We invite you to share a word of encouragement to our staff at Lifesong Ukraine. To do so, please comment on this post or on our Facebook wall and it will be forwarded to our staff. Thank you in advance for your kind words of support!  

Please enjoy this update from Denis, Lifesong Ukraine Director...

"This past weekend we had our fourth LS cup soccer competition where four teams have been qualified and participated in the semi-finals and final game. Sport is a great tool to reach out to the kids who would not typically attend our regular CCP lessons and Bible studies. With some of the kids we have just reinforced our influence and secured our relations. 

As we did in previous years we have rented local Football Club Metalist stadium training fields and played four games. It was a two day event where all of the kids competition participants stayed at our camp property. LS cup goes to Zap this year, Sach got silver, Loubetin bronze. 

October 11-14 there was a small camp at the Equestrian Sport base "Scope" for children who have already graduated from a boarding school in past years. The camp was attended by both boys and girls, who study in boarding schools, and those who have finished boarding. Some of them are now members of the Kharkov churches, some with spouses and children - they were talking about their faith. We could also see the results of our service." 

Please continue to pray for the kids that we serve -- specifically that their hearts would be open and soft to the acceptance the Gospel.

We have a great support system made up of family and friends in our community and church. They have all prayed for us and helped us prepare for the arrival of our two kids through an adoption shower. But, many wanted to do more and Lifesong provided them the opportunity to support us financially while also receiving a record of their donation and a tax deduction.  Everyone at Lifesong was more than willing to answer our questions and our emails were responded to almost immediately. We also appreciated the encouragement and prayers from the staff.

The fact that Lifesong is a 501c3 helped us immensely. More people gave because of the stability and professionalism of Lifesong. The letter of support for our adoption and fundraising was also a big help. Knowing that we had to go through an application process and be accepted to fundraise with Lifesong offered those who know us, but not well, the peace of mind that the funds would be used appropriately. And, we were pleasantly surprised how many people donated money that we didn’t know or hardly knew.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! May God richly bless you all for your commitment to helping orphans around the world. Your work has truly been a blessing to our family. 

-Dave & Sue, adoptive parents 

 To learn more about adoption funding, visit our website. 

Sarah just celebrated her 6th birthday last month. You would expect to see dolls, games, and maybe even a bike on her birthday list, right?

Wrong. 

For the second year in a row, Sarah has asked that instead of gifts for her birthday, money be given to Lifesong for Orphans as we care for children around the world.

Recently we recieved this note, along with a check to Lifesong from Sarah's mom,

Enclosed is $500 to help fund the adoption of an Ukrainian orphan into a Christian Ukrainian family through your Adoption without Borders program. Our daughter, Sarah, chose to collect donations for Lifesong in lieu of presents to celebrate her 6th birthday. God bless you and your efforts at Lifesong!

Isn't so refreshing to know that because of the selfless choice of ONE child, an orphan in Ukraine can become adopted into a forever family!

Sarah, thank you SO much for the example that you have shown us of what Christ's selfless love looks like. We pray that God our Father would bless your heart and life as you live for Him!

Yesterday, all over the social media world, people were posting this:

Churches around the world will pause today to consider the growing orphan crisis... Our prayer is that they don't forget tomorrow! 

Have you forgotten already? 

To date, the Lord has provided for 840 bricks... PRAISE HIM! This means that we still have a LONG way to go before we can build the first home for the children the Lord will send us. Stop. Read that sentence again. CHILDREN ARE WAITING... we will have to turn them away without the funds to build the first home. 

We have an AMAZING opportunity that a very GENEROUS donor has offered... For the next FIVE days (through the 9th only), the next 48 bricks purchased (up to $1,200 total) will be MATCHED!!!! AND, everyone that buys a brick during this time will be entered into a giveaway for a FREE Village of Hope t-shirt and bag! 

If you missed our days earlier this week, check them out here: Day 1, Day 2, Day 3 & Day 4.

