Our Calling

I hear this a lot: "Not everyone is called to adopt". Yes, that is true. But we are ALL called to care for orphans in some way.

For anyone reading this who feels like they are not called to adopt, I want to ask you something: Have you given God a chance to move your heart towards adoption? I have a few suggestions for you:

1. Take some time (a period of weeks or months) to repeatedly ask God in prayer how He would have you care for orphans. Pray together with your spouse if you have one.
2. Look at the beautiful children who are waiting for families and pray over them. Ask God to move your heart towards one of them if it is His will.
3. Read some stories of families who have been through the process and see the amazing changes in their children! This has been extremely helpful to me. I recommend this blog to start with.
4. Consider a short-term missions trip to visit an orphanage and meet a few of these children personally.
5. Don't think about the money. Just ask God to reveal His will to you.

Perhaps you've done all of those things, or after you do all of those things, you still don't feel called to adopt (or at least not yet). That is FINE! But you can still be an enormous help to those who are called to adopt! Here are some things you can do:

1. Choose a child (or two!) on Reece's Rainbow and be their Prayer Warrior. Organize a few fundraisers for them to raise their grant fund and advocate for them to find their family. This really works.
2. Help an adoptive family either by donating or helping with fundraising in some way! For example, are you low on cash but have some time? You could help organize and run a fundraiser for a family that needs help.
3. Do you have an Etsy shop? Consider having a sale or a period of time where you donate a percentage of your sales to a family or child's grant fund.
4. Got lots of junk to get rid of? Organize a yard sale and donate all the proceeds to an adoptive family or a child's grant fund. This one's a bonus because you get a clean house in the process!
5. Go on a missions trip to visit an orphanage. Minister to the children there to aid them in finding a family.
6. Blog, twitter and share on Facebook about children who need families or families who need funds. 

I'm sure there are other ways to help that I can't think of at the moment. If you think of something, leave it in the comments below!