Together for Adoption Chicago

Designed for anyone who is called to love and care for the orphan, the Together for Adoption Chicago conference is coming up next month.

Registration is only $15 for a full-day conference, and includes lunch!  Register now at www.chicagoadoption.org

Book Review: Adopt Without Debt by Julie Gumm

"There is not one example in the Bible of God calling someone to do something and then using debt as a tool to accomplish it." - Dave Ramsey

These words slammed Julie Gumm in 2007, just as she and her husband Mark embarked on a journey to adopt a sibling pair, aged six and eight from Ethiopia.

The gazelle-intensity learned in Financial Peace University provided Julie and Mark the practical foundation for living debt-free and financial freedom to serve others. With these tools and faith in God's provision, Julie and Mark committed to adopt their children without borrowing a penny.

The first two questions asked by any prospective adoptive parent are "where do I start?" and "how much will it cost?"...the unfortunate truth is that with the market tanking and our national credit rating taking a hit, finances are a real challenge in our society. Our personal financial situation impacts our sense of freedom to follow God's calling, but our God is HUGE and He will partner with us to provide when we commit to doing things His way.

Julie tells a story of just that. Gazelle intensity and hard work brought Julie and Mark out of a debt that, if left to grow, would have held them back from the future plans God had for them. Once their slavery to debt was cut free, God provided ministry opportunities to Julie and Mark that reduced their family income dramatically. Still, they heard his call to adopt and knew that He would provide.

But Julie doesn't stop with just sharing her story. Much of her book is dedicated to teaching about finding grants and maximizing the money gained from selling your "stuff." Further, Julie shares step-by-step guides to holding fundraisers and engaging your wider community of family and friends to help in creative ways.

With this engaging book, Julie has destroyed the excuse of "it costs too much to adopt." God calls us to care for the widow and the orphan. While He's unlikely to airdrop a pallet of cash in the back yard, He provides by sharing battle plans through people like Julie.

Adoption can be expensive, but it doesn't have to lead to debt. Julie and Mark Gumm's story is proof, and her easy-to-read, practical advice will help any family achieve their own commitment to a debt-free adoption.

Pathway families can borrow a copy of Adopt Without Debt from the True Vine Lending Library. To order your own copy, or to learn more about Julie and her adoption journey, visit her blog here.

Mission Report - Dulce Refugio, Aguascalientes, Mexico

The Dulce Refugio (Sweet Refuge) orphanage in Aguascalientes, Mexico provides abandoned and at-risk children an opportunity to get off the streets. These kids know hunger, they know cold, they know loss. They need a blanket, a bed, and the confidence that tomorrow, there will be food on their table. Dulce Refugio offers them hope for the future by providing clothing, food, and education. They need love that won’t let them down. Dulce Refugio seeks to disciple these children and share unfailing mercy. In June, a family team of nine and a youth team of twelve from Pathway combined forces to serve the children of Dulce Refugio.

Where is Dulce Refugio?

Aguascalientes is located on the High Plains, about 350 miles north of Mexico City. Its population is around 800,000 and is nowhere near any of the tourist areas…this is the REAL Mexico. The city’s altitude is about 6,000 feet, which is a bit higher than Denver, and the very hot, dry climate represented a big change for a bunch of Hoosiers!

What is Dulce Refugio like?

Currently, Dulce Refugio is home to 54 children, and the a new dorm is under construction which will house approximately fifty more. Frequently, children's homes are pressured to move beds closer together or add bunk beds to house more kids. But the construction planners at Dulce Refugio have been very deliberate in their desire to maintain a very high quality of life for these kids, designing the structure in such a way to ensure the kids have personal space and that they can never be overcrowded.

The main children's dorm was the first building completed, and is home to 24 children on each of the first two floors--six to a room. The third floor is a large rec room that also serves as a school room for some of the kids whose educational needs can't be met in the public schools.

In addition to the dorms, the plan for Dulce Refugio goes much further. An office building is nearly complete that will provide office space for the Director as well as a psychologist, medical staff, and several other workers. Work team dorm suites fill the ground floor of this building.

Additionally, the staff at Dulce Refugio is currently in negotiations with the city government to take ownership of a plot of adjacent land, where they plan to build a school, covered gym area, and a greenhouse and vegetable garden. All of these things will further help the kids of Aguascalientes and give them an opportunity to experience Jesus' love!

What is Pathway doing?

As part of our ongoing partnership with Dulce Refugio, Pathway teams has served at Dulce Refugio several times, and plans are in the works to return. This summer's Pathway teams assisted with construction and maintenance projects, as well as VBS and community outreach in some of the poorest areas of Aguascalientes.

Boys' Dorm: the team helped mix and pour 33 meters of concrete support beams, and helped cut, bend, set, and tie 100 re-bar rings in preparation for the next pour. This represents support for the ceiling for almost half of the first floor.

Dorm Bathroom Storage: the team replaced slider rails, refaced, and reinforced 112 drawers (also known to the boys as steps!) in six kids' bathrooms.

Irrigation Trenches: the youth team dug 40 meters of trenches in preparation for an irrigation system for the kids playground; not only will this give the kids a safe surface to play games and soccer, but it will also help reduce the dust flying around campus!

