ONEfamily

An Invitation to Join us.....for Ice Cream!

2012-01-12T12:46:00.000-08:00

Adopting Eden and Den

2011-11-17T19:57:00.000-08:00

For Rose and I, adoption began as a way to have more children when we couldn’t. It turned out to be much more than that. When we began the adoption process we already had two natural children. Alyson, our daughter, was 11 and our son Brantley was 8. They were two beautiful vibrant children and the four of us had been leading a very happy normal family life. When we had become pregnant again a couple of years earlier, we thought it was routine. When we lost the baby with a miscarriage, the routine was gone and the anguish set in. I watched Rose for several months as she mourned our loss. As I watched her pain, I felt totally helpless as a husband. We pursued international adoption not only to provide a home to a baby but to help fill a void in our hearts.

We were matched by the adoption agency to a baby boy in Ryazan, Russia who was born just a couple of months before we began the adoption paperwork. In fact, he was born about the same time that we had been told that our chances of having a third child naturally were futile. After months of background checks, home studies by social workers, visa applications, etc., we traveled to Russia to meet the baby in the summer of 2002. The conditions in the orphanage were subpar to say the least. There were very caring workers who were doing the best they could with the minimal supplies and food that they had available. The numbers of beautiful children were staggering. There was dozens of children needing a home and nobody even came to visit except on rare occasion. I remember thinking of these children and what their futures would be. If they survived the poor medical care and childhood diseases to age 16, they were turned out into the streets to fight for their survival on their own. Organized crime would be waiting to save them for their own profitable agenda. They would be the next generation of gangsters and prostitutes.

When we met “Ruslan” for the first time, our hearts melted right into his. I will never forget the first time I held him. We were standing next to a window and he looked outside and waved into the sky! At eight months old, how could he have known that he wanted to leave the only place he knew? Or was he calling our attention to more?

After we filed the local court documents to adopt “ Denton Thomas Pendleton”, we returned home to await the court date. At this point in the process, we kept our emotions in check as we stayed busy preparing our home for a new baby. Our emotions went into another gear when Rose called me at work and shared a dream she had just had! She dreamt of an infant boy with blonde hair and wearing wings that was floating in midair. The angel, waving upwardly, repeated over and over….” He sent a soul to Heaven, to save a child in need!” Now, the tears began to flow on both ends of the phone line like never before. There was no doubt. God was answering our prayers. We had prayed for a third child. But, God wanted us to have a child on His terms. Rose’s dream made our hearts instantly begin to yearn for our new son.

A month later, we returned to Russia and formally adopted Den. I remember telling the judge, through interpretation, that I would like to bring our son back to his hometown to know his beginnings when he was older. The judge replied to me, “I hope you will return and adopt a little girl”! Ironically, adoptions in the Ryazan region were closed soon after Den’s adoption. Den was one of two babies adopted that day. He was one of the last….

We journeyed home to Montgomery in a trip that took about 24 hours. As our plane touched down in New York, a new American law for internationally adopted children made Den officially an American citizen. The flight from Moscow to JFK had about 20 such children on board. The applause that was heard inside that plane as those wheels touched was emotional as well. We continued home and were greeted by family and friends at Dannelly Field. We were all so proud of our new son.

Looking back on the entire experience, I began to realize that what started out as an endeavor to adopt a third child to fill a vacancy in our hearts turned out to be a lesson in God’s will. God wanted us to know that what we see as bad things do happen. They happen for a reason and the reason is not always for us to understand. We are to trust Him and He will provide for us what He wants us to have… in His own time and means. I realized how much closer this event in our lives brought us to Him. It then occurred to me that Den was not the only one saved and adopted in this story. Our Father saved us all in His own adoption story. “ He sent a soul to Heaven, to save a child in need”. Jesus is our Savior….and the child, it’s each and every one of us!

