Orphans and Widows!

I think what has touched my heart tremendously this year is how our church has embraced the foster care children of our community! Thank you, HPC, for your heart which mirrors His heart!!!!! This is one story that has found a treasure for an outreach!!!! Check out HPC Servolution outreach and party updates here.

Congratulations Slack's and Rohner's, Orphan Sunday Children's Teaching!

Last night two of our HHFO couples from HealingPlaceChurch were able to dedicate to the Lord their sons that they adopted within days of each other! Adoption!!!!! Adoption is such a beautiful word when seen through the eyes of God! Congratulations, Dina and Heath and Stephanie and Randy!!!!! The Rohner's testimony will be up soon on the right sidebar and the Slack's will have an update to theirs soon as well!! Welcome home, Grey and Hays!!!!! And thanks for the pictures Carole!!!!!

Also, on Friday, Tommy and I were able to receive an advocate award on behalf of HPC's "His Heart for Orphans" Adoption Ministry at our Governor's Mansion by OCS! We definitely received this for all of us (which means you) who have come along side of us to fight for the orphan!!!!!

ORPHAN SUNDAY: We have been so blessed to have pastors that have embraced our vision and desire to bring forth awareness of orphans and adoption! This year has been a tremendous blessing and we have been able to add a little more to our plate (this is good!) about fighting for orphans! Recently we did our first LIVE adoption online q&a via HPC online and then today Meghan Matt was able to share at HPC children's church for all services their families adoption journey of Moses from Africa and share God's heart for orphans! We could not be more excited about all the opportunities God has given us to speak up for the orphan!! Thank You, Lord!!

Adoption Questions and Answers and HPC Online Church

We want to give Dan a HUGE thank you for the opportunity to let us share our hearts on adoption and for all of you who attended the LIVE online Adoption Q&A THANK YOU!!!!! Here is what Dan had to say:

We Win.

Today at 4:37pm
Last night's Live Online Q&A on Adoption was a big win. Tommy and Aimee Poche just really laid it all out about the heart for adoption and what it takes if you're going to go for it. Adoption is such a spiritual thing. It is a picture of what God has done for each of us who have become part of His family. We were once not His, and He took us in and calls us His own now.

And they pointed out that if you're looking for a pain-free way to adopt, you're not likely to find it. There will be challenges... Don't be naive. BUT... God will be with you and there is no comparison to the sense of knowing that you've followed the peace that God gives and guides with, and that you've obeyed Him. And this is true in every part of life, not just adoption: we must be willing to obey God even if it might hurt along the way.

Aimee pointed out the truth that life is a process. What things look like now they will not always be. It's what Wayne Austin (one of our presbyters here at HPC) says all the time: "Now is not forever." The challenges are part of life. But there IS victory, too, when we follow God. We do win.

What's important to know about adoption is whether God is guiding you to do it. The rest is just a matter of obedience. The cost, the questions about the challenge, the concerns about what relatives and others may think... all of that is secondary to just following where God is leading.

There's so much wisdom in what Tommy and Aimee shared. If you missed the Q&A or if you're interested in knowing more from Tommy and Aimee, please make sure to connect with them at their website: His Heart For Orphans.

And... we're so excited about the new message series at Healing Place Church Online. This week, Pastor Dino Rizzo kicks it off with a message that already has helped so many people. It is a message about dealing with the tactics of the enemy who is bent on destroying souls. We do have a path to victory. We don't have to succumb to the attack by the enemy.

We win. In the end, if we hold on to Jesus and surrender to Him completely, we do win.

Join us Tuesday night at 8pm CST and Friday morning at 11am CST for our online church experiences - and let someone know they can meet you there! It all happens here at http://online.healingplacechurch.org.

Live Online Adoption Questions and Answers! Join us! and Live the Dream 09 update!

Please help us spread the word on twitter, facebook, and blogs!! Anyone anywhere who may have a question about adoption can join us online November 1 at 5pm. See below for details!!

copied and pasted from HPC Online's blog:
We’re so excited about an incredible opportunity to talk with Tommy and Aimee Poche about adoption. They’ve not only adopted several of their own kids, but they’ve also helped a lot of other families through the adoption journey through the ministry of His Heart For Orphans – an outreach they lead at Healing Place Church. To have the chance to talk about something so amazing as adoption with a couple who truly know what they’re talking about – it’s something you don’t want to miss.

