As much as we’d all hope otherwise, even ministries with the best of objectives all too often get sucked into the same empire building, intramural competitiveness, and turf wars as other organizations.  So it’s a refreshing breeze when a Christian nonprofit makes decisions that only make sense if their leaders are playing for a vision larger than their own organization alone.

Orphan Sunday 2009 carried many examples of this kind of action—organizations working  to build the Christian orphan movement, even with limited immediate benefit to themselves.  One that particularly struck me came from Gary Schneider.  Years ago, Gary encountered the sacrificial giving of local Christians in Zambia on behalf of orphans in a local church’s Orphan Sunday.  Impressed by what he saw, he helped spread the vision for “Orphan Sunday” throughout Zambia, and then brought the idea to America.  Gary put a massive amount of effort into growing the idea in the U.S., developing materials, Web content, and seeking to spread the idea among American churches through his ministry, Every Orphan’s Hope.

This year, when the Christian Alliance for Orphans decided to make the concept of “Orphan Sunday” a major national initiative to rouse the Church to care for the fatherless, Gary could have tried to protect “his” territory.  He owned the web address www.orphansunday.org, and had expended significant resources to copyright the term “Orphan Sunday.”   But instead of making big demands in exchange for the rights he had acquired, he offered them to the Alliance gladly, with minimal conditions at no cost.  Gary explained to me, “I was entrusted the Orphan Sunday vision for a season, but it’s not mine—it’s God’s.  I believe the Alliance will be able to do more with it now than I could, so I’m pleased to hand all this to you.”

May all Christian ministries take a similar stance toward the resources and roles God entrusts to us.

Our friend Dr. Susan Hillis of the CDC is one of the world’s top researchers on the relationship between HIV/AIDS and a host of issues facing orphans.  (Incidentally, she’ll be presenting at Summit VI on this topic in April.)  Yesterday, Dr. Hillis shared with us the just-released U.S. government assessment on orphans and vulnerability children, which was delivered to Congress Wednesday.

If you aren’t tripped up by its 17-word title, the report delivers highly-important data and analysis of the global orphan crisis.  No doubt, there will be some debate regarding how and why the U.S. government numbers differ from UNICEF projections.  (Ultimately, both the U.S. and the U.N. numbers are simply thoughtful, well-informed estimates.)  And, at times the report seems to make arguments regarding root causes of the orphan crisis that may go a bit beyond what the data empirically prove.  What is indubitable, however, is that the need remains extreme.   Key data points from the report include:

• Total global orphan estimates for 2008 are 163 million (Children having lost one or both parents).
• Of these, an estimated 55.3 million have lost a mother and 126 million have lost a father.
• An estimated 18.3 million children have lost both parents.

As explored in prior blog posts, numbers like these will rarely inspire individuals to action.  If anything, they are paralyzing.  But it is still vital that those leading efforts to address the needs of orphans understand the scope of global need…even as we focus motivational messages and our own actions on specific situations and children.  Ultimately, one statistic looms above all the others:  it only takes one caring individual to make a life-long difference for an orphan.

The U.S. State Department today released its official numbers for international adoptions in the 2009 fiscal year (Oct 2008 to Sept 2009.)  They show a steep 27 percent drop—only 12,753 international adoptions, down from 17,438 in 2008.  This number is more than 40 percent lower than the all-time peak of 22,884 in 2004.

A host of issues have conspired to curtail international adoption—particularly decisions by foreign countries to limit, slow or completely halt foreign adoptions.  In contrast, the willingness of Americans to adopt overseas—anecdotally at least—seems only to have increased.  As expressed Chuck Johnson of the National Council for Adoption, “This drop is not a result of fewer orphans or less interest from American families in adopting children from other countries.”

Read today’s AP article here.

The Yahoo critics—typically more impressed by the dark and bizarre than by potent goodness—stroked their chins and gave the movie a “C+.”  But the rest of viewers presented The Blind Side with an unequivocal “A”, and have helped generate more than $150 million in ticket sales already.  Whether or not the masses are always correct, the voice of ordinary people was right on target with this one.

The Blind Side tells the real-life story of Michael Oher, a homeless African-American boy from a broken home.  Michael is taken in by a wealthy white couple, the Touhys.  The family offers Michael a welcoming love he’s never tasted before and seeks to help him reach the potential they see in him.  The remarkable relationship that forms, however, isn’t just transformative for Michael.  Just as I see again and again in people who’ve chosen to adopt, foster or engage global orphan care, the Touhys find themselves deeply changed by all that transpires as well.  In this, The Blind Side is not just a heartwarming story.  It’s a call to see the countless opportunities to “defend the cause of the fatherless” around us every day…and to seize them.  Even better, the film offers an alluring taste of goodness, temping us not toward yet another experience of self-gratification, but toward the deeper joy to be found in opening our lives and homes in radical ways—even amidst the sacrifices and struggles the inevitably come with such choices.

