Sponsorship organisations sincerely set out to help orphans in Africa and other developing countries out of their misery and hopelessness by providing them with a family environment in which they can experience love and hope. To accomplish this, a sponsorship organisation often works with a like-minded partner organisation that executes its vision and objectives. Unfortunately, this is usually plagued by many complex problems that, if not resolved, can become insurmountable. In this book, the author draws on his many years of experience in working for orphans in Africa to identify difficulties that seem to be inherent in such an endeavour. He has determined that these problems stem from three specific areas: the orphans themselves, the partner organisation, and the sponsor organisation. Each of these has its own unique challenges; and when these unique challenges interact, they become so complicated that, if their root causes are not isolated and resolved, the ministry may eventually collapse. The telltale signs of such an eventuality are perceptible--but only to the discerning mind. Musa Okolo identifies and offers practical solutions to these challenges, which will enable orphan care ministries to understand and deal with the complex issues involved and hence achieve their objectives and fulfil their vision.

God's call to care for the orphaned and vulnerable children of the world is not easy or comfortable. And it will require willingness, commitment and sacrifice. The more you know about the global orphan crisis the more your heart will break and it will cause you to want to do something... anything... to make the life of an orphaned child a little easier. The need is overwhelming, but if you are willing, you can be part of the global orphan solution. It is a decision that will change your life forever. The journey will be worth the effort in countless blessings along the way. Together, with God’s strength, you can be the hands and feet of Christ and make a difference in the life of an orphaned child now and for all eternity. Are you ready for the adventure of a lifetime?

Christians are clearly called to care for orphans, a group so close to the heart of Jesus. In reality, most of the 153 million orphaned and vulnerable children in the world do not need to be adopted, and not everyone needs to become an adoptive parent. However, there are other very important ways to help beyond adoption. Indeed, caring for orphaned and vulnerable children requires us to care about related issues from child trafficking and HIV/AIDS to racism and poverty. Too often, we only discuss or theologize the issues, relegating the responsibility to governments. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something. Based on his own personal journey toward pure religion, Johnny Carr moves readers from talking about global orphan care to actually doing something about it in Orphan Justice. Combining biblical truth with the latest research, this inspiring book: • investigates the orphan care and adoption movement in the U.S. today • examines new data on the needs of orphaned and vulnerable children • connects “liberal issues” together as critical aspects or orphan care • discovers the role of the church worldwide in meeting these needs • develops a tangible, sustainable action plan using worldwide partnerships • fleshes out the why, what, and how of global orphan care • offers practical steps to getting involved and making a difference

Vols. for 1828-1934 contain the Proceedings at large of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions.

This book focuses on the problem of religious diversity, civil dialogue, and religion education in public schools, exploring the ways in which atheists, secularists, fundamentalists, and mainstream religionists come together in the public sphere, examining how civil discourse about religion fit swithin the ideals of the American political and pedagogical systems and how religious studies education can help to foster civility and toleration.

Embrace the beauty and challenges of transracial adoption. Being an adoptive parent is hard enough. But when your family is multiracial, things get even trickier. Parenting transracially doesn’t come naturally, nor does it just happen with time. Love is essential—yet by itself, love isn’t enough. Cross-cultural parenting also takes intentionality, listening, learning, growing, repenting, changing . . . then starting all over and doing it again. It’s hard work! And yet, when an adoptive family honors the ethnic heritages of their children, the whole family—as well as the watching world—gets to see the beauty of a gloriously creative God. In It Takes More Than Love, Brittany Salmon shares her own family’s story of transracial adoption and offers a biblically-based guide for others following the same path. Brittany recognizes that we live in divided times and there are extra challenges whenever race is part of the conversation. But with wise insight and hard-won experience, she provides guidance about topics such as: Maintaining a Gospel perspective throughout the journey Celebrating your child’s history and heritage Confronting racism Responding to comments about your family Avoiding pitfalls in adoption Helping your kids feel represented in your home and community No one is promising transracial adoption will be easy—least of all Brittany! Yet the extra effort is balanced by a beauty that images our eternal destiny. Until the day God makes all things new, the welcoming an inclusive transracial family can help fulfill Jesus’s words, “on earth as it is in heaven.”

