We believe in the power of prayer; we’ve seen it work too many times not to believe.

As we strive to rescue orphaned children and bring real change to their lives, we believe one of the greatest services we can provide is to spiritually adopt these children; to commit to praying for them every day.

Will you consider becoming a member of our Prayer Family?

If you will commit to partnering with Serving Orphans Worldwide in prayer, please fill out the form below.  Each week, we will send a Prayer Family update with the praise reports and new prayer requests we receive from the orphan care ministries we support.

We’re asking our prayer family to pray for three specific things throughout 2013:

153,000,000

Pray for the more than 153,000,000 who are fatherless in our world.  Pray for all those orphans, that God will provide for them. Pray that the hearts and minds of Christians will be softened to God’s heart for the orphan and that all will be encouraged “to look after orphans” in 2013.

Sustainability

Pray for orphanages all over the world that are taking care of God’s children. Pray for peace and sustainability of their operations. Pray for their leaders who stand as mothers and fathers to the children they love as their own.

Justice

Pray for those fighting on behalf of orphan care. May the churches, organizations, and initiatives leading these efforts be heard and may they prosper.

Early mornings, Terminator shots, epic sunsets, and 5 hours of sleep a day for a week. In a brief description, that’s what a week in Ukraine was like when working with Danny, Tyson, and John from Animal. Every day I woke up thinking it was a dream…that this awesome shoot wasn’t really happening. It was a huge blessing to be able to work with this amazing crew. I can’t say enough great things about them. Their artistic vision was so inspiring to be apart of. We worked long hours everyday. I know it had to be grueling to have to start working immediately when you just had a 180 change in time zones on top of it all. My body is use to the sudden shifts and can adapt easily. I was worried about the crew, but there was no complaining.

In the beginning, there were so many unknowns. I know there was an unspoken worry if we would all mesh well with one another. I loved that we could all be ourselves. There were jokes, serious moments, reading eyes and minds while shooting. I don’t think there could have been a better fit. The creativity was endlessly flowing.

Not only were the guys from Animal creative, they were quick to be mindful of the drastic change in culture. Luckily there was no culture shock for any of us. Probably because there was no time to let shock sink in. They were always ready to go for the next shot. There were few breaks, but that was on their own agenda. Everyone at Serving Orphans Worldwide is on their tippy-toes excitedly waiting to see a sneak peek of what Animal has created for us. I know Richard, the COO of Serving Orphans, is already trying to convince them to do another shoot with us…this time in Congo.

Photograph below left to right:: Tyson Vanskiver, Danny Yourd, & John Pope.

Photograph below:: Pastor Gennady loved this rig and wanted to try it out for himself.

Photograph Below:: The wind was insane and blew John’s sunglasses off down the cliff. Ryan decided to climb down and fetch them.

Russia is a stunning country. I was privileged enough to see some of the countryside 4 hours away from Rostov.  I’ve spent the last 2 days driving a total of 10 hours going from home to home to hear the stories of people that are currently fostering or have adopted children from Russian orphanages. I met over 12 families and heard incredible stories. I love this passionate country. The culture is so rich and the home grown food is to die for. I love that for every meal chocolate was served (even breakfast)…now that’s my kind of eating.

Serving Orphans Worldwide & the Lazarus Foundation sent me to do research on the needs of the orphans in Russia. The situation in Russia is very different from any other country I’ve been to regarding orphan care. Private orphanages aren’t allowed. The State takes care of all the orphans, but they have very little contact with adults. We had meeting after meeting discussing how SOW and LF might be able to start a new movement of foster care among Christian homes. I hope this can become more apart of their culture. More than anything these children want to be apart of a family. There are around 900,000 orphans in Russia. 30% live in the streets. 40% are addicted to drugs and alcohol. 10% of adoptions are returned. And most of the children that are being fostered are returned to the orphanage. The statistics are shocking.

This was very different from any photo assignment that I’m normally apart of. I only had 10 minutes per family. I felt like I was invading their privacy by having to photograph these families when they had no idea who I was or what I was doing in their home. Personally, I would like to build a relationship with the children before putting a camera in their face. I didn’t have a choice this time. Surprisingly some of the children were very happy to be getting their picture taken. But most were shy. I wish I had more time to tell their story through the photographs. Guess I’ll have to return to Russia to properly tell their stories! Tomorrow I have the luxury to do a little bit of site seeing around Rostov.

More than anything I can’t wait for Saturday when I finally get to meet the film crew that created the most beautiful documentary I’ve ever seen :: Blood Brother. Danny (one of the producers of Blood Brother) and I have been talking almost everyday for several months about a short documentary they will be making for SOW. This is beyond exciting for me to be able to work with such talented people. I can’t even begin to tell you how passionate Danny is for his work. Hopefully I can update a little more along the way. See you in the Ukraine.

This little boy couldn’t have been more adorable. He had such a sweet disposition and ready to make friends with anyone. He was born without arms, but that doesn’t stop him from playing with the other children, drawing, and being your average 2 year old.

In January of 2011 I had the privilege of visiting House of Hope Orphanage. I hold this orphanage close to my heart after interacting with the kids. They are amazing kids that have overcome so much in their young lives. They have been through unimaginable things that kids in America have never seen. Many of their parents have been killed by Burma soldiers in the jungle. Several of them traveled 4 days on foot after hearing about House of Hope and safety. I take many things for granted in life. These amazing kids always wake me up. They always have smiles on their adorable faces…and so ready to play!

We traveled 8 hours through the mountains and thick jungles to a small village area called Sangkhla Buri. Like last years visit we brought food and supplies. Ryan and I brought as several pounds of meat as gifts because they only get it once a year for Christmas.

I have the cutest, sweetest, most amazing husband in the world. You cant deny it after seeing these pictures. He has a gift with kids that I will never have or understand. I’m use to being forgotten and in the background taking pictures…That’s my job. I capture what others don’t see so they can be told to the world. I don’t mean to get mushie but I fall in love with my husband all over again when I see him with kids. He knows what they need and how to show them he loves each one.

Could you imagine this is how you bathe each day? I couldn’t.

Not your ordinary American school bus around here!

I might need new shoes, yes?

Before we left the kids we prayed for them. The cutest thing I’ve ever seen is baby Zoe praying for all the kids.

S.O.S. (Serving Orphans Sundays) are purposed for Church leaders and faith communities to devote three to five minutes a month on the topic of orphan care.

A full outline for 2013 will be available in November 2012. Resources will be available for free online to help facilitate conversations in your church. Our desire is to raise awareness surrounding God’s heart for the orphan. More resources are coming soon!