Four years later, in 2006, we did return to Russia to adopt a girl just as the judge in Den’s adoption had suggested. We felt like we would be more prepared for the process as we had been through the process before. We were wrong. We went to meet a baby girl named “Maria” just as all the local adoption agencies in Russia had their accreditation revoked. We proceeded by granting an adoption “coordinator” in Moscow a power of attorney. On our first trip to visit the orphanage in Ivanovo, Russia, it became apparent that the political climate towards international adoptions had changed. We searched and found loopholes to file the adoption petition. We then returned to the states and waited. As the court date was finally set and approached, we were asked for more and more “busy work” documentation from the Russian government. There was obviously a force working against us. We returned to Ivanovo and endured more requests for information that was impossible to give. They asked us questions that there were no answers to! As we walked into court that day, we were given odds of 50% of our adoption being fulfilled.

It was another emotional moment in court when, through all the Russian being spoken that we could not understand, we heard the words “Eden Marie Pendleton” being said by the judge. This was the name we had chosen for Maria and we would not have heard it if she wasn’t ours!

About a week later, we began our final journey home with Eden at the Moscow airport. As I was checking our bags, I looked over at a young man checking his bags a few feet away. He was wearing a Montgomery Biscuits T-shirt….halfway around the world! It just turned out that he was from Montgomery and a member of Frazer who was with a mission group returning home on the same flight. Another lesson…just when you think you are alone you aren’t! There are angels all around us.

Gotcha Forever!

2011-11-07T12:00:00.000-08:00

It had been a day two years in the making but the day had finally arrived. There we were sitting at a civil affairs office in Nanjing, China, thousands of miles away from our home in Montgomery, Alabama waiting to meet our 17 month old son, Sam.

Nervously waiting to meet our son in Nanjing, China

The moment was surreal. All the paperwork, all the fund raising events, all the months of praying, waiting, and worrying was behind us. All we had was four pictures of him, medical records translated from Chinese to English, a black and white copy of a sonogram of his heart which had been surgically repaired to patch a hole between his left and right ventricles. What would he think of us? What would we think of him? What kind of personality would he have? Would he be healthy? A thousand unanswered questions would soon be answered.

A van pulled up and three nannies got out, each of them holding a baby. We watched as they walked into the civil affairs office. He was the first to come into the room. His nanny was holding him and announced his name “Zhang, Jin Hao”. There he was! Our son!

Seeing our son for the first time in person!

Can this really be happening? The Nanny quickly made her way over to us and handed him to Nick. Sam was confused, frightened, and boy did he cry! He had the loudest cry of all the children in the room. He wanted to go back to his Nanny. He was crying and reaching for her. Believe it or not, this was good to see because it meant he was attached to his caregivers and with time he would attach to us. His world was changing. He was leaving everything he had ever known. Our hearts broke for him. We cried along with him and tried our best to comfort him, assuring him that he was going to be okay. He was only 17 months but he had been through so much in his short life. He was a fighter and God had plans for his life. After several hours of signing papers we finally got to leave the civil affairs office. He collapsed in my arms from exhaustion. I just held him, sang to him, and ran my fingers through his black hair. Sam quickly grew to trust us, smiling more each day, laughing and learning to walk. He was a loving child. He was everything we had prayed for. God was with us each step. Giving us all that we needed to be Sam’s parents.

Gotcha forever!

That was four years ago November 26, 2007. Sam is now is five years old. He attends school, loves super heroes, plays soccer, basketball, he enjoys watching football with his Dad, and playing with his friends. He is a mama’s boy! He is a very lovable and social (he loves to talk which gets him in some trouble at school). He loves Jesus and he can say the best prayers I have ever heard. God answers prayers! Sam is praying for a brother or sister. God put it on our heart to open our home to foster children in our community. We are excited about the possibilities of what God has planned for us to add to our family. Looking for a blessing? Open your heart to children who need love and a home. God will bless you beyond what you can ever imagine.

Sam now, climbing trees and having fun in the backyard

Orphan Sunday

2011-11-06T16:33:00.000-08:00

Orphan Sunday 2011 from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.

November Happenings

2011-11-01T11:06:00.000-07:00

November 6th is officially "Orphan Sunday" across the world.

