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Join now to
rescue Russian
orphans!
What orphans need
most: love and family. Our
volunteers from churches
and ministries in Russia are
often the only adults than
many orphans know.
You can be an important
part of the team that makes
visits to orphanages
possible.
Find out how you can
"adopt" a Russian
orphanage.
How many Russian
orphans are there, and who
cares about them? Find
important information about
Russian orphans and
orphanages here.
Today's news and
information links about
orphans and adoption:
- TEN WAYS TO HELP
ORPHANS AND CHILDREN
AT RISK IN 2013. Visit our
blog.
- GOD CARES FOR
ORPHANS: "When you reap
your harvest in your field,
and forget a sheaf in the
field, you shall not go back
to get it; it shall be for the
stranger, the fatherless,
and the widow, that the
LORD your God may bless
you in all the work of your
hands." We pray today that
God will bless abundantly all
those who are giving a
portion of their income to
help orphans, widows,
strangers!
- NEW ORPHAN CARE
RESOURCES WEBSITE
LAUNCHED. A bounty of
information about orphans,
orphan ministry, and orphan
adoption is available on a
new website launched by
CoMission for Children.
Orphan care resources.
Check it out!
- Are you considering
international adoption? The
U.S. government (State
Department) publishes
information each year on
the number of adoptions,
cost of adoptions, average
time periods, etc, for
international adoptions.
You can view State
Department adoption report
here.
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Child sponsorship that is so different!
- 100% of your donation of $29/month goes
to India to provide food, clothing,
education, and shelter for your sponsored
child;
- Your child will write directly to you from
India;
- You may write directly to your child in India;
- You may visit your child at the orphanage
if you wish;
- All of the children are orphans or street
children who have no family to care for
them.
Click here to learn more about sponsoring an
orphan in India!
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Above: summer church camp for Russian orphans. Many of
the children who participate in Big Family programs decide to
trust Jesus Christ as their personal savior. Learn how you can
help with Russian orphan camps.
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Orphan Hosting Programs Summer 2013: Bring the
mission field to your home this summer. Host an orphan
from Latvia or Ukraine. Adoption is not the goal, but many
of the children can be adopted. Learn more here.
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START AN ORPHAN MINISTRY IN YOUR CHURCH!
More and more churches are getting involved in orphan
ministry. There are now many resources available. We
list some of the best sources on our website here.
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Our goal: bring Russian orphans into families
Through the grace of God and with great thanks to
our faithful partners, Big Family Mission has been
ministering to Russian orphans for more than 10 years.
Although we have "big" in our name, our ministry is
not a big organization. We have no paid employees in
the United States (all work is done by volunteers) and
one part-time employee in Russia.
In Russia, we work through volunteers from churches
and other orphan ministries to bring the Light and Love
of Jesus to children who would otherwise never know
about their heavenly Father.
Many existing orphan ministries in Russia do not
have the financial resources to help children. Big
Family Mission partners with these orphan ministries,
encouraging them with prayers and financial assistance.
Because our ministry to orphans is relatively small
and works through volunteers, we are able to send
100% of donated funds into the mission field to
directly help orphans and orphanages.
At Big Family Mission, we are big fans of child
sponsorship programs. We believe that such programs
are a blessing to the children as well as to those who
sponsor children.
It is not easy or simple to have a child sponsorship
program in Russia, because children are often
shuffled around between and among orphanages.
It is not unusual for a child to be in an orphanage, then
go to live with an aunt or grandmother, and then have to
come back to an orphanage. The orphanages we
work with in Russia are run by the government, so
we have no control over where the children go. We are
also dependent on government employees in Russia to
get information about the orphans, so at times, getting
updates can be difficult.
In recent years, we have encouraged our partners to
help support an entire orphanage with prayers and
gifts. If sponsors wish, we can give them photos of one
or two of the children and they can have a special
child... but always understanding that we give
assistance, hugs, ministry, and special treats to all the
children in the orphanage... not just sponsored children.
God called us to work with Russian orphans, and our
ministry today still focuses on ministry in Russia and
Eastern European countries.
We are organized as a mission society outreach to
orphans. The ministry started through the local church
of our founders, but now partners with churches and
Christians throughout the United States... and even
around the world. Big Family Mission derives its 501(c)
(3) status through its organization as a mission society,
which is what the Internal Revenue Service terms "an
integrated auxiliary" ministry of the church. Although we
are under the spiritual umbrella of the church, Big
Family Mission has its own Board of Directors and
functions completely independently from a governance
standpoint.
On our website, we include information about Big
Family, but we also encourage involvement with
other ministries which help orphans get into
families.
Some of our ministry friends and partners:
- Help for Children, St. Petersburg, Russia: regular
visits and help for orphans in a number of orphanages
in the rural regions around St. Petersburg.
- Grace Center, St. Petersburg: Transition help for
orphanage graduates and assistance for unwed
mothers to keep their babies.
- Kommunar Word of Faith Church (about 45 minutes
from St. Petersburg): our very first partner church in
Russia. Support for foster families and orphan ministry.
- Gatchina New Generation Church (south of St.
Petersburg): volunteers minister to orphans at
Gatchina and Tomalchevo orphanages.
- Alliance "Russia without Orphans": Big Family
provided seed funds to encourage this Alliance of
churches and ministries who have the goal of getting
Russian orphans adopted in Russia.
- Behind the Walls, Kaluga, Russia: David Ford (from
USA) and Igor Klishchenko (from Russia) minister to
children in orphanages and summer camps.
- Steven Bishop and family: missionaries to Russian
orphans from Australia.
- Churches in Belarus: ministry to several hundred
orphans, many older orphans with disabilities.
- Helping Hands India: four orphanages in southern
India, ministry to widows, pastor training and equipping.
- Strategic Angel Care for Orphans: short-term
mission trips to visit orphans in Russia and other
Eastern European countries.
- Open Hearts and Homes for Children: hosting
program for orphans from Eastern Europe. Orphans
come to USA to spend 4 weeks with Christian families.
Programs at Christmas and in the summer. Many
orphans adopted. Operates primarily in northeast and
along Eastern Coast.
- New Horizons for Children: Big Family Mission
started the "northeastern branch" of the NHFC orphan
hosting program. Orphans come to USA to spend 4
weeks with Christian families at Christmas and in
summer. Many orphans adopted. Operates throughout
USA.
- Stoneworks International: Ministry focused on
bringing young people into God's Kingdom, with focus
on Russia and Belarus.
- Christian Alliance for Orphans: Through our home
church, Lighthouse Community Church, we are
members of the Alliance.
- Other churches: We are blessed that several
churches have opened their doors to working with us,
including three Russian churches in the USA and one in
Germany. It gives us great joy to work with our brothers
and sisters in the Lord from around the world!
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