When the Rwandan government first announced its goal to empty all the orphanages by placing the children into families, the idea was met by some with resistance. One orphanage owner said closing the orphanage was impossible. He argued some children were "unadoptable," and he pointed to three children from his orphanage as examples: Laurence, a 17-year-old girl living with HIV; Joel, a 10-year-old living with HIV; and Jean Pierre, a 4-year-old with cerebral palsy. No family, he said, would be willing to take in these sick or handicapped children, and therefore they would always need to be in th ..read more

Jerome is a student at our Saddleback Manila campus who felt God tugging on his heart to serve local churches globally in the areas of orphan care and HIV/AIDS. The first member of his campus to serve on a PEACE trip, he recently recounted how God used his experience to open his eyes and grow his faith: When I became a follower of Christ, I dreamt of serving God on the mission field. For 5 years, I prayed to go on a global mission. One day, one of our pastors at Lake Forest suggested I join a PEACE trip. I told him I was waiting for Saddleback South Manila to start one. He asked: "Why are you ..read more

Jeff knew he was going to be late. He rushed home after coaching his son's soccer practice, then headed straight back out. The Saddleback Men's event, Man Up, had started an hour earlier, but Jeff thought he could catch the end. Even if he only got 20 minutes in, he felt it would be worth it. Plus, there were free hot dogs. Jeff arrived at this outdoor men's event as Pastor Tom Kang was finishing the message. With the smell of grilled hot dogs still in the air, Jeff heard Pastor Tom giving some final announcements. As Jeff walked across the grass, he listened to the details of the upcoming men ..read more

When Linda Greene and her husband Les married, they knew they wanted to start a family right away. After countless doctor's visits and tests, they learned some disheartening news - they would not be able to conceive. Linda's heart ached as she watched mothers push their babies in strollers at the mall. Would she ever hold a child of her own in her arms? Linda and Les decided she would quit her job as a physical education teacher to reduce her stress. And so, after nearly 20 years in her field, Linda left her job to stay home full time. The decision proved difficult at first. Accustomed to a bu ..read more

A recently released proposal for US tax overhaul included plans to get rid of the adoption tax credit, support for adoptive families that has been on the books for 20 years. The credit provides adoptive families up to $13,570 in tax savings per adopted child.1 Adoption advocates are rallying for the continuation of the credit as it exists for families who may not be able to afford adoption otherwise, a helpful tool in helping children find permeant families of their own. (The amount of the credit, as it stands right now, starts to phase out when families have an adjusted gross income above $20 ..read more

Isaac is a young pastor in Rwanda who has a passion for educating and caring for vulnerable children with disabilities. Pastor Isaac greeted us, an Orphan Care PEACE trip team of men from Saddleback, with his infectious bright smile, he graciously showed us the Presbyterian church that he pastors, and the adjoined school for disabled children that he started as a ministry of his church. He was unashamed to share that although he does not have much experience with disabled children, he knows he has been appointed by God to help them. Isaac walks by faith in obedience to Christ, ministering to h ..read more

May we shout for joy when we hear of your victory and raise a victory banner in the name of our God. May the Lord answer all your prayers. (Psalms 20:5 NLT) Victory Family Church sits on a hill with a gorgeous view of the Kamonyi District in Rwanda. The church property was once an orphanage, but all the orphans who recently lived there have graciously been adopted into local families. Victory Family Church now uses the church property not only as a church, but also as a vocational school that teaches sewing and hairdressing skills as a ministry of the church. Although the orphanage closed qui ..read more

Mike and Brenda Crary are ordinary Saddleback members who have stepped out in faith to help churches in Baja, Mexico build healthy churches that can be mobilized to care for the orphan and the sick in their communities. The couple originally was anxious to see how the local churches would react to Pastor Rick's teachings, but God has greatly exceeded their expectations. According to Brenda, "Purpose Driven Church concepts provided the foundation of what a healthy church should look like. It expanded what the church leaders and pastors thought their roles were into what they could be, to grow t ..read more

Just a few miles outside of Kigali, the capital city of Rwanda, is a humble community of low-income residents who work very hard to make ends meet. This community may not be in the slums, but here things such as motorized transportation and electricity are considered luxuries. Those living here labor to ensure that they have the basic necessities for life - daily meals, clothing, and shelter. The humble homes in this hillside community are spaced at random along the dirt roads - small rectangle residences that consist of concrete walls and floors, shielded by a tin roof. Many children living i ..read more

Many walk into an orphanage expecting to find rambunctious and lively children. However, they are surprised to find something quite opposite. The quiet and still environment causes many to exclaim, "These children are so well behaved!" Unfortunately, what we deem as "well behaved" can actually be a result of severe neglect. When a child is born, they quickly and instinctively discover an attachment pattern with parents. When a need arises, the child feels the need and expresses the need, crying for mom or dad comes to help. In a healthy attachment cycle, mom or dad meet the need when the need ..read more