Category Archives: Adoption

January update 2017

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Reaching the City… Through Awareness of Trafficking in Hollywood

O Lord, you hear the desire of the afflicted; you will strengthen their heart; you will incline your ear to do justice to the fatherless and the oppressed, so that man who is of the earth may strike terror no more. Psalm 10:17-18 

A couple weekends ago we had the privilege of partnering with an organization CAST  to promote a march in downtown Los Angeles against trafficking.  Joseph is part of the leadership of FIAT (Faith Initiative Against Trafficking) The Faith Initiative to Abolish Trafficking (FIAT) is a gathering of churches who have been called to fight human trafficking in Los Angeles.  They host workshops quarterly to bring awareness  to churches and train advocates to be a part of  stopping trafficking within Los Angeles.  This past month FIAT supported and promoted the LA Freedom Walk!  It was such an amazing time to hear from 2 survivors of trafficking (one who was sold into the sex industry in Los Angeles by her mother and another who came to Los Angeles from India on a student visa and was tricked into labor trafficking here).  Such hard, sad stories to hear but also encouraging to hear their testimonies of being rescued and the Lord’s protection and care over them.  We then marched in downtown LA on the streets that          trafficking is common on. Handing out help cards and carrying signs and praying for those affected by this industry.

Los Angeles has one of the highest rates of human trafficking of any city in the US. but it is exciting to be a part the solution of Churches across LA coming together to do something about it!

 Reaching the City… Through helping orphans find forever families! 

With more than 30 million orphans in Ind*a, according to one estimate, only about 2,500 were adopted last year. (Washington Post 2015)

The Lord has brought the cry of the orphans to our ears.  After 5 1/2 years in our personal adoption journey the Lord did a lot in our hearts and our story of Aleeya’s adoption was full of His power every step of the way.  After being in Ind*a it tore us to see the amount of orphans everywhere—with no family to call their own.  The region we adopted from is known in the Ind*a adoption world to avoid.  It is known to be incredibly difficult to adopt from and the orphanage is horrid.  There are many orphanages that have loving caretakers around the world—but this one is not like those.  When we walked into it the first time we felt such heaviness.  There is such a darkness that I have rarely experienced before and you could feel it in the air.  We hated going there to deal with finalizing our adoption.  Through our experience the Lord has opened up wonderful ministry opportunities with Michelle in helping families adopt from this area. Through giving advice, contact info of connections we made there, encouragement and praying fervently 4-5 families within the past couple months have contacted her for help.  It has been so encouraging to play a small part in bringing these children into forever families and our hearts will forever be tied to this region of India.  Please pray for the orphans there—pray that the Lord would protect his precious ones from the abuse that happens there and would bring forever families to them.

Family Update!   

We had a wonderful Christmas Celebrating!  It is so fun to see    everything through Aleeya’s eyes—so many firsts for her!  So many “Wows” and laughter as she admired the lights everywhere,Christmas music, snow up the mountain from us, Christmas traditions and learning to ride her new bike!  She is loving her preschool and learning to speak in amazing ways!  The boys are in the midst of basketball season at the high school and Luke recently got his drivers license!!  Watch out world!  Jessica  recently auditioned for the Peter Pan musical and is excited to be a part of the production as a mermaid and fairy.  Life is full and busy but full of so many blessings as we try to treasure every day we have…. The kids are growing up so fast…

 

 

Reaching the City with the Love of Jesus!

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Reaching the City…

Through bringing the gospel to foster care social workers

Currently there are thousands of children in Los Angeles County being served by the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) who cannot safely live with their own   families due to abuse, neglect or abandonment.  These children need to be with a safe, stable, and loving family sometimes temporarily and sometimes permanently. (http://dcfs.co.la.ca.us)

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The Department of Child and Family Services (DCFS) located in our community has over 750 staff alone!  These staff are so often unappreciated or thanked for their commitment to serve the children in our community.  Social workers work tirelessly advocating for children who are in harmful situations and we wanted to show appreciation and the love of Jesus to them by saying “thank you.”  Recently we have been partnering with a local church who is committed to bringing the love of Jesus into the foster care system!  We have formed a great relationship with the DCFS and were allowed to treat over 200 social workers to Yogurtland recently to say thank you for advocating for children in our community!  It was very humbling to see the gratitude in their faces and hear them tell us how touched they were as they felt that one ever thanks them for their work.  So many of the social workers thanked us again and again and told us how loved they felt and appreciated and ask us who we were and why were we doing this.  It was a blessing to us to show them Jesus’s love and build stronger relationships with the DCFS in order to bring the gospel of Jesus into the foster care system!!

Reaching the City…

Through Rescuing Women from Sex Trafficking

This month we partnered with EveryOne Free in Pomona to help provide services to women who are being trafficked.  With the help of Pomona Police and an undercover cop, flyers were distributed on the streets to invite the women to our event.  There were about 20 service   providers ranging from sexual assault, clothes for the women, safe houses, Azusa Pacific University nursing dept providing footcare, counseling, sexual abuse, treatments for drug and addictions, etc.  The women who came were each assigned a tour guide.  Each tour guide was a survivor of sex trafficking themselves.  This was the first outreach we had and plan on having another this October.  It was great to see 15 women come and begin to build trust and a relationship with us.  We are expecting more and more women to come as we continue to do these events.  But even with those who came, 2 of the women decided to leave the sex industry and go to a Christian safe house in Utah!  We praise God for rescuing these women from modern day sex slavery.

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February Update

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Reaching the City…

Through Preventing Sex Trafficking

This month we continued our partnership with EveryOne Free, a sex trafficking ministry in Pomona.  Joseph and Shawna prepared a training time for Azusa Pacific Students on how to present the school trafficking curriculum EveryOne Free has created.  We are training volunteers to help us present this curriculum at assemblies in the 13 local middle schools  and within the classrooms of the High Schools within Pomona.  We hope to have 5-10 volunteers help us present within the schools through drama skits, videos, interactive games and a presentation.  Please pray for unity for us as we come together and prepare these presentations.  Please also pray for our “trial run” at Purpose Church Youth group – so we can make adjustments with any feedback we receive from the students there.  

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Shawna beginning our training time with APU Students

Reaching the City…

Churches Coming Together on our Knees

2016-02-01_021921461_B0123_iOSThis was the first quarterly worship and prayer night we were a part of with our partnership of the churches within Claremont!  LOVE CLAREMONT is a group of pastors and ministries from within Claremont that have come together to pray for the city of Claremont and serve the city with the love of Jesus. Here is the website we have up: Love Claremont

This past month these 6 churches united together to pray and worship with one another.  It was a beautiful sight to see people of various backgrounds, ages, and denominations pray for and with one another on behalf of the city and our nation.  Please pray for continued unity among the churches, now that not only the leaders and pastors are praying together, but now the church congregations are praying together as well.  2016-02-08_184342000_C798E_iOS

 

 

 

 

 

Family Update!

Daniel and Jessica had a wonderful opportunity to be in an Annie Performance this past month!  Jessica was an orphan and Daniel played the dog catcher and policeman.  It was a fun experience for them both. Luke is finishing up his JV season of basketball at Glendora High School and continues to love the game.  We are continuing to wait on an affidavit from India for our adoption.  We are expected to receive it this week and tDSC_0054 hen we wait for ourDSC_0059 court date.  DSC_0021Pleasahise pray with us that the process would continue
to move smoothly and would move quickly!  We are hoping to travel within April-June.

Thank you for continue to partner with us through prayers and finances and encouragement as we reach the city through these various avenues!  Please continue to pray that many people would continue to come to know the Lord Jesus!