But Why? Video

We Love Because from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.

Молитва за сирот-video

This video was created by Ukrainian Christians for Orphan Sunday (November 6, 2011): a day for the church to remember and act on behalf of the fatherless and vulnerable. In the words of Jedd Medefind on the Christian Alliance for orphans blog, the Ukrainian church is "on fire" in its desire to adopt and care for the orphans in its country. *Enter personal commentary: It makes me extremely excited to see Christ's church on the other side of the world passionately living out the Gospel to the needy!*

(The video is called "Prayer for Orphans," and the words at the end basically say that there are more than 30,000 orphans in Ukraine and that each person's prayer can make a difference.)



Is the church in America on fire to live out James 1:27? Please leave a comment if your church is doing something for Orphan Sunday! I would love to hear from you.

~Lissie

Day 2

          I did it! When the alarm went off at 3 a.m. went off, I thought it must be a joke; I knew I had fallen asleep less than an hour ago! But the dread of missing my 6 a.m. flight rolled me out of bed, and thankfully everything else went without a glitch. The shuttle was on time, check in went smoothly, the flight took off on time, and I even caught a nap before landing in Chicago at 7 a.m.

I have a seven hour layover here, so I sat down and listened to an amazing Timothy Keller sermon on, believe it or not, missions. It was a great way to spend some time on a Sunday.

In a few hours I will meet with one of my other team mates for this trip, and this afternoon, we depart for Frankfurt to meet up with the others. To wrap up, I will post a short video put together by the mission group I am traveling with. Please remember that while this information gives you a sense of the desperation and need, these kids are not just statistics. They are real people like the ones that live in your town and your neighborhood and your home. They have a birthday, a favorite color, pet peeves, and emotions not unlike your own. And like you, they hope for the approval and love of the people around them.

So what can you do about the statistics that represent real people and real needs? Later I'll follow up with 10 practical suggestions from the Christian Alliance for Orphans. Take a deep breath and relax, I'm not necessarily asking you to adopt half a dozen teenagers from Zimbabwe. But please consider: why wouldn't you do something to help the neediest, the ones closest to God's heart, the vulnerable? Why not? 

Russia from Orphan Outreach on Vimeo.

We love, because He first gave us a relationship

Orphan Sunday 2011 from Summit Crossing on Vimeo.


There was nothing lovely or lovable about us when He found us. We were wallowing in filth, playing and bathing in the refuse of our own sin. We didn't even want to be pulled out, we liked this muck! And then, the Saviour found us, His enemy. We saw Him and hated Him. We wanted to run, we liked the way we were living!


And yet.


He reached down. 


He pulled us out.


He cleaned us off, even while we were kicking and screaming, cursing the only One who could save us.


And then He gave us a new heart and soul, taking out the stony heart and giving us a heart of flesh that could feel. (Ezekiel 36)


He loved us. 


He adopted us.


He gave us a share in His inheritance.


God plucked us out of the muck and mire of our own sin, cleaned us off, gave us His robes of righteousness, told us He loved us, gave us an unimaginable inheritance by calling us His own children and allowed us to live forever with Him in His everlasting Kingdom. 


Why don't we turn and show that love to the least of these? You were helpless. So are they. You were without hope. So are they. You were ugly and unlovable. So are they. You had nothing. So do they. You were dying. So are they. You were dirty. So are they. You were naked. So are they. 

¹⁹ "We love because he first loved us." ~ 1 John 4:19

 ³¹ "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.³²Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. ³³And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. ³⁴Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. ³⁵For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, ³⁶ I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' ³⁷Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? ³⁸And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? ³⁹And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' ⁴⁰And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.' ⁴¹"Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. ⁴²For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, ⁴³I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' ⁴⁴Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' ⁴⁵Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these,you did not do it to me.' ⁴⁶And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life." ~ Matthew 25:31-46

God is a God of relationships. He didn't just pluck us out of the muck and mire, clean us off and set us on our way. No! He made us His children! We, who were unlovely and unlovable, are now His eternal children! He takes good care of His children.


That's more that just sending a check.


That's relationship. That's love.


And that's what they need.


~ Anna

A Once-a-Year Opportunity

Photo Credit

Last year I was privileged, along with the rest of my family, to attend the Summit VI conference for Christian Alliance For Orphans.  What a blessing that was! Over a thousand people gathered with the intent of learning how to better care for the vulnerable and needy as God commands us to.

No, this was not just a conference for adoptive families. The workshops and breakout session addressed many ways to care for orphans, from providing much-needed needed shoes for Haiti children, to helping foster children adjust as they reach adulthood.

The attendees and staff were warm and gracious; excited about fellowship and eager to share stories of God's goodness. The worship sessions were powerful and God-centered, a foretaste of heaven as we raised our voices in unison to our King.

But best of all was the focus on the Gospel. There was no "Let's help orphans because we want to be good people." The desire to serve and love came from a deep sense of gratitude to a Savior who rescued sinners from hopeless guilt and a Father who adopted unworthy children. Speakers and conference-goers alike constantly returned to the gospel as the reason for the way they lived, not simply because this was a Christian conference and that was the way to do things, but because their lives had been profoundly and forever changed by the Father of the Fatherless.

Have you adopted?

Are you adopted?

Have you considered adoption?

Do you hope to adopt in the future?

Maybe adoption isn't in the picture but you hope to find ways to minister to children who have many physical needs, and most of all, a need to know about Jesus.


Please consider attending Summit VII in Louisville KT, May 12-13.

Video: We Love Because

We Love Because from Christian Alliance for Orphans on Vimeo.

My mom, Lissie and I were talking the other day about some good friends of ours who are adopting a little girl from Ethiopia. You can find their blog here: Room For More They became fired up about adoption and orphan care about a year and half ago on Orphan Sunday. Since then, we've watched them through the ups and downs that accompany an international adoption of an older child. We've cried tears of frustration and sadness with them, and jumped up and down for joy with them. They are getting ready to go meet their little girl in just a handful of days now and you can feel the excitement building, not just in their family, but also for us and others close to them!

So we were talking and Lissie made an interesting comment. She said:

"Mr. Nordstrom's passion and zeal for the Gospel has grown since God tugged at his heart about adoption."

Her comment made me pause and think. I definitely had to echo her sentiments upon reflection. His passion - no, not just his, but his whole family's passion for the Gospel - has grown since God placed orphans on their heart. Adoption is such a beautiful picture of what God has done for those who are His children. The Gospel is laced and intertwined with adoption, all the way down to the details. I think this video really helps to show the inseperability of adoption and the Gospel.

~ Tessa