Raising Children with a Heart for Orphans

I'm super excited about tonight's post! (but my computer is being super slow and funky so there are some weird font issues and not everything is linked. Oh well.) I'll be sharing with you some amazing ideas I gleaned from a session at the Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit in April.

The entire conference was amazing, and helped me launch the new focus of our blog, in addition to our family mission. By far, my favorite sessions were about being a mama and advocating for orphans at the same time. For some reason I couldn't figure out the two being one on my own...

BUT, thankfully I got to hear Lisa Kjeldgaard speak on the topic of Raising Children with a Heart for Orphans. And I was inspired. 

Lisa's story is one that I think a lot of us mama's can relate to. Since the age of 16, she wanted to be a missionary in Africa. She also assumed that one day she would adopt babes from Africa. She got sidetracked from her dreams after college (ahem, husband) and now has Eight. Very. White. Kiddos. (ok - so maybe we can't all relate to that 8 kids part!)

Her husband tells the story on their blog: "In 2007 we decided that our comfy life in suburbia needed re-prioritizing.  Lisa and I purposed to find a way to take our children overseas and until we found that way, we would work to help children and more specifically orphans and the impoverished, while we stayed in little old Oakdale waiting for our turn."

And man have they worked. Eric again:

"God blessed us with a family verse, James 1:27, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”   From this verse we created the first Riverbend Ranch Charity Carnival and with the help of our family and friends raised over $8,000 for Acres of Hope, an orphanage based in Liberia.  Since 2007 we have raised over $65,000 that has been given to worthy ministries serving orphans and widows."

Wow.

It gets better. In December they will be leaving for Kenya. With their kids. All eight of them. For 11 months.

Now I know that some of you out there just breathed a sigh of relief. It can be done! With kids! I can be a missionary and a mama at the same time! I don't have to wait 25 years! It nearly makes me cry. (Thanks Lisa for setting this example for all of us who have felt as though we have gotten a little sidetracked.)

So that part of Lisa's story is awesome and inspiring but, let's face it, most of us will not become missionaries. What really challenged me from Lisa's session is that she is raising her children to have a heart for orphans. And the ripple effect of that is so huge.

Below are my notes from Lisa's sessions. I know this is a long post but I promise you will be blessed by what she has to say.  Please also follow Lisa's blog as they prepare for their move to Kenya at http://ten2kenya.wordpress.com/

Deut. 6:7 – “You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise.”

                It is our responsibility to pass God’s heart onto our children. We have to be intentional.            

We pass our vision onto our children in two ways:

1.       Vision casting

2.       Practical training

VISION CASTING

                Begin with scripture – there are 5 things God’s word tells us about caring for the poor.  Even young children can count to five on their fingers and memorize these 5 things!

(Lisa makes the point that anywhere in scripture God talks about the poor, the orphans are included in that general description)

1.       God is concerned. (Psalm 140:12)

2.       God identifies Himself with the poor (Proverbs 14:31)

3.       God commands us to act. (Isaiah 1:17)

4.       Go blesses those who serve. (Proverbs 19:17)

5.       God punishes those who ignore orphans. (Jeremiah 5:28)

Ways to cast vision:

                Reading aloud – Lisa does circle time every day with ALL of her kids. It's her time to share with them. Examples of books/publishers listed below
                Speakers/conferences – well behaved children would be welcome at many
                Blogs – follow blogs with your children that show waiting children, children in orphanages, etc.
                Hospitality – have missionaries to your home and ask them to share with your family their stories
                Live a life of prayer:
                                card box with pics of missionaries, waiting children photos, family, friends
                                Binder with pics of missionaries, waiting children photos, family, friends
                                Maps – world map on wall with pins where missionaries we know are serving or where our sponsored kids are living
                                Clocks – set to times where missionaries or sponsored kids are living

                Live a service oriented life – make meals for others, bags for the homeless to keep in car, foster children, sponsor a child, volunteer in a soup kitchen, etc.

What you spend your time doing will characterize your family – your children will pick up on this.

PRACTICAL TRAINING   

1.       Public speaking – teach your children to become comfortable with public speaking so that they can be a voice for those who are not heard – memorize scripture, have them stand up in  front of the family and ask them questions, let them interview each other, etc.

2.      

3.       Ministry Experience – There are places you can serve with kids – you just have to look hard enough. Food banks, pregnancy centers, compassion international, family mission trips (more info below), etc.

RESOURCES:

Read Alouds: YWAM publishing, Winter’s Promise – Children Around the World book list – www.winterpromise.com

Encouragement: www.onemillionarrows.com

Family Mission Trips: www.agapechildren.org

Lisa’s Family: www.ten2kenya.com, www.carnivalforcharity.com