" to me today.