It's been designated as a day to bring to light the needs of orphans everywhere.

At Frazer, we'll be using the month of November as an opportunity to increase awareness about the orphan crisis, both locally and internationally.

*Please visit the ONEfamily table in the atrium each Sunday this month. We'll have resources for you and opportunities available to plug in to orphan care.

*In addition, we'll be spotlighting some families on the blog this month that are caring for the orphan; through adoption, foster care, or orphan care.

*During the month of November, please look for the Project Angel Tree table in the Atrium. This year, there will be an opportunity to provide Christmas gifts for over 400 children currently in DHR foster care. By sponsoring a child, you are providing them with hope and joy for this Christmas season.

*The Foster Care Training Class is finishing up it's last few weeks of training this month. By mid-November, there will be 13 more families certified to care for foster children in our county!

*A BIG thank you to all of the Sunday School classes, families, and bible studies that provided dinner for us each week! Such a blessing to us!

*If you are interested in taking the next Foster Care training class, please contact us at onefamily@frazerumc.org for more information.

*Waiting on a Word blog is raffling off a brand new video camera and all proceeds are donated to caring for the orphan. Half will go toward helping the Word family bring an orphan into their home. The other half will go toward a Kaye and Toni, a Frazer mother and daughter who are going TO the orphan and caring for them in Ethiopia this summer. Head over here for more information about the raffle.

Check back soon to meet some of the Frazer families who are caring for the orphan!

Upcoming Events this Winter:
*Ice Cream Social -- an afternoon for families to connect that have adopted or fostered or are interested in learning more about the process and meeting families who have been through it.

*Adoption Seminar with Sam McClure of the Adoption Law Firm- This firm is newly opened and located in Montgomery. Learn more about the ins and outs of adoption from Sam, an adoptive father himself and lawyer who specializes in adoption.

*Seminar with an Alabama adoption agency to learn more about their available international programs.

Stay Tuned for more information on them!

Bringing Joshua Home

2011-09-03T18:43:00.000-07:00

We wanted to let you know about an opportunity to help the Martin Family as they plan to bring home Joshua in the coming weeks. They are still a few thousand short of the necessary funds to complete the adoption.

One way you can help is to make a donation to their adoption fund. You will receive this awesome bumper sticker when you donate at least $5 here. (the "Chip-In" link is on the right side of the page).

Once you donate to the Martin's adoption fund, please let Kaye Porter know through facebook (if you're FB friends with her) or through her email address: kaye.porter@mps.k12.al.us

She will get the bumper sticker to you.

Thank you for helping bring Joshua home!

Created for Care Retreat

2011-08-29T19:48:00.000-07:00

If you are a woman considering adoption, in the process of adoption, or have completed an adoption we wanted to let you know about the Created for Care conference.

The conference is January 27-29th, but registration opens September 1st. Last year, it sold out in 48 HOURS.... it's that good.

It's an affordable, relaxing, and refreshing weekend near Lake Lanier, GA. You can connect with other women in the adoption process and learn more about different aspects of adoption, while being encouraged and strengthened in your walk with the Lord.

Find more information about the conference here

Hope to see you there!

Visiting Orphans

2011-08-07T18:17:00.000-07:00

Today's guest post is from Frank Pass, a part of our ONEfamily Council and on staff with Visiting Orphans, an amazing organization that leads teams of people to do just that. Visit Orphans.

He just got back from a trip to China and below are his thoughts about orphan care.

If you'd like to learn more about how you can join Visiting Orphans on one of their upcoming trips, click here.

I was asked a question today and I answered without hesitation. I was that sure of my answer, but after I did I had to ask myself why. Why am I so sure?

The question... "Why China?" Actually it was worded like this... "Do you feel you do as much good in China as you do when you go to Africa?"

I've been to places in Africa where the children have literally nothing. Where they live off of trash and are lucky if they have one meal a day. I've been in African facilities that house children that are in such poor condition that we would not house our most despised criminals there. I have seen heartbreaking situations in Africa and believe it or not I have sent teams to places far worse than I have experienced.

