Orphan Care- A New Language

Written by Brooke Miller

FHF Regional Director in Southern California
brooke@finallyhomefoundation.net

Speaking the language of loving the Fatherless feels like the most difficult and most natural language to learn. Here’s what I mean: “speaking orphan care” can require the most out of you and be brutally difficult. But also, every person I meet who “speaks orphan care” also speaks of learning about their deepest, truest selves, their most real selves, and the God who loves them.

I think it’s because God Himself speaks orphan care as His first language. So what starts as a ‘foreign language’ to us quickly becomes more and more natural as we draw closer to the Father-Heart of God. He’s the only one who is truly fluent.

I think God is teaching His children this language. It’s sweeping nation after nation. It’s an ancient message filling ancient texts, speaking an ancient truth, and yet revealing itself in new ways here and now.

See, in the deepest mysteries of Scripture is the fact that we are all adoptees. Orphans called into the family of God. God is the first adoptive Father, with only one firstborn Son (Jesus), with whom we are called ‘equal heirs’. The parallels are breathtaking – beginning with the fact that an Adoptive Father’s quest starts long before the adopted child is aware of Him.

All our words and works within Orphan Care are merely echoes of He who spoke it first.

And so as we practice, as we speak, as we learn the nuances of this new language and find refreshment among those who speak it too, it’s like finding a part of your heritage.

Picture Perfect

Written by Kristin Orphan,

FHF Founder and Director

kristin@finallyhomefoundation.net

I’m sitting at my computer staring at the screen saver.  It is a picture of my family.  We are all smiling, wearing matching clothes and the scenery is beautiful.  My kind of day!  Today’s reality is quite a bit different. Two of the smiling children from the picture are downstairs yelling at each other.   Ironically, in between poses, there was quite a bit of bickering on picture day, too.  That’s life, I suppose. I have a whole row of family pictures throughout the years.  My favorite is the first one we took when our daughters joined our family through adoption.  I love to look at all the pictures and see how much everyone has changed and how far we’ve come as a family.  The pictures are like markers on a timeline. There’s so much of the story that happens in between.  Some memories are painful and there’s a lot of hard work involved getting to the next marker.  But, it doesn’t keep me from treasuring those moments when everyone laughs at a shared family joke.  Or, like last week, when my three teenagers got up early on their first day of summer to attend their little sister’s fifth grade graduation.  It was an hour and a half ceremony!  And yet, they perked up from their teenage stupor when their sister’s name was called and clapped loudly.  Yes, we have our moments and as my grandma used to say, “we sure do clean up well.”

Summer Time

Written by Kristin Orphan,

FHF Founder and Director

kristin@finallyhomefoundation.net

Ahh, it’s summer time.  For many of us, it’s a break from early mornings and homework fights. It’s a time to savor the warm weather and more family together time.  I really enjoy summer and yet, there are some challenges as well. My kids are all very different.  Some love to stay busy, others would rather sit on the couch and watch T.V.

While we spend much of our time chasing down the social schedule of one, we have to emphasize the importance of making plans with friends with another, so she doesn’t spend all her time alone.

My challenge is to find a balance between giving them a much needed break after working hard throughout the school year AND supporting them to build healthy habits.

Our family values (or what we define as healthy habits) include plenty of physical exercise, time with good friends, working to help the household and time out of town for serving and fun.   Each child requires different kinds of communication and accountability to reach those goals.

I pray for discernment and creativity as I carefully navigate this challenge with each one of my kids.  I try to find ways to build on their strengths and encourage their natural talents.  One loves sports, another is very gifted working with animals.  When I get stuck, I ask for advice from trusted friends.  You never know, someone very close to you just may have the answer you need to make the most of this celebrated season.