If you’ve subscribed to this blog, you’ll need to make some changes! We’ve split things from here out to Community Impact and Global Impact. So please visit the blogs at http://community.westsidefamilychurch.com/ and http://global.westsidefamilychurch.com/. And be sure to subscribe to those so you’ll be updated with new posts.  The Reach blog is now all done.

Dakota is a young man who really enjoys science and the study of plants and trees. He enjoys planting seeds and watching them grow into plants of various types. Dakota would like to have a job working with plants, seeds or trees when he grows up. When Dakota is not busy with his plants, he likes to play games, draw, build things with blocks and play outside. Dakota is typically in a good mood and loves to laugh. He is generally loving, caring, funny and energetic. Dakota does need some assistance in school with comprehension and behaviors but is described as a very smart child. Dakota can struggle with socialization with his peers and can be defiant with the adults in his life. He continues to work on developing appropriate boundaries with others and reading social cues. Dakota states that he would like a family that loves him, lets him have his own room and has books about animals and plants. To learn more about adoption visit AdoptKSKids.org or call 877-457-5430. Dakota’s case number is CH-5176.

Harligh is a very friendly and happy child. He likes baseball, soccer, and being on the go. He likes to meet new people and explore new places and things. Something that interests him is playing the drums. He does have a set of his own and would love to play for you. In school his favorite thing to do is computer time. Like any eight year old, he likes to have choices; this gives him a sense of control. Harligh will do great in a two parent home that is very structured and consistent.

Harligh, age 10, MATCH ID#: 101257

Patrick enjoys spending time outdoors and riding his bike. He is very good at entertaining himself with cars and trucks and also likes to spend time drawing.  Patrick loves anything to do with KU and SpongeBob. He is described as a compassionate boy with a beautiful smile.  Patrick would do best with a two parent family with a strong male role model.  He would also like his forever family to support and encourage his relationship with his brother as they are close.  They would like to continue regular visits with each other. To learn more about adoption visit AdoptKSKids.org or call 877-457-5430.  Patrick’s case number is 101439.

I’ve recently received so many questions from people interested in adopting from Haiti. I was referred to this blog here that has some helpful information about the current situation of adoptions from Haiti. If you are wanting to adopt, you’ll still have to meet the requirements for adoption, so you may want to start with contacting an adoption agency. We all feel for those sweet children who are left in that earthquake disaster, and it makes sense to want to scoop them up, bring them to a location where they can get medical treatment and care, and love on them. But here are a couple other things to consider:

• If those children are touching your heart, making you think of adding to your family, maybe your family should consider adoption. Although there are so many new orphans now in a country that already had 380,000 orphaned children, there are also about 143 million orphans in the world. There are children across the world who need care and safety. Vulnerable children are in danger of being trafficked if they are picked up by the wrong person before someone who cares comes with help and hope. If God is calling your family to adopt, don’t let the current hold on new Haitian adoptions stop you; seek out the child God has planned for you, wherever that child is.
• Removing all the children is not the answer. Haiti needs this generation of children to give hope to the future. The immediate answer for caring for the orphaned children is in the orphanages that show the children the love of Christ. Westside has teamed up with the global orphan project to do just that. Please keep praying for, giving to, and serving with these wonderful ministries.

If you want to connect with other people who want to do something for orphaned children, please visit our facebook page. Another way you can help vulnerable children without adopting is through the One Life Child Sponsorship program.

What are you thinking? How is God leading your family by using this Haiti earthquake?

Reagan is a beautiful and spirited child.  She has a great smile and a very contagious laugh.  Reagan loves to play outside and is quite proud that she has mastered peddling her three-wheeler!  She is intrigued by all things outdoors and loves to leave peanuts out for the squirrels.  Reagan’s speech continues to improve, but she is still difficult to understand at times.  She has overcome so much from her past, but needs a family of her own to help her continue to work toward a happy future.  To learn more about adoption visit AdoptKSKids.org or call 877-457-5430.  Reagan’s case number is CH-5053.

Please pray for the people in Haiti. You can donate at http://theglobalorphanproject.org/donate/relief. Read updates from Haiti at http://theglobalorphanproject.org/?cat=3. There are so many children there who need your help.

The place is called Grace House. It sits in a beautiful valley surrounded by mountains, rice paddies, and the twenty most phenomenal kids you’ve ever met (so what if I say that about all our kids :-)) We left Chiang Mai at 4am and drove to Pua, arriving in time for Church. The Church is growing, they have baptised three adults in the last month and two 12 year old girls surrendered their lives into the hands of Jesus yesterday morning. There is tremendous fruit in this buddhist village.