China by comparison is clean. It is fairly modern. The facilities in the orphanages I have seen are well kept and the children go to school. Many have equipment and somewhat trained workers for their special needs kids. The children are well fed and their basic survival needs are met. So why China? Why is the need there as great? Why do I plan to return and send more teams next year? Here are a few thoughts I have about China, a country that has my heart. A country that gave me my precious Ella Grace.

First of all it's not a competition. It's not China vs. Africa or foreign vs. domestic. God has most likely placed a call for orphans on your heart and you are drawn to a specific location. Maybe it's China, maybe it's Africa, maybe it's foster care in your community, or a special needs home in your town. Follow that call. Pure religion is to visit widows and orphans. Just do it.

But why China? Why am I so drawn to this place? Why is it so important that we continue to go?

Last year in Chifeng we met 2 young men we called Batman and Robin. Batman and Robin were always the first to greet us and the last to say goodbye. As we stepped out of the van this year, 15 months after we had left, we were almost tackled by Batman. He told us, "Every time I hear a plane in the sky, I pray that it is you."

There is a hopelessness to being an orphan and in China especially orphans have no value. It is a country where society is more important than the individual and society has deemed these children to have no worth. Girls are discarded because of their gender and those with disabilities or special needs are not wanted by their families. The children who are left at orphanages are the lucky ones.

Now imagine the joy that comes when a group of strangers with strange looking skin shows up, and we came halfway across the world just to see you. Because it is a lie that you are worthless. It is a lie that you have no hope. It is a lie that you are not loved. We love you. We value you. We came here because of you. And guess what, God loves you too. The joy that this brings is not theoretical, it is real. I have seen it and I have experienced it. I was mobbed every day by a class of special needs kids who knew. I was there for them.

Now this is China and there is a language barrier. More than that, this is China and certain things are not allowed. All those things about God and love are not spoken verbally but they are shared and they are real and make no mistake, they are communicated. I tell our China teams, you can't talk about Jesus in China but you get to be Jesus in China. One day we made crowns for the kids and I heard Christine McNeal telling each child, "You are a daughter of the king. You are a son of the king. We are probably the only groups that go into government run orphanages in China and pray for children by name, while holding and touching them. That's one time when a language barrier works in your favor. Don't think that matters? Let me tell you a story.

Last year we saw a little boy. He never left his crib. We were told he had fragile bones and they would break if he was even picked up. He did not smile, or move or respond in any way to us. He just lay in the crib at the end of the room. I remember being petrified that a stray ball would bounce in his bed and kill him. All we could do was pray for him, and we did, but honestly he was the one child that I did not expect to see this year. He was just too sick.

That's his picture at the bottom of this note. That smiling boy in the wheelchair is the same sick kid we saw a year ago. We could not believe the change. I don't know his story and I never found out about his recovery. Did he get better because of us? No. Did our prayers make a difference? I believe so, and one of the great things about going back to an orphanage year after year is seeing the progress that children make.

Anyway, that's why we go to China. Because it matters. It matters to those children and it matters to us and it matters to God. That's why we sent 5 teams this summer and that's why we will send 6 next summer. It's not too early to start planning. I would love to see you there next year (or in Africa, or in Ukraine or in Rwanda or just to hear how you are loving orphans in your own town).

Foster Care Training Class starts soon!

2011-07-25T19:48:00.000-07:00

ONEfamily is excited announce that Frazer UMC will be hosting the ten week GPS Foster Care training class starting this September! We look forward to partnering with Alabama DHR as they will be providing extensive training on the foster care process.

The class starts Tuesday, September 13th, and goes for ten weeks from 5:30pm-8:30pm.

If you are interested in joining other families to start the foster care process please submit your contact information, (Name, Address, Email and Phone) to onefamily@frazerumc.org.

We will forward your contact information on to DHR and they will you send you detailed information about the class.

Please spread the word, this class is open to any family!

Foster Care Q&A

2011-07-18T18:50:00.000-07:00

Interested in learning more about the foster care process?