If you haven’t seen it already, and perhaps even if you have, grab a group, friend or that special someone and catch The Blind Side this weekend.   It’s the kind of film that won’t leave you quite the same.  And in the process, you’ll be casting the one vote Hollywood values—ticket sales—for the kind of film we want to see more of.

The current issue of Outside magazine carries a fascinating article by NY Times columnist Nicholas Kristof challenging those who care deeply for the destitute to rethink the way we present human need to those we hope to spur to compassion and action.  Kristof’s discussion is focused on the question, “What motivates us as humans to respond to need?”  Admittedly, his analysis overlooks the spiritual dimension–and the motivations a Christian has for serving neighbor that can’t be explained by rhetorical analysis, psychology or game theory alone.   Even so, he makes a powerful case for moving away from what is often the mainstay of motivational pleas by even the most Christian organizations:  big stats on need and accounts of tragic situations.  Instead, Kristof argues, far more impact will be made by providing deeply personal snapshots of individuals that include reasons for hope–showing that despite the crushing need, human choices can make a difference.  For any who desire to stir to action the conscience God has placed in each of us, Kristof’s article is a must read…

Reuters yesterday reported on possible efforts by the Guatemalan government to seek DNA testing of children adopted by American families from Guatemala.  The headline reads, “Guatemala pushes for DNA tests of kids adopted in U.S.“  However, the article is unclear as to whether the request represented an official position of the Guatemalan government beyond a letter Guatemala’s Attorney General reportedly sent in April regarding three specific cases.  It is also unclear whether any such request has been received by the U.S. government.  Instead, the article highlights two tragic stories of apparent child trafficking, and the efforts of the bereaved mothers to bring their children home.

As with previous reports on Guatemala’s international adoption system prior to its closure and current reforms, the article gives rise to many troubling concerns.  First, that any mother would know the fathomless ache of losing a child to human trafficking in any form.  Second, that the extensive challenges with corruption faced by many parts of Guatemala’s government also infected some of its international adoptions.  Third, that exceptional cases would overly color the Guatemalan adoptions performed “by the book”—adoptions that brought hope, new life and a loving family to thousands upon thousands of children.  And finally, that problems with Guatemala’s pre-reform adoption system would not merely serve as a spur to combat corruption in international adoption, but would be used by opponents of international adoption as an excuse to prevent adoptions even in the most legitimate and necessary of cases.  Any and all of these outcomes would be tragedy indeed.

By Maridel Sandberg

Erik* is 16 years old. He is tall, athletic and very handsome.  His smile lights up a room.  He is polite and acts just like all the other teenage boys who have spent time in my home – they are always hungry and will eat pretty much whatever you give them.

I just found out that Erik is a foster child.

He has been in and out of over 20 foster homes.  He was about to be adopted, and in his pain, made a poor choice and was removed from that home.

Now he is floundering, missing his buddies, and trying to find his way at a group home for “troubled kids.” He faces another new school in a different community, another chance to make new friends, another basketball tryout for a coach who has never seen him play.  And even if he does make the team, who will stand in the crowd to cheer him on?

Who will help him get his first job?  Who will teach him about money?

School is hard for him. He has never been in the same school long enough for him to get the kind of help he needs and deserves.  Who will advocate for him?

Who will make sure he gets his senior pictures taken for the yearbook next year?

What happens at parent teacher conferences?

These thoughts keep me awake at night.

Erik has a host of “issues”- a story that would scare most folks away from getting too close.

He regularly speaks out on a teen panel telling people like you and me that all he wants is to have a family.  You never outgrow a need for a family.  There are graduations, weddings, illness, children….a whole lifetime of memories meant to be shared.

The Bible says that “God puts the lonely in families”.

This is his plan. He created the family unit to be a reflection of Him.

Erik is one of over 100,000 kids in the USA waiting to be adopted out of the Foster Care system.   These kids need parents who will love them – NO MATTER WHAT.

I’m seeing more and more young people taking God at his word and invading their culture with extravagant acts of mercy coupled with radical truth and love in Jesus name—individuals like Alex and Brett Harris, who are rebelling against the low expectations of their culture by choosing to “do hard things” for the glory of God.

Those of us a few years older could do well to listen and learn from these young folks.  God never stops asking us to “do the hard thing”. As a matter of fact, God asks us to do impossible things!  Gospel living will always cost us our lives, but oh the glory of the return on our investments.

Erik still needs a mom and dad.  This will be a hard thing.  Don’t miss it.

*Erik’s name has been changed.

Maridel Sandberg is president of The MICAH Fund and mother of eight (five of which came to her through the miracle of adoption).