Praying for GCOA Families One of the most important things any of us can do to serve orphans is to pray. Please pray for the local families listed below who are bringing children into their homes through adoption and foster care. Gentry & Luis Zuzunaga: Adopting Maria from Russia Joshua and Jamie Weitzman: Adopting Jedidiah from Hong Kong Brittany & Ian Bentley:Adopting a girl from Ethiopia Laurie and Andre Nintcheff: Adopting a child from Ethiopia Sheila & Stephen Steen: Adopting two children from Ethiopia Sara and Andy Ribbens: Adopting two children from Uganda Jon-Ryan & Christy Schlobohm: Adopting two children from Ethiopia Anna & RJ Hosking: Adopting two children from Ethiopia Jesse & Amy Giglio: Adopting 3 year old girl from Ethiopia Sarah & Davis Hock:Adopting 9 year old girl from Ethiopia Laura & Greg Paley Adopting a child from China Kristin Plum: Becoming a foster parent in Ventura County Amy & Jason Freehauf:Becoming foster parents in Ventura County Durham Family: adopting a boy from foster care Ben and Melissa Fisher: adopting from Ethiopia If you would like your name added to this list, contact info@weheartorphans.org |
Sponsorship: Many of the world's orphans are not adoptable for a variety of reasons. Estimates suggest that of the 143 million children who qualify as orphans today, only about 50 million of those are eligible for adoption. That means that sponsorship is a key piece of the larger orphan care puzzle. Sponsorship allows you develop a relationship with a child that helps that child know that he/she is loved. Sponsors often have the opportunity to write letters and develop a relationship with a sponsored child that can extend a lifetime. The monthly costs for sponsoring a child are also nominal but can make a world of difference to a child in an impoverished country.
We at GCOA work in active partnership with the orphan care organization Children's Hopechest to secure sponsorships for needy children. Not all sponsorship agencies operate efficiently or ethically. We feel confident in promoting Hopechest because we know several of the leaders of this dynamic group personally. We know their hearts and their commitment to seek justice, love mercy and walk humbly with God. Children's Hopechest works in countries throughout the globe to meet the needs of vulnerable children in creative ways. To learn more about the work of Children's Hopechest, you can visit their website. GCOA is currently working to find sponsors for children in Swaziland and Uganda. Swaziland has the highest rate of HIV/AIDS infection in the world and an average life expectancy of just 28 years of age. You can do something about this for just $34 a month.
Host a Party: GCOA seeks to educate our community about the plight of orphans. One unique way that we do that is through our We Heart Orphan Parties. We Heart Orphans Parties provide individuals who are interested in caring for orphans with a unique opportunity to learn more about the orphan crisis and how they can help in practical ways. Hosting a We Heart Orphans Party is simple; we'll provide you with the invitations and all you need to do is invite your friends to come over for a fun night at your home. You provide the brownies and coffee (we can even help with this too!) and we'll do the rest. At your party, GCOA will offer a short presentation on the orphan crisis and also provide lots of helpful materials that your guests can take home on prayer, sponsorship, missions, adoption and even Shopping For The Cause.
Thats right! A huge way that we can all make a difference in the lives of orphans is by considering them in our gift giving and purchasing of every day items. When you host a We Heart Orphans Party, we will bring a bunch of great stuff that your guests can purchase and all of the proceeds go to help alleviate the problems that lead to children becoming orphans and/or support orphan care and adoption. We at GCOA truly do "heart" orphans and we hope you will too.
Missions: One of the best ways to learn more about the global orphan crisis is to see it firsthand via a short-term mission trip. There are many great organizations and churches that offer the opportunity to visit orphans and widows in their distress (James 1:27). We at GCOA work in partnership with Ventura pediatrician Dr. Kevin White and Lighthouse Medical Missions whose focus is on outreach to Africa. If you would like to learn more about a Lighthouse Medical Missions trip, you can visit their website. Short-term mission opportunities are also available through Children's Hopechest and you can learn more about that by visiting their website.
Adoption - Foster: There are currently 500,000 children in the US foster care system, many of whom are legally eligible for adoption. Foster adoption is much cheaper than international adoption and placement can occur more quickly than the referral process involved with international adoption. As with all adoption, there are particular issues to be considered when deciding if foster adoption is right for your family. We recommend that you contact the following agencies who operate in our county to discuss the ministry opportunities available to you through fostering and foster adoption. Please remember that your own research is essential; these are just suggestions for starting points in your journey to orphan care.
International Adoption: Some families and individuals feel called to minister to orphans by adopting internationally. International adoption poses its own unique challenges and mandates that families be willing to commit to what can often be a lengthy and unpredictable process. One of the most important steps to take in considering an international adoption is to read widely so as to learn which country is right for your family. Many agencies and groups offer excellent websites that can help you begin the process of learning more about international adoption. We recommend the following agencies as they have solid reputations for being ethical organizations. Several of our GCOA families have also used the some of the agencies listed below and have been pleased with their experiences. Please note that these are just suggestions for places to start on your adoption journey; each adoptive family needs to engage in due diligence to personally research any possible adoption agency.
Help Fund Adoptions: Maybe adoption isn't an option for you personally but you have the resources to help make that possible for someone else. We'd love to talk with you. Part of GCOA's mission is to help remove some of the financial barriers that would otherwise preclude families in our community from adopting. Your willingness to provide financial support could be what finally brings a child home - forever. We are currently raising money for the GCOA Community Adoption Grant Fund available to Christian families in Ventura County. The grant is administered through Lifesong for Orphans and all donations are tax deductible. For more information, please contact info@weheartorphans.org