Well, we’ve come to the last day of our prayer campaign. Our hope is that your heart has been softened and prepared for this coming weekend when thousands of believers across the globe will spend dedicated time honoring the orphan. We hope you will too! (for local Orphan Sunday events or ideas for hosting your own, click here).

We’d like to dedicate this final day to praying for events, hosts, speakers and all those involved for Orphan Sunday this weekend.

Whether you know of a local Orphan Sunday event or if you need to look one up on Orphans Sunday’s website, please join us in spending in prayer for at least one event that will take place.

Dear God, we thank you for the past five days we’ve had to focus on the orphan and to learn more about Your character. Thank you for Christian Alliance for Orphans and their part starting this dedication of Orphan Sunday. 

We specifically pray for Olathe Bible Church in Kansas and for their event this weekend. Please prepare each heart to hear your Word.  Let Your love for the orphan be in their hearts and move them into advocacy and action. We pray that this group of believers would burn with a love for you and that your love would overflow to the orphans in their community and around the world! Prepare their way and walk before them as they speak on behalf of many who can’t speak for themselves. In Your Name Jesus we pray, Amen!

If you missed our previous days, check them out here: Day 1, Day 2, & Day 3. 

Today, we are going to dedicate our name to pray for orphan, adoption and foster care ministries all over the world. Whether it be your local DCFS office, an adoption agency or an in-country orphan care initiative, choose one to spend time praying for today. 

If you don’t know of any organizations, I encourage you to go to the Christian Alliance for Orphans website and look at their partner page.

Father God, today we pray for All God’s Children International and the work that they do to bring children into loving families. We pray that you will be each staff member locally and globally as they seek work and serve children. God, we ask that you would encourage and inspire their spirits when they feel discouraged and that you would be their place of refuge! Bless each child, family, and staff member today. It’s in Your name we pray, Amen.

Please post in the comment what organization you prayed for today…

If you missed Day 1 & Day 2, check it out here and here. 

We’re thankful that you’ve tuned in for Day 3 of our prayer campaign as we pray for the Church, the body of Christ, and our role we have been given as believers.  Let’s peek again into His Word to see how our Father God has described this role….

“Learn to do good. Seek justice. Help the oppressed. Defend the cause of orphans. Fight for the rights of widows.” Isaiah 1:17

 “Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.” James 1:27

 “When you gather the grapes in your vineyard, don’t glean the vines after they are picked. Leave the remaining grapes for the foreigners, orphans, and widows.” Deuteronomy 24:21

Learn. Seek. Help. Defend. Fight. Care. Do some of these words sound familiar from yesterday?  When we love like God loves and our hearts break for what breaks His, we, through His spirit, have the opportunity to be Jesus to a world in need.  Jesus himself prayed in John 17 that God’s love would be in us! Now, what are we going to do with that love? 

Today, please join us in praying for your church, your orphan ministry, and YOUR role in the body of Christ. 

Dear Father, Today I pray for myself as a church member.  I ask that You would lead me, that I might walk in obedience. Show me how to encourage my church family to care for the needs of orphans.

I pray for my church members and leaders.  Provide for our church’s orphan care ministry.  Please provide people, prayers, money, food and supplies to give the orphans all the care they need.

I pray that every member of my church would remember and acknowledge and praise you God because before the world was made, You loved us and chose us, and that Your unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into Your own family by bringing us to Yourself through Jesus Christ and that this gave You great pleasure. (Ephesians 1:3-5) In Jesus’ Name, Amen 

Today we ask that you put YOUR name in the comment so we can join you in prayer!

(If you missed yesterday, be sure to check out our prayer for the orphan that started out our week!)

Yesterday we talked about the orphan, how the numbers can overwhelm us, leaving us numb.  Today, we are going to talk about our FATHER God.

To start, let’s find out what He promises about His character through His Word…

“In you alone do the orphans find mercy.” Hosea 14:3

“The helpless put their trust in you. You defend the orphans. Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them. You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so mere people can no longer terrify them.” Psalms 10:14,17-18

“Father to the fatherless, defender of widows—this is God, whose dwelling is holy. God places the lonely in families; he sets the prisoners free and gives them joy.” Psalms 68:5-6 

 “You must not exploit a widow or an orphan.  If you exploit them in any way and they cry out to me, then I will certainly hear their cry.” Exodus 22:22-23

“No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.” John 14:18

Isn’t that AMAZING? God, OUR Father, promises to defend, protect, hear, and comfort the fatherless.

