My Book

In recent years, evangelical Christians have awoken to God’s heart for the fatherless. Christian leaders are uniting behind a powerful vision: ending the orphan crisis, proclaiming adoption is the answer for the world’s 163 million orphans. Millions of Christian families are considering adoption and thousands of churches are launching orphan care ministries.

God’s call to Christians to “bring justice to the fatherless,” (Isaiah 1:17) means that Christians ought to be at the forefront of reforming international adoption and orphan care in order to protect vulnerable families from injustice. Yet across the developing world, Christians are building orphanages, visiting orphans, and encouraging adoption at any cost – even the cost of hurting the orphans and widows we are called to help.

In Defense of the Fatherless calls Christians to protect and provide for orphans and widows in response to God’s justice and mercy. Through stories and research into best practices in global orphan care and adoption, In Defense of the Fatherless challenges, empowers and inspires Christians to make a lasting difference in the lives of orphans.

Who am I to write this book?

I am a Christian, a writer and a mother of five, including two daughters adopted from Latvia and Uganda.  My passion for reforming international adoption and orphan care is rooted in my experience. I have become an expert in international adoption and orphan care the hard way: living through the loss of two children we hoped to adopt.

I began my adoption journey just like you. I believed three things: there was a global orphan crisis, God cared passionately about orphans, and he was calling our family to do something about it. Like thousands of Christians, we responded by adopting a child from Africa. But our adoption journey opened our eyes to the truth: without understanding the poverty and injustice at the root of the crisis, Christians are unintentionally hurting the orphans we’re called to help. My experience adopting in Uganda compelled me to ask challenging questions, to listen to the stories of families who had experienced corruption in adoption, to read thousands of pages of research and to interview experts in international adoption and orphan care.

God has called me to write In Defense of the Fatherless because in many ways, I am just like you: a Christian adoptive parent who is passionate about caring for orphans. This gives me a unique ability to connect with you – and to challenge you to redeem international adoption and orphan care.

Want to know a little more?

I am writing In Defense of the Fatherless to challenge, empower and inspire Christians in the growing adoption and orphan care movement – including thousands of churches launching orphan care ministries and millions of families considering adoption.

In Defense of the Fatherless asks critically important questions, challenging Christians to consider the impact orphanages, short-term mission trips and corrupt adoption practices are having on vulnerable families and children around the world. The book presents the truth about the global orphan crisis, revealing how Christians are unintentionally involved in hurting the orphans we’re called to help.

In Defense of the Fatherless takes the readers on a journey through the Bible to understand the God who calls himself “Father of the Fatherless,” (Psalm 68:5) and how Christians are called to protect and provide for orphans and widows in response to God’s mercy.  The book brings together truth from the Bible and research into best practices in adoption and global orphan care, applying scripture to the real issues facing vulnerable families and children.

Designed as a practical resource for Christian families and churches, In Defense of the Fatherless will cast a powerful vision for how Christians can make a lasting difference in the lives of orphans. In Defense of the Fatherless will:

• Challenge Christians to consider whether building orphanages, visiting orphans and encouraging international adoption can end the orphan crisis – or hurt the orphans we are called to help
• Equip and encourage Christian families and churches to support orphans in families and through churches rather than in institutions
• Empower Christian churches to build orphan care ministries that make a lasting difference in the lives of orphans and that can help end the orphan crisis by addressing the poverty, injustice and brokenness the root of the crisis
• Call Christians to reform international adoption in order to protect vulnerable families from injustice and hold adoption agencies accountable for corruption
• Inspire pastors and church planters to see that caring for orphans and widows is at the heart of the Gospel – and that the church has a critical role to play in ending the orphan crisis

Are you as excited as I am?

I believe this book will challenge, empower and inspire Christian families and churches to reform international adoption and orphan care. I am praying that this book will reach the hearts and minds of tens of thousands of Christians in the United States and around the world. In particular, I am praying that we would stand up together for the right of every child to have a safe, loving and permanent family – and for the right of poor families to remain together.

The book is going to feature the stories of some amazing organizations around the world who are truly making a lasting difference in the lives of orphans. From an Acts 29 church plant in Uganda using MMA to reach the “orphan makers” to a ministry in Haiti working through the church to abolish child slavery, God’s people around the world are doing some amazing things. I can’t wait to share these stories.

In Defense of the Fatherless will hopefully be published in early 2013. The manuscript is almost done (yay!) and I’m in the process of looking for an agent and publisher. One of my key challenges in finding a publisher is proving that there is a market for this book. If you agree with me that this book meets a critical need – or if like me you wish you read this book a few years ago – would you please show your support by commenting, subscribing, sharing this with friends or following me on Twitter?