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Pray for Them
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and
you will find; knock, and it Will be opened to
you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who
seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be
opened. Matthew 7:7-8
Go online and find a waiting
child listing (www.adoptuskids.org
or www.rainbowkids.com
or www.achildtolove.org
). You could print out a picture and keep it with
you or tape it to your dashboard and every time
you find yourself waiting... Pray for them, on
their behalf.
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| 2) |
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Speak Up for The
Orphan
Open your mouth for the mute, for the rights
of all the unfortunate. Open your mouth, judge
righteously, and defend the rights of the
afflicted. Proverbs 31:8-9
Be their advocate. Take advantage of
conversations to create awareness of the huge
needs of fatherless children. It's amazing at how
many people don't realize that the orphan crisis
is just that...a global crisis.
Keep a picture of the child with you. An
opportunity may arise when you will have contact
with someone who may be able to give that child a
home, or that knows someone who can. There are
opportunities to become a Court Appointed Special
Advocate. You can volunteer your time to get to
know a child in foster care and speak to the
court on their behalf. Visit www.nationalcasa.org
for more details and for an office near you.
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| 3) |
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Give Them What They
Need
If a brother or sister is without clothing and daily
food, and one of you says to them, "Go in peace, be warmed and
be filled," and yet you do not give them what is necessary for
their body, what use is that? James 2:15-16
Give an orphanage a washing machine, a crib, or
a pack of diapers! You can designate financial gifts to be used
for an item of your choice to be given to an orphanage in the
country of your choice. Your financial contributions can be
given directly through echo.
Please contact Amy at echo@echoministry.org for information
about contributing.
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| 4) |
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Support Those Who
Support Them
...and let us consider how to stimulate one another to
love and do good deeds... Hebrews 10:24
Echo invites you to participate in this area of
serving with us! We plan to...
Throw a shower for a family adopting an
older child, this is a great encouragement and way to show
support to the family,
Mow a foster/adoptive families yard, or
serve in other household needs,
Offer to babysit or provide respite care
for families,
Organize a few days worth of meals when
a new child is placed in their home,
Make sure we tell these families that we
appreciate what they're doing!
Sponsor a local child welfare social
worker. Commit to praying for them, take them out for an
occasional lunch, and send small gifts and notes of
encouragement.
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| 5) |
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Provide
Them A Safe Place
The Lord protects the strangers; He
supports the fatherless and the widow, but
thwarts the way of the wicked. Psalm 146:9
Consider becoming a
foster parent or volunteer to provide short-term housing
and care for children in your community. Contact your
local foster care office or visit the
Safe Families
website for more
detailed information.
We can build an
orphanage! It's not as hard as it sounds!
As a group we will visit www.worldorphans.org
to learn more details. Most of the time
these orphanages are built in conjunction
with a local church. Imagine what we can
do as a body comprised of multiple
churches and community!
If you'd like to donate, please contact
Amy at echo@echoministry.org
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Go Visit Them
Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of
our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and
widows in their distress, and to keep oneself
from being polluted by the world. James 1:27A
future vision for echo, is to plan and go on
various mission trips. We are currently
researching two possible opportunities, both
located in Ethiopia. Ultimately, we hope to be
able to serve in the US as well as all over the
globe. As members of this ministry grow, so will
the arms of our service! It will be great to
serve with you! For more information on trips we
are researching, please email us at echo@echoministry.org.
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Give
Sacrificially To Them
Each one must do just as he has purposed in
his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion,
for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7
Want to support those who are in
the process of adopting? Give to the Echo
Adoption Scholarship Fund. Please make checks
payable to "The
Echo Foundation". Please contact Amy at echo@echoministry.org
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Cheer Them On
We urge you, brothers, warn those who are
idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak,
be patient with everyone. 1 Thessalonians 5:14
Sponsor a child. This can
include monthly financial support and
ongoing encouragement through letter
writing. Echo hopes to partner with other
area churches serving in this area of
ministry as a community. For immediate
information, you can visit www.hopechest.org
or www.visiontrust.org
Over 20,000 teenagers a
year "age out" of the U.S.
foster care system with no place to call
home. Call your local foster care office
and let them know you have a desire to be
a support for a child that is aging out
of foster care.
There are millions of
orphans outside of the U.S. that
"age out" of the opportunity of
being adopted as well. You can still help
these young men and women! For more
information on how you can serve and
support these children, please email echo@echoministry.org
with your questions and inquiries.
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Give
Them A Forever Family
A father to the fatherless, a defender of
widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the
lonely in families... Psalm 68:5-6a
You can give a child a
home through domestic, international, or
foster care adoption. To learn more about
these types of adoption, you can call
1-800-FLTODAY and order a free booklet
entitled Welcome Home: Eight Steps to
Adoption. You can also download this
resource, explore other information and
identify key adoption agencies at www.hopefororphans.com
Also, feel free to email echo@echoministry.org
for any personal references on agencies
and experiences that we have had
personally. We'd be glad to share our
stories with you!
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Mobilize Your Church
for Them
Go therefore and make disciples of all the
nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father
and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to
observe all that I commanded you... Matthew
28:18-20 Please join us in our efforts
to spread awareness about the 143 million
children in this world that need a family. We can
make a difference in our churches and in our
community. Partner with echo, and be the catalyst
that brings the fatherless home!
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This list has been
modified from the original version provided by Family
Life. Visit their website at www.familylife.com
for more information.
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