Adoption has long been enmeshed in the politics of abortion. But as award-winning journalist Joyce makes clear, adoption has lately become entangled in the conservative Christian agenda.

The true story behind Christina Baker Kline’s bestselling novel is revealed in this “engaging and thoughtful history” of the Children’s Aid Society (Los Angeles Times). A powerful blend of history, biography, and adventure, Orphan Trains fills a grievous gap in the American story. Tracing the evolution of the Children’s Aid Society, this dramatic narrative tells the fascinating tale of one of the most famous—and sometimes infamous—child welfare programs: the orphan trains, which spirited away some two hundred fifty thousand abandoned children into the homes of rural families in the Midwest. In mid-nineteenth-century New York, vagrant children, whether orphans or runaways, filled the streets. The city’s solution for years had been to sweep these children into prisons or almshouses. But a young minister named Charles Loring Brace took a different tack. With the creation of the Children’s Aid Society in 1853, he provided homeless youngsters with shelter, education, and, for many, a new family out west. The family matching process was haphazard, to say the least: at town meetings, farming families took their pick of the orphan train riders. Some children, such as James Brady, who became governor of Alaska, found loving homes, while others, such as Charley Miller, who shot two boys on a train in Wyoming, saw no end to their misery. Complete with extraordinary photographs and deeply moving stories, Orphan Trains gives invaluable insights into a creative genius whose pioneering, if controversial, efforts inform child rescue work today.

America's foster care system has a noble goal—to care for children that for various reasons can no longer be cared for by their families—but years of inattention and inadequate funding have left many foster youth in a precarious state. This resource provides a comprehensive and authoritative overview of the American foster care system. Areas of coverage include the scaffolding of foster care systems in the various states (each of which operate their own unique systems through their social service agencies); conditions under which children are taken out of their families of origin and placed in foster care; the experiences of both young children and older teens in foster homes; challenges for foster children who "age out" of the system; and proposals to reform and improve foster care across the nation. Geared for students, this book contains chapters devoted to the background and history of foster care in America; the systems's problems, controversies, and solutions; original essay contributions exploring various facets of the system; profiles of leading foster care activists and organizations; governmental data and excerpts of primary documents on the topic; and an annotated list of important books, scholarly journals, and nonprint sources for further research. It closes with a detailed chronology, glossary of terms, and subject index.

Christina Baker Kline wanted to do something she’d never done before: write a work of fiction based on historically accurate information. And if that’s not difficult enough, she faced incredible heartache in the midst of writing the book. But, Kline never gave up on her writing, pushing through the pain until Orphan Train was published. Her novel has enjoyed great success—in part because it discusses feelings many can relate to: neglect, rejection, hope, redemption. It isn’t a fairytale; rather, Kline created a work of authenticity—a work about struggle and hope and new beginnings. Orphan Train is also a fictional account of a real time in US history in which orphans were relocated to various homesteads in the Midwest. The journeys these children had to make involved much more than a train ride and Kline does a brilliant job illustrating what they went through. Orphan Train is a masterpiece in every way and a creative account of a very real time in US history. Experience: The Behind the Story Effect After reading a BTS... You feel inspired to follow your hearts and dreams... — Arshi Ever been backstage at a concert? Here you go -- in written form. — Author, Editor I felt enriched with knowledge about the book, and I felt like I knew more about the book. — Aspiring Author I felt like the Behind the Story offered a new look into the book, and appreciated that, as most of the time, that angle is unexplored. — Aspiring Author It makes me discover new things, and when I re-read the book, my emotions are different, deeper now that I understand what's behind the book.— Karlen I felt closer to the writer knowing more about them as a person and why they wrote what they wrote. — The Beta Reading Club Get ready for one of the most unique experiences you will ever have...this is definitely CliffNotes and SparkNotes on Steroids. — Author, Editor