So this is Christmas, and what have you done, Another year over.......

Well Christmas is here!!! I sit here with a heavy burden on my heart for the 143 million orphans that are waiting for a family. I emailed the http://www.orphandoctor.com/. This lady has had many years of work in medicine trying to help orphans. Of course, she is not faith based, but she emailed me with some good insight into organizations in the medical community to join. I am thinking maybe doing my speciality in adoption/foster care medicine in pediatrics. I was reading their mission statement and i was just blown away how a nonreligious affiliated organization got it right about the responsibility of the care of orphans.

I am going to go on a little rant here, I guess i have a heavy heart knowing that so many children are left alone during Christmas in orphanages. I know orphanages are better than nothing but they are still not the IDEAL place for these children. Any medical adoption specialist will agree. I am so disappointed with the Christian community. Where are they? There are eighty-five main Christian denominations. These denominations make a distinction between Catholic Christians and Protestant Christians. There are 1,026,501,000 Roman Catholics and 316,445,000 Protestants in the world. Most Catholics are Roman Catholics; there are 60,018,436 in the United States. Protestants in the U.S. number 42,513,059 as of 1997. You do the math, if everyone who professes that Christ is their savior did one of two things (opened their home to an orphan or financially supported families that could open their home) what a difference we could make in the lives of the fatherless. I know, I know, we have our mission trips where we go and play with them and bring them some supplies once a year, but what are we doing daily? What about the children that are never adopted that will be turned out on the street to prostitution and drugs? What about their spiritual investment for the kingdom of God? Aren't we the ones who are suppose to be the light in the world? Aren't we the ones the Lord calls to take care of the children? We prefer bigger homes, nice clothes, 2-3 vacations a year, comfort and blessings that's we have fooled ourselves into thinking thats our REWARD for being such good little Christan's. Think about the concept of the mega churches needing bigger sanctuaries or nice gyms ??? Are these material things really necessary, when the time and money invested into these things could bring home children from orphanages?

I just want to scream to the churches and say "THIS IS NOT WHAT THE LORD HAS INTENDED", He wants us to help the fatherless offer them a home, just like he offered us one. We have to meet their needs, not just listen with pity and say that's some one else's problem....Below is the group mission statement....What is the church's mission statement? It's time for Christian to rise up and take a stand for these children.

All children - regardless of race, ethnicity, gender, health, nationality or socio-economic standing, have an inherent right to a safe, permanent and loving family by birth or adoption.

We believe that the 143 million children without family care represent a crisis of intolerable size and scope.

Society, as individuals and as community, has a responsibility to ensure that every child can live, grow and flourish through family life and therefore society must respond to this crisis .

Our response, whether governmental, organizational or individual, must

- Be filled with humanity, morality, ethics and love.

- Put the child's best interest at the forefront of laws, policies, programs or services.

- Include the strengthening and reunification of stable families.

- Support the nutritional, educational, medical, emotional and residential needs of each child.

- Reflect and respect a child's culture, ethnicity and nationality

- Embrace collaboration, partnership, alliance and association.

- Be global in policy, nature and action.

- Serve to create a safe, permanent and loving family for each child.

Creating permanent, safe and loving families for children must be prioritized through the strengthening of the birth family, adoption within the local or national community and adoption within the world community. While striving to create a safe, permanent and loving family through birth, domestic adoption or international adoption, our response must support and include Kinship Care, Foster Care, Group Homes, Institutions and other secondary options for those children for whom a permanent family is not a viable option.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Hague Convention on Protection of Children and Co-operation in Respect of Intercountry Adoption both serve to provide the framework in which at risk children can be served. Through ethical collaboration individuals, communities, organizations and governments can fashion a global child-centric response which strengthens or creates a permanent, safe and loving family for every child.

Our Actions:

To put these beliefs into action and achieve our mission, the Joint Council on International Children's Services; Advocates on behalf of children in need of safety, permanency and love Advises governments, legislators and policy makers on child welfare policies.

Establishes and strengthens the standards, ethics and practices of social service providers

Educates the professional community

Trains and informs parents Informs the community at large

Promotes, protects and safeguards the institution of adoption

Conducts research on the issues related to permanency for children Collaborates with our colleagues

Encourages trust, support, communication and cooperation within the field of child welfare