Pathway Extreme Home Makeover!

You don't have to travel all the way around the world to make a difference.  It only takes a few hours of your time to change the life of a hurting family.

It's Extreme Makeover -- Pathway Style.

Last December, a Pathway family experienced a shocking loss.  Their 3 year old daughter, adopted from Ethiopia, died suddenly.  An illness came on and within a day she was gone.  Now, as this family focuses on healing and finding a "new normal", Pathway is coming around them to help transform their home from a place filled with difficult memories to an environment of peace and grace.

From the afternoon of July 19th through the evening of July 21st, we will be doing a mini-extreme-makeover.  We will be painting, installing new flooring, repairing drywall, and doing light electrical work, light plumbing, and cleaning.

In order to bring a lot of hope in just a short time, we need your help!

We need a team of 22 people over two and half days to pull this off.  Please contact us to help, and also take a moment to share this opportunity with your small group or friends who have a heart for service.

No matter what your DIY experience, there's a place for you to serve!

We need:

1 - Drywaller (Drywall Repair)
1 - Vinyl Floor experience
1 - Plumber
2 - Laminate Floor
1 - General Construction
1 - Electrician
6 - Painters
3 - Cleaners
6 - General Labor & Runners (Run to get supplies or take supplies around the house)

As you see, there are many areas where your help can make the difference.

This is a time sensitive event and we have to 2 1/2 days to finish the work.  Commitment to the times mentioned will be key if we are to finish on time so the family can move back in after the big reveal.

Once again the dates are Thursday 3pm 7/19 - Saturday 6pm 7/21.

Please email truevine@pccfw.com with the following information if you are able to help.

Name
Contact Phone #
Dates and Times you can help
Area of work

Thanks and God Bless!!

New Post-Adoptive Parents' Support Group

Pathway is launching a new support group for post-adoptive parents.  

Hey, adoptive parents!

Remember all the support and encouragement you received from family and friends while you were waiting for your adoption to go through?  The anticipation when your family book was shown to a birthmother, or on the day your dossier shipped overseas?  The shower of gifts and cards, the welcoming party at the airport?

Then remember when life settled into "normal"?

For first time adoptive parents, that version of "normal" is sometimes a shock.  It can be even for veterans!

Author Jen Hatmaker puts it well:

For my friends who've brought their adopted children home and the media frenzy has died down, and you are holding a screaming toddler, a fragile kindergartener, an angry teen, trying to catch your breath and make it through the day without bawling while everyone else has gone back to their regularly scheduled programs...I'm with you today. 

Parenting an adopted child, whether infant or teenager or somewhere in between, can be hard.  Often, traditional parenting techniques not only don't work...sometimes they make things worse.

While we parents see them as an amazing gift and a blessing, the truth is that these kids come from difficult places.  They've been hurt.  They've been shuffled around.  They've been torn from the only mother they know. They've missed out on the safety and security that kids born "the old fashioned way" take for granted.

As adoptive parents, it's our commitment to provide them an environment where they can heal.  To help them process.  To keep them safe.

And sometimes, that's hard.

How do you figure out which battles to fight, and where to let things slide?

How do you prioritize connection and safety over schedule and behavior?

These things are HARD. 

To help us navigate these waters together, Pathway Community Church is launching a new support group for post-adoptive parents.

Using "Created to Connect, A Christian's Guide to The Connected Child," this group will provide a safe zone for adoptive parents to:

• share our struggles and encourage each other
• learn new ways to understand your child's reactions 
• support your child's healing process.

Each session, we'll offer discussion around a chapter of The Connected Child, but we'll also leave room for families to share challenges and ideas and experiences.  What worked, what didn't.  What we'd do differently if we had it to do over again...  What we do when we really don't know what to do at all...

The guide is founded on biblical truths as well as psychology and research. Adoptive parents of any faith are welcome; this is not an evangelical outreach, but one of support and safety and love.

* * *

Who should come:  Adoptive parents of any faith who need someone to talk to, and who want new tools to connect with their adopted child and create an emotionally safe environment to help them heal.

What is this:  Created to Connect Post-Adoptive Parents Support Group:  A guided study of The Connected Child by Dr. Karen Purvis conducted in a loosely structured, safe support environment for adoptive parents.

Where will we be:  Pathway Community Church - 11910 Shearwater Run, northwest Fort Wayne, near Lima and Carroll Road.  We will meet upstairs in the Studio 24 theater.

When will we be there:  7 - 8 PM (or as long as we need to be) on the second and fourth Thursday of every month, starting 22 March.

Why:  Created To Connect exists to serve and support adoptive parents in the Fort Wayne area, and provide a safe environment for them to share both struggles and triumphs and to learn new parenting strategies to connect with their children who have experienced difficult histories.

Questions:  email us at truevine@pccfw.org

Family Fun Night at the YMCA

Pathway adoptive and foster care families are invited to a FREE Family night at the Parkview YMCA. This is a time to spend connecting with one another and having fun as a family! 


Swimming, racquetball, basketball, the kids area and the game room will all be open and available! The event is free, and you do not need to be a member of the YMCA to attend. The Family Fun Night is sponsored by True Vine, an adoption Ministry of Pathway community Church and the Parkview YMCA.


Who: Families associated with Pathway's True Vine Ministry (orphan/adoption aid); and families of the global mission and local mission leadership teams. 

Where:  Parkview YMCA off of Dupont near Solomon Farm 

When:  Saturday, January 28, 2012; 8:00-10:00 p.m. 

Admission:  Free (includes use of the pool). 

No need to RSVP.  Just show up at the Parkview Y with your family.  


Parkview Family YMCA
10001 Dawsons Creek Blvd.
Fort Wayne, IN 46825

2011 Adoption Celebration

On Saturday, November 5th at 1 pm, STAR 88.3 presents the 13th Annual Adoption Celebration at Sonrise Church (10125 Illinois Road), hosted by Melissa Montana.

The event includes information on adoption, music, a slideshow featuring the adoptive families in attendence, and much more. Doors open at 12:30.

Prior to the program, you will have a chance to check out several adoption agencies with information booths. Entertainment (including face paint and balloon animals) will be provided by Sweetcakes Entertainment.

Following the program, there will be snacks for all to enjoy during a time of fellowship. The information booths will also reopen at this time for another chance to learn more.

This event is perfect for anyone considering adoption and adoptive families. Join us for a night of fun, fellowship, and family!

* * * * *

In addition to celebrating adoptive families in northeastern Indiana, each year, Melissa takes a collection to help an adoptive family. This year, the collection will go to help a Pathway Family.

The money received will be placed in Pathway's True Vine Life Song account to be distributed as matching grants to our families who are adopting.

Pre-adoptive families should note that we do have monies available to Pathway families who would like to apply for matching grants.  Contact us for the Pathway LifeSong Application.

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.