Window Bars: the team cut, fabricated, and painted 760 bars to make nineteen grates to be mounted on the windows of the current kids' dorm. This will protect kids from accidental falls!

Director's apartment: Part of the construction plan is building a one-bedroom apartment for Marcella, the Director of Dulce Refugio, who currently lives in a room in the Girls' dorm. The Pathway team helped build and trim out the two custom closet organizers (from scratch....no running down to Lowe's around here!!) for her beautiful and well-deserved new home.

Kid Lovin': every day, the team invested in 54 kids' lives at Dulce Refugio through playing soccer, pushing swings, giving piggy-back rides and sharing in their daily activites. The youth team ran four days of VBS lessons and crafts, and showed these kids that while they may feel forgotten by their own culture, God has not forgotten them. Even with all the work that the team has contributed, the relationships and the transformation of our own hearts is the most incredible part of this experience.

What can I do to help?

PRAY!

The foremost prayer is for each one of these kids to experience God in a real and transformational way, through the work of the staff, teams, and extended support network for Dulce Refugio.

More specific prayer requests are for progress on the construction plans, including the current negotiations for the adjacent land needed for the long-term campus plan, and for funds to purchase a reliable, gently used passenger van to transport the kids.

GO!

Get information and make plans to join a future trip to Aguascalientes; the variety of service opportunities and time with the kids and staff members make this mission opportunity well-suited for anyone with a heart for orphans.

GIVE!

Worship the Lord with a one-time gift to Dulce Refugio, or through sponsoring a child. Dulce Refugio is supported through Children of Hope in Canada, and the Orphanos Foundation in the US; all donations are tax deductible and are passed directly through to Dulce Refugio.

Daily details and photos from the Dulce Refugio mission trip can be found here.

Ethiopian Night - July 8

Come join the fun to celebrate Ethiopian Night in Fort Wayne on Friday, July 8 from 6:30 - 9:30 PM at Pine Hills Church!!

Guest speaker Tom Davis, of Children's HopeChest will speak, followed by Ethiopian dancing, music, desserts. The highlight of the evening will be a silent auction to raise money for Starved 4 Hope, a non-profit organization that helps meet the needs of 168 children in Awassa, Ethiopia. ALL proceeds (that's right, 100%) will be going to these precious children.

• Guest Speaker - Tom Davis, President of Children's HopeChest and author of "Scared" and "Fields of the Fatherless"
• Silent Auction - Vacation packages, sports memorabilia, Vera Bradley merchandise, artwork, and much much more
• Live Traditional Ethiopian Dancing
• Music and Desserts

For more information, contact Wendy Walz.

ps...Help promote this great event by clicking the facebook button below and sharing with all your friends!

Children All Over The World Need You!!

The True Vine Shopapalooza Garage Sale Team needs your help!!! We are looking for volunteers to help with the following:

• unload the trailer on Sunday, May 15, immediately following 3rd service (we’ll provide lunch!) :: we need approximately 60 individuals – 6 journey groups or 15 families!
• need a few strong men to set up the clothes racks on Monday morning :: we need at least 4 strong men willing to work from 10am-noon.
• help during the week with sorting the items :: we need at least 10 volunteers per day, working anytime between 8am-8am, Monday through Thursday.
• we need people willing to pick up large donated items and bring them to the church on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday :: we’d love to have the men from at least 3 journey groups!
• help during the sale on Friday, May 20, or Saturday, May 21 :: we need 15 fun-loving individuals each day!
• help clean up after the sale – pack everything up and load onto trucks at noon on Saturday :: we’ll take as many people as we can get! We also need some strong men to load and return the clothes racks between 12-2pm Saturday.

To sign up to volunteer, email Karin Bernard at klbernard@yahoo.com. Bring your small group and volunteer together! If you volunteer for at least 3 hours, we invite you to shop early!!! Volunteer Night is Thursday, May 19, from 6-8pm. Come shop before everyone else!

If you are unable to volunteer on any of these dates, but still want to help, we are asking for donations of bottled water, cans of pop and juice boxes, and yummy baked items that we can sell at our concession stand/bake sale. These items can be dropped off at Guest Services or at the office any time between now and Tuesday, May 17. Baked goods can be brought to the church on Thursday, 5/19 or Friday, 5/20.

Finally, don’t forget that we are still taking your donations of gently used and new items that we can sell at the garage sale. Drop items off at the trailer in the parking lot after any of the services. We couldn’t do any of this without you! And remember, all proceeds go to help Pathway families with adoption expenses.

***The Shopapalooza Team

Garage Sale 2011

It is time for the Second Annual Pathway Garage Sale! The long awaited date is May 20 and 21! You too can be a part of the planning committee, with each bi-monthly meeting packed with food and fun! To be a part of raising money to help families who are adopting contact Laura Williams mom4williams@yahoo.com

Question and Answer Social

Saturday, March 12, 5:30 there will be a Question and Answer Social at Pathway for those interested in adopting. We will start with an overview of True Vine and then break into 3 groups for questions and answers. Childcare provided.

1. Where do I start?
2. Money, Money, Money
3. Adoptive Grandparents Unite!

This will be a great evening to meet those who have adopted and see how God is at work! This will also be a time for Adoptive Grandparents to learn more and connect. Questions? Contact Jerry and Nancy Touchet jtouchet1@frontier.com