You are currently browsing the monthly archive for October, 2008.
Brent and I took the American Heart Association Heartsaver First Aid with CPR and AED class at Liberty Hospital. The class took from 9:00am-3:00pm and was well worth the time investment. I would recommend that every adult take a similar class at least every other year to stay current on the recommended approaches. Here is a link to some CPR Facts and Statistics.
If bystander CPR is not provided, a sudden cardiac arrest victim’s chances of survival fall 7 percent to 10 percent for every minute of delay until defibrillation. Few attempts at resuscitation are successful if CPR and defibrillation are not provided within minutes of collapse.
We had a homestudy visit on Saturday, October 11th that lasted three hours. We worked on a genogram of the family. It was pretty embarrassing when we could not recall middle names, birthdates, anniversaries, etc. for our own family members. Our next visit will be November 1st.
Last Saturday we attended a mandatory Medication Class for our licensing requirements. We went over basic guidelines for managing medications how to measure, handwashing, gloving, interactions, etc… as well as how to use eardrops and eyedrops properly. The instructor recommended www.webmd.com and www.safemedication.com.
Some safety tips to help prevent accidental poisonings are listed below:
- Avoid taking medications in the presence of children, they often try to imitate adults.
- Don’t call medicine candy.
- Use child-resistant closures on medicine and other products.
- Keep all medications in their original child-resistant containers.
- Always turn on the light when giving or taking medicine.
- Check your medications periodically for expiration dates.
- Avoid putting medications in open trash containers because many adult medications can be deadly to small children and pets.
- Be aware that vitamins, particularly those containing iron, can be poisonous if taken in large doese. Children are especially susceptible to adverse reactions from vitamin overdosing.
Make sure you post the poison control number in an accessible place: 1(800)222-1222.
Remember that the best thing you can practice and teach your children to reduce the spread of germs is handwashing. Hand sanitizers can be used when facilities are not available but always wash when you can, there are things going around that are not killed by sanitizers but are by washing with soap and water.
I had mentioned to some of you that we heard from our homestudy contractor that we might not be able to take more than two kids for the first year. At class last night I talked with our trainer, Susanne, and she said there is no guideline to that effect. It can be a recommendation from the person doing the homestudy but it is not a requirement. So we are going with the original plan and have six weeks to get the two bedrooms set up appropriately. Which means some closet space free, at least two drawers per child available in a dresser, bunk beds in each room along with bedding, linens, etc. To make all this space work we probably need to build as many shelves as possible. Please be praying. we really need to be working steadily toward this goal and need provision of the items on our wish list to complete the rooms. Nicci mentioned a set of bunk beds she has that needs work so I will be touching base with her. Alicia mentioned that they might be able to send their futon for Taylor to use. We have one set of bunk beds but will need a new bunky board for the top bunk of that one.
We have a “two-to-three” hour homestudy meeting at our house this Saturday, a required full-day medication class Saturday the 18th, and a full-day CPR/First Aid class on Saturday the 25th so please be praying about those things. We really need wisdom on managing the time we have left and the energy to utilize it well.
Thank you all so much for your words of encouragement and support. I can begin to focus on the inadequacy I feel, the lack of preparation at home, how uncomfortable I am with the training styles (not my learning style at all…just give me a good book), and a dozen other things and get discouraged. Then I remember the desperate need, the call God has given us clearly in scripture, the repeated call I have felt for many years, and my gratitude for all that I have been blessed with and there is no question whether to proceed.
We hope to have good news soon about a new development that will free a substantial amount of time up for Brent! Stay tuned…
“Vindicate the weak and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and destitute.” Psalm 82:3
Orphan Ministry Workshop
“You shall not afflict any widow or orphan. If you afflict him at all, and if he does cry out to Me, I will surely hear his cry; and My anger will be kindled, and I will kill you with the sword, and your wives shall become widows and your children fatherless.” Exodus 22:22-24
Session III
The Hope for Orphans World Tour
A. We have developed strategic partnerships with organizations that have a presence in virtually every country in the world.
B. One of our primary objectives is to help you “connect the hoses” with organizations that can help you do what God has called you to do.
C. There are four categories of friends to whom we want to introduce you:
1. Orphan-care organizations
2. Advocacy/media groups
3. Adoption agencies
4. Church orphans ministries
Guatamala Buckner Shoes for Orphan’s Souls
Honduras Orphan Outreach mission trips, backpacks of school supplies
Zambia All Kids Can Learn skills training, discipleship, micro enterprise
Ethiopia Kidmia Foundation Transitional living centers
more to come….
“You shall not pervert the justice due an alien or an orphan, nor take a widow’s garment in pledge.” Deuteronomy 24:17
Session II
Eight steps to launching an orphans ministry in your church
Overview of the Eight Steps
1. Approach a key leader with your vision.
2. Identify passionate people to join you in prayer.
3. Dream together about the possibilities.
4. Determine your channels of orphans ministry.
5. Plan the strategies of your ministry.
6. Establish the proposed leadership structure of your ministry.
7. Develop a formal proposal for church leadership.
8. Launch your orphans ministry!
“He executes justice for the orphan and the widow, and shows His love for the alien by giving him food and clothing.” Deuteronomy 10:18
This past weekend Brent and I traveled to Sioux Falls, SD to attend a workshop. Hope for Orphans presents Your Church and the Orphan: A Group Workshop Experience on Orphans Ministry in Your Church. It was very profitable and here are the areas that were covered (in a nutshell).
“Least of These” Theology 101
A. The Bible mentions caring for the poor and oppressed approximately 2100 times in Scripture.
B. Who were the poor?
1. Aliens (strangers)
2. Widows
3. Orphans
4. Other: destitute, opressed, sick and in prison, hungry, need shelter, and are naked, weak and afflicted.
C. Where does caring for these groups of people rank on God’s priority list?
Exodus 22:21-22, Ezekiel 16:49, Micah 6:8, James 1:27
Historical Overview of Orphan Care
A. The seven primary ways by which orphans have historically been cared for:
1. Extended family
2. Intra-community
3. Inter-community
4. Foster Care
5. Group Home
6. Orphanage/Children’s Home
7. No Care
The Twenty-First Century Church and the Orphan-Care Crisis
143 million orphans–can we get to them all?
There are approximately 380,000 churches in North America.
There are approximately 2.3 billion professing Christians worldwide.
In Summary
1. God has always had an expectation that His followers will care for those in society who are marginalized.
2. Orphans have been cared for in a number of different ways throughout history, all of them having various advantages and disadvantages.
3. The church is God’s answer to the orphan question.
One thing that was discussed that really stood out to us from this section was that people are not aware of the orphans in the United States. In the past their was an orphanage or orphanages in each city that held the orphans and people were aware of it and took gifts, adopted out, etc… Now our orphans are in foster homes across our nation and are invisible. That is not to say that all children in foster care are without parents but almost 120,000 have had parental rights terminated and are available/need to be adopted.
We got a check for $54 from Missouri Baptist Children’s Home. They reimbursed our background check fees. This was a very nice surprise.