Want to talk with families who have just started fostering or have been fostering for years?

Not sure if you can commit to full-time foster care but still interested in how you can do more?

Please join us for the ONEfamily Foster Care Q&A

When: Wednesday, July 20th at 6pm

Where: Frazer UMC, Room 7202

Who: Anyone in the community interested in learning more about foster care

What: An informal question and answer night with families that are currently fostering or have fostered in the past. You will hear from:

*A family that has fostered over 30 children
*A family who has fostered for the past ten years
*A family with small children and newborn baby who

started fostering this past winter
*A family who fosters medically fragile babies

Why: Because there are hundreds of children in Montgomery County desperately in need of compassionate and loving families to provide them stability and structure.

There are many ways that you can play a role in changing a child's life. Learn about becoming Foster parents (full-time foster care) or Respite Care families (providing short term care for foster children: overnight, for the weekend, or a week).

Childcare WILL be provided.

If you have anyone questions, please feel free to email Leslie at onefamily@frazerumc.org

MOLDOVA MISSIONS

2011-07-12T06:56:00.000-07:00

Hello friends! My name is Kathryn Jones and I am a guest blogger today for One Family! I recently went on a mission trip to Moldova with Frazer to work alongside Philip Cameron Ministries. We worked at Stella's House and the new Providence House orphanage in Cupcui. I want to share a little bit about this trip that is rocking my world as we speak!

When Leslie asked me to write this, I wasn't sure how to put all of my feelings and the lessons that I learned in to one post. I started my own blog because of this trip. It has taken me 24 posts just to get to our second day at the orphanage! So please know...this is tough for me. But I want to share a few things with you...to help you understand the orphan crisis in Moldova.

Moldova is about the size of the state of Maryland...and in that tiny country there are more than 8,000 orphans in institutions. This number does not include the number of children who are in the homes of other family members or are being treated as household servants. Moldova is Europe's poorest country, it has one of the highest rates of alcoholism in the world. It was voted by Time or Newsweek as one of the most depressing places on the planet. People don't smile there. There is epidemic of hopelessness. Abuse and neglect are rampant in this country. Studies suggest that more than 50% of the orphans in Moldova are what is called "social orphans" meaning that one or more of their parents is alive. The parents simply do not wish to or cannot afford to take care of them. What makes this situation even sadder...is that Moldova has recently closed all adoptions....even people in process. The political climate there is always changing and starting over...never progressing forward. In 2009, despite thousands of children being in orphanages, only 14 were adopted by families in the U.S. Its appalling. Moldova remained open for adoptions until the Spring of this year. These kids need help now more than ever.

While in Moldova, we heard the stories of many of the girls at Stella's House. Most of the girls there came from Cupcui (before PCM was running it) or Straseni Orphanage. The stories these girls shared were heartbreaking. One young woman witnessed her father beat her mother to death before she was put in the orphanage...she then was sent back home to live with her aunt...there she was victim to horrendous assaults on her childhood. She was 11 years old before she received her first hug. Can you imagine...waiting 11 years before someone holds you? Her story certainly changed my approach while in Moldova. I MEANT I was hugging every child I came in contact with...and I did:)

Galina is the name of one of the girls who helped us translate at the orphanage and she quickly became a friend to all of us....her childhood story is very sad.
Something that Galina said to me on our first day keeps weighing on my heart....I'm not sure what God is going to do about it...but I know that He is in the business of DOING THINGS and CHANGING LIVES...so I am trusting Him.

After our walk through the village, Galina and I were talking about her childhood. Every part of her story breaks my heart. I asked Galina a question...and I never imagined the impact that her response would have on my life...strangely enough...her answer surprised me. It shouldn't have...but it did. I asked Galina, as an orphan what had she wanted most. I was thinking it would be something more physical...a warm bed, warm meal, dry home, etc. When I asked her what she most wanted...I imagined more a shoot for the moon...you've got three wishes kind of answer...and this girl...this girl just wanted someone to be there. She wanted someone there ....she wanted to know that someone truly cared for her...She wanted someone to truly practice James 1:27...to be there for orphans in their distress...

