Christian Alliance for Orphans will soon meet in NASHVILLE

The Christian Alliance for Orphans’ annual Summit has become the national hub for what Christianity Today recently called, “the burgeoning Christian orphan care movement.” Summit IX on May 2-3, 2013, at Brentwood Baptist Church in Nashville, TN is expected to draw 1,800 to 2,000 pastors, grassroots advocates, organizational leaders and church ministry heads. Alongside more than eighty workshops, the unforgettable plenary sessions will include David Platt, Randy Alcorn, Michele Bachmann, Bishop & Donna Martin, and other global leaders. Summit inspires, equips and connects for adoption, foster care and global orphan ministry. (taken from the Summit 9 website)

I am writing this post as part of the Summit 9 Blogger Giveaway. Check out all the details at www.summit9.org. We have been challenged to share with others why we see value in attending this important meeting, so I couldn't resist the chance to do so below...

(Two little dudes who are excited to soon hug their new little brother)

I totally have orphans on the brain these days. As of this month, we have been in the process of adoption for one year and are waiting impatiently for the call to tell us we have been matched.  In retrospect, we can see so clearly that God prepared us for this journey much further back than a year. We have been surrounded by the beauty of growing family through adoption both through our extended family and numerous close friends. When we finally decided to fill out that adoption application, we quickly realized we were not on a rescue mission but on a journey to be united with the little one God made for us. Our first two children arrived via C-section at a local hospital, and our next child will come to us via plane from across the Atlantic Ocean.

God didn't stop when He pierced ours hearts for our waiting little one. He opened our eyes to much more. The books Adopted for Life and The Strength of Mercy gave a new perspective on our calling as Christians. Despite the torment that comes with learning more than your heart wants to bear, we have found ourselves unable to pull ourselves from everything we can find about the unmet needs out there. It is overwhelmingly to actually stop and acknowledge the painful circumstances of so many in the world.  Then came Radical, Fields of the Fatherless and The Hole in our Gospel.  Our pursuit of one little person led to an eagerness to know how God could use us in a way we had not previously been available to Him.  We are hungry to know what He wants to do with us.

We are left with many questions. Do we simply focus on preparing ourselves for the child who will soon be in our arms? Are we to be advocates for filling all American guest rooms with a new family member they just didn't know they had yet? How can we encourage our church to push beyond its current outreach ministries to actually actively spur our congregation to adopt, foster children, or help others who do as part of an ongoing ministry? How do we challenge others in our community to view the need of orphans up close rather than from a distance? How can we help to stir hearts in some way, whether small scale or large? 

I don't currently know what God is calling me to do. Perhaps He just wants me to "be still" for once (He knows I have an ongoing challenge with this!) I just know I want to do what He wants me to do, and I am praying for clarity as to exactly what that is...no matter how scary the answer I find. What better way to find some of these answers (or even just the first of many answers), than to throw myself into a world of people focused on these precious children?  For this reason, I am headed to the Christian Alliance for Orphans' Summit 9 in Nashville this May. I encourage others to do the same to see how God wants to use their special gifts.

"For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose."

Philippians 2:13