November is National Adoption Month. Ambassador International (a publisher I queried for my poetry book) sends me their newsletter. They provided the following statistic to accompany their publicity for a few adoption-centered books:
"According to All For One, a non-profit in Georgia, 'In 2023, over 153 million children are orphaned globally, with 433,000 in the U.S. foster care system.'"
Those numbers are staggering. As Ambassador International pointed out in their newsletter, God's Word commands us to care for the orphan. James 1:27 says, "Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." (ESV) Matthew 25:40 says, "And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'" (ESV)
This month, for my Mid-month Mention, I'd like to highlight an organization my niece and her husband worked with to adopt their son, Shepherd. I had never heard of Both Hands prior to my niece, Kari, and her husband, Clayton, working with them. Both Hands ministers to orphans and widows while helping families afford adoption.
I'll try to summarize how it works or you can click here to hear a three-minute explanation. Kari and Clayton gathered a team willing to support their project. They selected a widow to serve. They raised joint funding for the service to the widow and their newborn son's adoption. On project day, they served the widow. Many of their family members live nearby (sadly we don't) and they joined them for a day of cleaning, painting, and repairing. You can watch a video of their project day at the bottom of this post.
Both Hands works with private donors to meet their operating expenses. Thus, all Kari and Clayton's fundraising went to meet those joint projects (widow's need, orphan's adoption process). Both Hands recently sent out a letter celebrating an achievement. They have served over 1,500 orphans and vulnerable children. You can follow Both Hands on Facebook and Instagram for updates on their program.
Cox Family Both Hands Project July 8 2023 from Clayton & Kari Cox on Vimeo.
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