If God hasn't called you to mission trips...or to adoption...or to foster care...you can STILL "be there" for these kids. You can help send someone else on a mission trip. You can send supplies to orphanages. You can support missionaries who go to orphanages. The options are endless! This mission trip really has rocked our world in big ways. If you don't mind, pray for me and my husband as we try to discern God's plan for us. We feel called back to Moldova...and that is big and scary for us! Pray for courage and conviction!

A Father to the Fatherless

2011-06-19T18:55:00.000-07:00

Today, in the state of Alabama, there are currently over 300 adoptable children in state care.

Their parents have relinquished their rights and they are free to go home to a forever family.

Today, in the state of Alabama, there are millions of men who are fathers. Excellent fathers. Father who are able to provide love and stability to a child.

Today, in the state of Alabama, there are men in this state who are hoping to be fathers, ready for the opportunity to have a family of their own.

The men in our state have the power to change the situation of foster children in Alabama.

300 kids is a manageable number. We can solve this problem in our state. We can provide a forever home to hundreds of kids who have never known what it means to have someone stick around, hug them, or provide love.

To all the fathers out there today- would you consider being the father to one more?

Please check out these following sites to see children currently available for adoption in Alabama.

Heart Gallery of Alabama

Adopt Us Kids Alabama

Thinkers and Movers

2011-06-13T20:01:00.000-07:00

When it comes to adoption, there are "Thinkers" and there are "Movers".

Some of you are in the Thinking stage right now.

Is adoption for our family?
Can we afford our it?
Will adoption mess up our family dynamic?
Could I love my adopted child as much as my biological child?

Some of you are in the Moving stage

You've started researching
You're narrowing down the who, the where, and the how

Whether you're a Thinker or a Mover, and whether adoption is a small inkling of an idea in your mind or your family has jumped all-in to the adoption process, the ONEfamily Adoption Q&A is for you.

This Wednesday, June 15th, at 6pm in Room 7207, we have invited four families to share their adoption experiences with us. They have adopted domestically and internationally and their children range in age from elementary school age through their 30's.

You will be able to ask questions and hear "real-life" experiences from those in our Frazer family who have walked through the adoption process.

In addition, we have invited three organizations to have information tables set-up that night. You will have an opportunity to speak individually with:

Alabama Pre and Post Adoption Connections (APAC): An organization who works to connect currently adoptable children in the state of Alabama with forever families.
AGAPE of Alabama: A private Christian adoption agency in Montgomery that specializes in domestic adoption and foster care
Bridges of Faith: Tom Benz is the founder of Bridges of Faith, a ministry that brings Ukrainian orphans to the United States to have the opportunity to be matched with forever families. (Some Frazer folks spent time with the most recent group children a few weeks ago. You can read more about their time here. ALL of the Ukrainian orphans on this trip were matched with a forever American family. Praise God!)

Please join us for a night to learn more about Adoption.

There are no strings attached.

No signing on the dotted line.

Just more information.

More real-life experiences.

The Q&A begins at 6pm, but the three organizations will be set-up by 5:30pm if you are interested in talking with them before the night begins.

Feel free to spread the word through Facebook and Email as well, this night is open for anyone and everyone who'd like to learn more.

****Childcare WILL be provided*****

Don't Go To Church.

2011-06-02T18:19:00.000-07:00

We've asked Sonia from His Hands, His Feet, to write a guest blog post on our ONEfamily blog today. You may know Sonia already, but if not, here's the summary: she's an amazing mom of six boys, hilariously funny, and passionate about the orphan.

Sonia and her husband John shared their journey of adoption on video for one of our services this past month. They are a family who are actively caring for the orphan; by bringing two sweet boys in their home from China this past January, and by advocating for those not yet in a forever family.

God has been stirring some pretty big things in their lives in the past couple of months. We asked Sonia to share that with you today.....

Don't Go to Church.

Don't go to church unless you are prepared to hear.
To be moved.
To
be
called.

