May 2013
3 posts
8 tags
Mothers to the Motherless
New Paraklētos Post: Mothers to the Motherless The month of May holds a very special holiday known as Mother’s Day. With Mother’s Day comes celebrations and recognition of the mothers in many church congregations.
In my church, as many other Mother’s Day celebrations, the message was about mothers,… View Post
Loving Past Deformities
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iV2sNhnWnKI&w=584&h=359]
Remember when I said that you could advocate for the fatherless in multiple ways?
This week, until Monday the 20th, sevenly is supporting and raising money for Love Without Boundarieswhich… View Post
The Precious Gift of a Mother
I began to think earlier yesterday about Mother’s Day and all that mothers do for their children. They guide us, they correct us, they teach us, they picked us up when we fell down, and held us while we cried. They give us words of encouragement and… View Post
April 2013
4 posts
8 tags
Justice Included
New Paraklētos Post: Justice Included The great need for orphaned children to be adopted into loving homes demonstrates a humanitarian perspective. Even to the Christian, social justice, while not the only factor, is still an important reason to engage in orphan care and adoption. Many places… View Post
Fundraising for Adoption
New Paraklētos Post: Fundraising for Adoption Asking family and friends for money is not on my top 10 or even 1,000 things to do. “Are you prideful?” you might say. In a way, I might be. However, while taking baby steps in the adoption process, I am learning I HAVE to let go of that. Before entering… View Post
Part of Who I Am
“Part of Who I Am” - The final piece in the Wheeler Family’s story. To wrap up the interview series with the Wheeler family, we close with hearing from Jacob Wheeler. When he was four years old, he was adopted from Nepal. Even though he didn’t know why he had been put up for adoption at first, he grew up knowing he was… View Post
Her Small World
New Paraklētos Post: Her Small World: An adoption story from a sibling perspective. Last week, we posted an adoption story from the lens of the adoptive parents. Today, we’re sharing the same story as experienced by their biological daughter. This is an amazing perspective to hear, because this view does not often get shared. However,… View Post
March 2013
6 posts
The Grace that Reached Halfway Around the World
The Grace that Reached Halfway Around the World: An adoption story told 19 years later - After coming off of our When Adoption Goes Wrong series, we knew it was imperative to show the hope and joy that is present when an adoption experience is done well and with the right purpose.
The Wheelers are a family we would like to introduce you to.… View Post
Simple Ways to Advocate
When I first began to get interested in adoption, foster care, and orphans I felt way in over my head. I didn’t know where to begin or what to do, but I knew I wanted to get involved. (more…) View Post
14 tags
Beautifully Bittersweet
Growing up, I had preconceived ideas of adoption. One of these ideas originated from the well-known and loved movie, Annie. Annie was an orphan chosen to spend time with a billionaire, Oliver Warbucks, and through her adventure, she ends up finding her forever home. The classic line, “I love you, Daddy Warbucks,” and the strong embrace of father and newly adopted daughter is a moment engrained in...
8 tags
When Adoption Goes Wrong: Foster Care
As a student with a social work mindset, when I think of foster care adoption I think of uniting families in spite of difficult circumstances, placing children into families that care for them, and connecting children with families that will love and care for them. As I read through articles and stories online about foster care adoptions gone wrong I was shocked to find as many true stories as I...
13 tags
Disclaimer from the Editor
It has recently been brought to my attention that a recent post was not clear on a point it was explaining and thus resulted in the assumption that we at Parakletos see physical appearances as a legitimate reason to pass over a child.
We do not believe that avoiding the adoption of a child due to physical appearance is a legitimate reason; in fact, we find the idea a horrific excuse to not...
21 tags
When Adoption Goes Wrong: Emotional Neglect
When we think about the potential negatives associated with adoption, we tend to automatically think of how things could result badly for potential parents: Will I love her enough? Will they turn into delinquents I don’t want to deal with? Will he pose any kind of physical harm to me? What if she end up with expensive health problems? What if they aren’t attractive when they’re older*?
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February 2013
1 post
19 tags
When Adoption Goes Wrong: Abuse
When we think of the words adoption & abuse we often associate the two through stories where a child has been abused, taken out of their home, and then has been adopted into a loving home or has been placed into the foster care system. However, what I found when looking into abuse and adoption is that there are actually a lot of cases of abuse that occur AFTER the child has been adopted into a...
January 2013
2 posts
13 tags
When Adoption Goes Wrong
Those of us who are passionate about adoption always talk about the beauty of it, the hope in it, the joy it brings to many and the lives it saves. We get caught up in the excitement of the potential greatness it contains in the art of family-making in this unconventional way. Christian advocates take it a step further, often experiencing a level of spiritual significance and fulfillment by...
24 tags
Battles & Bravery
A new year brings new things. Many people are making lists of various things including how they might become a better person or how they plan to lose more weight. A new year brings a feeling of freshness, but what I also know is that we definitely need not wait until the beginning of a new year to start afresh. Jesus is willing to meet with us at any moment, on any day, in any circumstance. This...
December 2012
1 post
17 tags
November 2012
4 posts
15 tags
Get In On It
Dear followers,
I have a way for you to get your hands on some action. Are you ready? [[MORE]]Today, and today only, Sevenly is bringing back a t-shirt for purchase. By buying a shirt, your donation will be used to help orphans receive a life changing surgery that they may need. I have already made my purchase, will you?
Here is a video you can watch as well. :)
In His Love, Stephanie
Disclaimer:...
18 tags
Countless Stories
Andres. He was hardly three years old when he went to live with Jesus. He was abandoned at birth at the public hospital, where he remained for two years awaiting a much-needed surgery. Finally the doctors performed surgery - which paralyzed him - and was taken to the public orphanage, where I met him and agonized over the pain I could see in his silent crying. I held his hand. I prayed for him and...
Chosen
Tonight I was blessed with the opportunity to not only meet a woman who worked at an adoption agency in Indiana, but also a student who was adopted and a mother who chose adoption for her child. Never in my life have I been more passionate about wanting to adopt children of my own someday, to work in an agency where I can support women during their pregnancies showing them the options...
October 2012
2 posts
13 tags
Beyond Protest →
A few months ago on our adoption resource blog, we posted about the high number of children who age out of the foster care system every year in America. Our desire was to raise awareness about the need for adoptive families to intervene. However, another blogger re-posted ours, adding her own comment: “Keep giving those kids up for adoption! Not to say that it isn’t an option, it is of course,...
New and Original!
parakletos127resource:
Don’t forget to start following our new blog full of original content on orphans, adoption, and widows just for you! Follow us here: parakletos127.tumblr.com
You can also follow us on Twitter and like us on Facebook to stay current with the new and original blog posts!
September 2012
1 post
Our History and Now
Welcome to the new Paraklētos!
This is a blog that started on a whim by a young college student named Anna who is passionate about raising awareness for the need of orphaned children to be embraced by loving families. She began by simply highlighting like-minded organizations, sharing inspirational quotes and videos, and sharing some of her own thoughts and stories she had come across. [[MORE]]
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