The kids….oh my gosh. Last night we sat for three hours in the living room while they did homework, studied for tests, colored pictures and then we played hand games and laughed our heads off. I am not sure how you laugh your head off because that would look really silly, but we did. Then we worshipped and prayed….how is it possible that a 7 year old can pray out loud passionately for 15 minutes? It is mind blowing and challenging. Then they recited their scripture memory verse for the week…Romans 12:9-21 yes, all of it…every one of them. Wow. But their love is what melts your heart.

It was so exciting to walk through the new dorm building that is about 75 percent complete. It is beautiful. I am so proud of the Church for making this happen. Saman and I played soccer for about an hour with the villagers on the land Westside helped them purchase. This is a daily outreach through relationship building through soccer…and yes I am extremely sore this morning.

As I write, Mark Teerink is playing “He loves us“….I am feeling the depth of God’s love right now…..”He is a hurricane, I am a tree…” If you have not been able to experience the depth of Jesus love for all the peoples of the world through a missions trip, perhaps now is the time to do that. Yes, now, in the middle of a recession…in uncertain times….in a time when you are so busy…while your kids are small….yes, even during these times. If you could see what I see, I believe your entire world will be turned northward. He loves us, of how He loves us.

I love you,
Schaun

Hi Friends,<

We finished out our time in India by visiting the kids at our newest home in Chintalapudi. Yes, they are phenomenal. Loren Decker and his wife Jen, donated funds to drill a bore hole. A large project and it was so cool to see Loren cut the ribbon. When I was there in October, we checked out a piece of land adjacent to the home and I enquired about purchasing it. Our leader there, Simon Samson (cool name), said it was $17,000, which is a great price in India. I told him I would try and find a donor. Our men’s group said they would try raise the money…well the land has been purchased and the well sits on the new property. 45 incredible kids, loving Jesus, becoming like Jesus and Sharing Jesus. Yay.

We left India and made our way to Chiang Mai, Thailand. Our first afternoon and evening was spent with the Abba House girls (really fun, spiritual group of girls). We then joined the New Life Annex guys (currently 8 + 1 little boy). This was both inspiring and heart wrenching. This 8 year old boy was been sold to foreign men…sick. He is in a safe place now, thank you Jesus. Our worship time with them was sweet. Things are really rocking in Chiang Mai. One of the prisoners we reached in the Chiang Mai jail in 2008, is now out. He is, with our support, opening a half way house for guys getting out of jail. Someone donated a piece of land and they start building a bamboo building next week.

In the men’s prison, the number of Christ followers has grown to 380 now. Two prisons have asked for the same ministry there and now we have 60 Christ followers in Lampoong prison and a new outreach in Lampang prison, in addition to a women’s prison, boys youth prison and girl’s youth prison. Why has God decided to use Westside to have a presence in two Kansas prisons and six Thailand prisons?. Premdas has now started to visit a prison in India as well. Interesting, don’t you think?

This morning we met with a ministry in Chiang Mai called WonGeneration www.wongeneration.com They are awesome. We all fell in love with these guys. Ironically (is anything ironic?) they attending the Speedway with their friends on a visit to KC and we happened to be talking about Thailand from the pulpit. They filled out a connect card and we connected. We have decided to partner with them in Chiang Mai as their outreach compliments the other ministries we have really well. I’ll explain upon my return.

We then spent a few hours with an HIV/AIDS expert, picking his brain and getting direction for our AIDS outreach in Chiang mai. Teresa had a million and two questions. Great and fruitful time. The last part of our day was spent in the Chiang Mai slums. We funded a Christmas party for 65 kids there over Christmas and our partner is doing a great job of “doing good works to create good will so that we can share the good news”. There is definetely an openness there. I am so jazzed about all the work in Chiang Mai.

Tomorrow morning at 4am we leave for Pua in Nan Province. I will be teaching at Westside’s Pua Baptist Church. We will stay (and play) at Grace House. The new Grace House building is about 50% complete and I cannot wait to see it and all those beautiful little faces.

I want to tell you how proud I am of the Church’s response to the Haiti crisis. It is significant when the Global Impact pastor is out of town and Global Impact happens. I think there is a reason that I am not there right now. It has been inspiring to read all the emails back and forth. We have been praying for Haiti and you.

Love you all,
Schaun