We were happy.
We had just gotten settled.
We had just figured out how to keep up with 6 boys.
{or at the very least pretend that we knew how to keep up with them}

And then
And then God spoke
and we.....
we heard.

By a God-incidence Patrick has been preaching on orphan care recently.
I no longer wear mascara to church.
I'm just sayin.
And then specifically he mentioned and read this post.

Children.
Children dying everyday and
here
we
sit.

Content.
Happy.
Settled.

And God began to move....

A few weeks prior to that worship service John and I had come across a little boy.
7 years old
sweet as he can be
and dying of a massive un-repaired heart defect.
And it became clear to us very quickly that there was no way that we were going to be able to turn our backs on him and
let him die
alone
in an orphanage
with
no
one.

But us?
Us God?
Really?
Have you seen my laundry pile?
Do you remember that we are moving in 3 weeks to a state where we know no one?
Do you see that there are 6 other boys running around this house continually emptying the pantry?
Have you seen our bank account after our last, very recent, adoptions?
You sure?
Like sure-sure?
I mean, I know you are God and all, but I just wanted to bring these things to your attention in case you may have overlooked them.
~ahem~
Yeah.

HE knows.
He knows all of it
He doesn't need me to tell him
and none of our reasons would ever be good enough to let this little boy die.

So here we go again.
Our 3rd adoption in 4 months.
Racing against the clock to be able to reach him in time.
Will we get there soon enough?
No idea.
But regardless we will know his name.
We will have called him our son.
We will celebrate his life.
We will have been obedient to what He has asked of us.
Our hearts will be broken, that is for sure.
But how much more devastating to not have reached out at all?

Each and everyday he is at great risk of a stroke due to his ever rising hemoglobin levels that are causing his blood to become "thick and sludge-like" in addition to the imminent threat of heart failure.
His lips, gums, and fingers are blue.
He struggles for air,
he struggles for life.
And to have the honor and privilege of being chosen to introduce this little boy to the name of Jesus,
the ultimate Giver of lifeis a blessing like none other.
We are humbled and grateful beyond measure.

When we bring him home we will find out if he is a candidate for surgery and on that day one of two things is going to happen:

We are either going to be bringing home a very sick little boy that can be saved with the help of modern medicine
or
we are going to be bringing home a little boy that can be saved through faith in Jesus and we will love and laugh and have life with him for however long we are blessed to have him.

Days?
Months?
Years.
We don't know.
But HE does.
And that's enough for us.

Total and complete surrender and
overwhelming peace.

So we press on toward the goal that God has called us to and we do so no matter the trials knowing He is right there with us.
He has gone ahead of us in this.
We are doing what He has asked of us.
He knows precisely how all of this will play out.
And that,
THAT is what I cling to.
{and chocolate. I cling to chocolate. But not near as much as I cling to Jesus}
just FYI.

As Patrick said that day,
we can't save the thousands that die each day
but we can save one.

There's one less orphan in the world tonight.
One.
Less.

Soli de Gloria

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. John 14:27

You can read more of the story at His Hands, His Feet. The cost to bring this sweet boy into a forever home is relatively inexpensive, (in terms of international adoption). The homestudy and processing costs have been taken care of, so Sonia and John only need to raise $12,000-13,000 to cover the cost of the orphanage fees and the agency fee.

We ask that you would be praying for this family in the coming months-
*For wisdom in the days ahead as they need to make quick and potentially difficult decisions.
*Pray for paperwork to move quickly so that they can bring this boy into the US for the medical care he desperately needs.

If you would like further information on how you can help bring this boy home, please contact us at onefamily@frazerumc.org or Sonia directly, at mommyof4jays@msn.com.

Hope Multiplied

2011-05-30T20:29:00.000-07:00

Faith, hope, and love have a way of multiplying.

This past Friday was one great example of that.

God took the small seed that was dreamed and multiplied it for His love for the orphan.

Some of our Frazer families were privileged to be a part of that phenomenon this past Friday, as they spent the afternoon with ten Ukrainian orphans who are visiting the United States for a few weeks this summer.