Please join us in a prayer of praise to our loving, caring & compassionate Father God… 

Father God, THANK YOU for being our intimate Father. Thank you adopting ME into your family and treating me as your own. We are thankful that IN YOU ALONE the orphan will find mercy. We remind you of your promises—to set the lonely into families, to defend and give joy as well as justice to the orphan. Thanks for hearing our prayers and allowing them to come to your ears. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

We welcome you to include a prayer, verse or comment!

Sometimes it’s hard to put into words the plight of the orphan today. When we hear numbers like 153 million as the amount of orphans there are worldwide, it goes way beyond our understanding.  Or what about the number of orphans just in our country alone?  Over 107,000 children are waiting to be adopted from the US foster care system.* Again, we struggle to really comprehend what that looks like. Sometimes we become numb to the numbers as facts and stats go in one ear and out the other. 

Why don’t those numbers make us jump into action?  What do those numbers really mean?

They mean that ONE little girl in Guatamala has no parents to tuck her in at night…

..that ONE boy in Ukraine turns to drugs, alcohol, and violence because he has nowhere else to go…

...that ONE little boy in Africa starves because there isn’t enough food for his caretaker to feed him AND her own children.

The stories, situations, and sweet vulnerable children are endless.  Instead of being overwhelmed with the many, let’s commit to focus on ONE child.

To start our prayer campaign, will you join us today in praying for ONE child, ONE orphan that you know by name? 

If you don’t know any orphan by name, please join us in this prayer for Nellay, a sweet 12-year-old girl who is deaf and lives and attends school at Lifesong Liberia.

Dear Heavenly Father, we lift up Nellay to you. We pray for her health and safety. We pray that if it would be your will her hearing would be restored. Lord, please give her spiritual understanding and growth as she hears the gospel from our staff in Liberia. We pray for healing of her soul for the hardships she has seen and experienced at such a young age.  We thank you that YOU are her Father and that YOU have shown YOUR love to her. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

We encourage you to share the name of the child you prayed for in a comment so we can pray for them too!

*Source:  U.S. Government “5th Annual Report to Congress on Public Law 109-95” and affirmed by UNICEF

We invite you to share a word of encouragement to our staff at Lifesong Ethiopia. To do so, please leave a comment or comment on our Facebook wall and it will be forwarded to our staff. Thank you in advance for your kind words of support! 

Please enjoy this update on Lifesong Ethiopia from Gary Ifft,

"After some hectic and stressful days, school has started up once again.  The last minute crush of registering students, hiring teachers and other staff, purchasing large quantities of food, purchasing and placement of desks and other furniture, in addition to trying to get the two new school buildings completed and ready for our occupancy is not something we looked forward to.  But we survived all that and school is in operation.  

With all three campuses combined we have 760 students.  And it seems we also have about 2,000 upset families because there was no room for their kids in our schools.  That is the problem (and the blessing) of having the best facilities, the best teachers, and the best reputation for many kilometers in any direction.  We've been threatened with lawsuits, tried to be bribed, been cried in front of more times than we could count, been cursed, and been accused by government officials of corruption simply because we didn't enroll someone's child.  Never did we suspect this was part of our job description!

In Adami Tulu we suddenly find ourselves with 300 students (these are included in the 760 above).  As opposed to the two Ziway schools, they don't yet have a nice modern feeding facility like both schools in Ziway have.  Our kitchen staff is doing an outstanding job with the facility they have to feed all these kids breakfast and lunch each day.  But for next year, it is definitely a priority to get them a dining facility equal to or better than the standard set in Ziway.

Enjoy these pictures..." 

 Our new two-story 14-room building at Ziway

 Morning flag pole ceremony at Ziway