#20: I am thankful for the "frontliners" in the battle for orphans.

November is National Adoption Awareness month. Yesterday was National Adoption Day. You probably didn't know that, so now you do. As I celebrate Thanksvember and as Thanksgiving Day approaches apace, my mind turns to those who have so much less to be thankful for than I do.

I grew up in a stable, loving home; with my own Mom and Dad. I did not lose them at an early age to any outside source--crime, drugs, neglect, apathy, or death. Our world is running deep with children who are neglected or forgotten and in need of a loving home like yours and mine. Our country has foster programs which are designed to help these children have a more stable, normative life. But even more what they want and what they need is a family to call their own. With this in mind I'd like to highlight two of the organizations that work diligently to match these children who desperately need to have something for which to be thankful with the families that can provide that place, enhancing the lives of both the children and the parents/families.

First, I want to focus on what is known as Domestic Adoption--matching families with children in our own country. Since I am a resident of Illinois (and an Illinois Baptist) I want to introduce you to an organization that works specifically with Illinioans (Illini?) to find homes for children in need of adoption in this state. They are the Baptist Children's Home and Family Services (BCHFS). They started in Carmi, IL as the Baptist Orphan's Home. Today they work with troubled kids providing Residential Care, with individuals and families on the cusp of falling apart through the Pathways Counseling services, and with young women who are in crisis/unwanted pregnancies to help them make godly decisions and even to offer (if appropriate) their children to stable, loving homes through Angels' Cove.

(Click here for a video introduction to the Angels' Cove ministry of BCHFS.)

Another option for adoption services is an organization with headquarters in my native state of Texas. Their name is Buckner. Their mission is to care for the orphans around the world. If you are interested in making a difference through International Adoption, contact Buckner to learn more. Here's a testimony from one family who worked through Buckner to grow their family:



I am declaring today "Adoption Awareness Sunday". There are a number of agencies like these two who help orphans find families and families find orphans. Pray about what you should do with this information and like me be . . .

Thankful for those on the frontlines.