The children are in the United States as part of a ministry called Bridges of Faith, an organization that brings over adoptable orphans from the Ukraine in hopes of providing them experiences in the States they may never encounter and also offers them the potential forever connection with an American family.

On Friday, the ten children, ranging in age from 8-14, were going to be at the local Montgomery mall. Lynn, our ONEfamily Orphan Care Coordinator, started with the vision to provide each child one pair of shoes, an item we often take for granted, but one that many of these children had never been given. In order to see this happen, we needed to have ten families or people willing to assist with the costs.

In addition, Lynn hoped for the opportunity for them to go ice-skating at the indoor rink in the mall, but knew that it would be difficult to pull it off with the added expense.

On Wednesday, we only had three people committed to spending the afternoon with these children.

Praying for more help, an email was sent out to one of our Sunday School classes and to those that are on our ONEfamily Support list, explaining the needs for Friday afternoon.

Hope began to multiply as emails and calls came in.

Before we knew it, we had enough funds for each child to receive a new pair of tennis shoes. Even one of the department stores wanted to partner with us and graciously provided us a discount for each pair of shoes.

Though they didn't share the same language, one of the Ukrainian girls and Jade, one of our Frazer middle school students, still connected over an afternoon of shopping!

In fact, when all was said and done, there were MORE than enough resources to go around. After each child had received their new gift, we still had one of our sweet families who wanted to join in on the giving. And as the Lord always so faithful does, He provided the right recipient. The interpreter from the Ukrainian orphanage had not had a new pair of shoes in a long time- so Friday she received a pair too!

But the afternoon didn't end there.

We hoped for ten pairs of shoes.

He provided.

We dreamed for them to experience a few hours on ice-skates.

He provided.

They LOVED it.

They saw the lights of the Carousel and their eyes opened wide.

He provided.

And they were able to ride the Carousel.

He multiplied our hope and our resources.

And it wasn't done!

Each child also received a Chick-fil-a kid's meal.

And a homemade cupcake made lovingly by one of our Frazer families.

The time at the mall had come to a close, and there was still money left.

He multiplies.

We were able to give the leaders with the Ukrainian children $50 to use toward a day trip to the beach this week, for drinks and sunscreen.

Though the children experienced new, material things on Friday, what was more important were the many, many love-filled hugs and smiles that they received.

Our prayer is that they left with a little more hope for their future.

Friday afternoon reminded us of this simple truth.

God always provides for the orphan. And in the process He opens our eyes to what He does when we are obedient to the Call to care for them.

It was a privilege to be a small part in the story God has for their lives.

We can't wait to see where God is calling us to next! We'd love for you to join us!

The Beginning

2011-05-22T20:19:00.000-07:00

Throughout the Old and the New Testament, God makes it clear that the we are to care for the poor, the widow, and the orphan.

A quick look around the world reveals a hurting, broken situation that seems beyond repair.

It's overwhelming and hard to know where to start. What to do.

So we ignore the need, find other things to focus on, and continue living a comfortable existence.

But something isn't the same.

Though we may try and ignore it, push it down, and erase the images we've seen, the need continues to show itself to us.

So maybe we pray about it.

Send a check to relief organization.

Cheer on a family who's adopting.

Think a family who fosters is "amazing."

If we're honest, a lot of times we hope someone else does something about it.

But that isn't the Call from God. It's not someone else's problem.

It's yours.

It's mine.

It's ours.

As a ministry, ONEfamily doesn't have all the answers. We don't have a strategy to quickly solve the hunger problem. The orphan crisis. The hundreds of children in the foster care system.

But we want to do something. To start somewhere.

As a church family, we believe that this is our call.

Things are changing in this city of ours.
For the good.

We are not the first church in Montgomery to care for the orphan.

And we know we are not the last.

It's evident that God is doing something on the hearts of the families in this city.

We are praying that you will join us.

Stay tuned for ways to learn more about adopting, fostering, and caring for the orphan.