SEEKING ADOPTION
Well, we are not really
orphans—but, adoption is a beautiful word that helps describe the strong
relationship that we are seeking between our family and the churches and
friends that pray and support us. The church at Antioch, in a sense, adopted
Paul and Barnabas as special messengers of the Gospel to Asia and Europe (Acts
13:1-3). We are hoping to
have the same relationship with the people who send us.
We encourage everyone we
meet to prayerfully consider adopting OUR FAMILY as their missionaries. We hope
that you will discover that adopting us as your missionary family can be a very
rewarding experience. It will open your life and the life of your family to a
world that is completely unseen in your present context. You will gain a
new perspective of your
world, the world outside the U.S. and learn what God is doing in foreign lands
while you become more directly involved in reaching the world for Jesus Christ.
How
and Why Adopt OUR FAMILY
Much of the effectiveness
of adopting a missionary truly depends on you taking the time to know the
family or individual you are adopting—in this case us. If you adopt a small
child, you don't just assume you know all you need to know and then head down
some predetermined path. So, as with a child, we are seeking people to be involved
in our lives and ministry through prayer, communication, and material support.
• Prayer: Augustine
said, "Without God, we cannot; but without us, God will not." Prayer
is the life blood of
missions—and we covet
it!!! I tell you, nothing is more humbling and encouraging than when someone
tells us they
have been praying for us.
• Encourage and
Communicate: Being in a foreign land is often like being on another planet. In
Kenya, we are completely disconnected from the churches, people, and community
we left. Therefore, we are seeking peoplewho are willing to keep us connected
to the life we left.
• Material Support: You might
be surprised, but most missionaries receive the majority of their monthly
financial support from individuals and not from churches—it is the same with
us. We really depend on individuals to adopt and support us financially. The
average amount individuals give missionaries is usually between $25 and $50 per
month. Currently, we are still short about $1000/mo. (only 20 people at
$50/mo.) Therefore, we are seeking
people to prayerfully consider financially supporting us on a monthly basis on
top of their montly tithes to church.
We are asking for prayers and
for financial assistance because we are about to be moving to Eldoret, Kenya to
work at an orphanage. We currently live in Murfreesboro, TN and have attended
Stones River Church of Christ for the past 2 years. We have felt for several years led to the
eastern part of Africa and an opportunity arose this past fall for an organization
that would be seeking a couple to come in and begin in an orphanage called
Children with Hope. We will be working
alongside a native Kenyan named Peter and his wife in addition to working with us at Children With Hope. They
have asked us to come on board with their ministry beginning August
of this year and make a commitment of at least 2 years though we plan on
staying longer if it is God’s will. When we get there we will begin the process
of taking on children. As we take on more children we will be able to hire
staff that will help give them jobs to provide for their families. We felt very
led to this area because of the number of orphans. There are around 60,000
orphans in Kenya alone and we hope to be able to invest in as many lives as
possible to help them know they are loved and to bring them to a knowledge of
God.
If you are interested
please contact us at hammy1285@gmail.com
or leave a comment on how to get in touch with you.
“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