Here’s how it’ll work. Tommy and Aimee will be live on a video feed and they’ll share some of their story. While they’re sharing, guests will be able to participate in a text chat window alongside. Then, we’ll open up for a Q&A time, where the Poches will be answering your questions about adoption.

Mark your calendar – Sunday, November 1 at 5:00 p.m. CST right here at HPC Online. And help us spread the word. If you know anyone who may be considering adopting, or just may be curious how it all works, invite them to join you for this eye-opening live Q&A.

Pure religion before God is this: to visit orphans and widows…
- James 1:27

Carole, Stephanie, Evangeline, Natalie, me (Aimee'), and Dina!

Go to Carole's blog to see the post on our wonderful amazing Live the Dream 09 booth experience along with two HHFO couples adopting their sons during this time!! Also, we have ADOPT tshirts to sell!! 100% of profit goes towards adoption grants to help families with the cost of adoption!!!!! The shirts have ephesians 1:5 on the front. The are $23 and that includes shipping to anywhere in US. If you are interested in purchasing one please leave us a comment with your email!!!!! This is what we have left: Women sizes small, medium, and large. Black, Gray, and Brown!!

Adoption Workshop and Live the Dream 2009 Women's Conference!

OCTOBER 17 FREE ADOPTION WORKSHOP 8:30A - 11:30A

What does God's Word say on adoption?
Through "His Heart for Orphans" adoption workshops you will receive a Biblical perspective on adoption along with valuable information on the domestic and international adoption process. You will also meet some amazing children who were adopted into their forever family.

LIVE THE DREAM 2009: We are so excited about the upcoming Live the Dream Women's conference! I attended the last two and they were just AMAZING!!!!! Just what a girl, Mom, wife, sister, daugter, friend, aunt, cousin needs to refresh, re-energize, and get excited about God!!!!! And this year we are so excited to be a part of LTD!! We will have a booth for "His Heart for Orphans" Adoption Ministry! Yay!! We will be displaying the Heart Gallery which is children in the foster care system in our area that are available for adoption. We will have several international children that are available for adoption and we will also be raising money for an HPC grant to help families with the cost of adoption. We will be selling adoption tshirts and African scarves and of course donations are welcome!! :)

DeLynn, along with her husband Lead Pastor Dino Rizzo, founded Healing Place Church in 1993. God has built an incredible team at HPC that love each other, are passionate about Christ and work tirelessly to reach the community and world with the hope of Jesus.

DeLynn uses her gifting as a powerful worship leader to usher people into the presence of God in a very real and life-changing way. She is also the very vibrant leader of Healing Place Women. Her passion is to see women of all ages find their place in the Kingdom and begin to Live the Dream!

"Nothing can shake me; he's right by my side. I'm glad from the inside out, ecstatic; I've pitched my tent in the land of HOPE."
-Acts 2:26

Adoption Support Group Fellowship!

I treasure these people..... all of them: family and friends! Thank you for taking heed to the call of adoption and joining this awesomely blessed and crazy not-so-normal path!!!!! LOL Ha!

Missing in picture above is Katherine, Chandler, Kerry, and Jerome.

Missing snapshots of several people below (Dina, Heath, Jacob, Kylee, Ayden, Henry, Zoe, Tommy, me, Steph or maybe some of us didn't get pictures on purpose!! :) If any of you have pics of the children playing please send it over and I will post them.

Lilly is the most beautiful and prettiest dog I have ever seen!! Ok, sorry, Lilly! at least the kids LOVED you which made me like you a little more!!!!!

Jerome, Jace and Anthony playing a little baseball!

Asa and Randy playing some football!

Grace and Olivia looking sweet as they are!

Anthony helping his brother, Elijah, walk to us!

a little laying back for Rose from all the playing!

Grace in love with Chandler!

Thanks, Candy, for joining us!

Kerry and his new pet the little green frog!

Yesterday we had our quarterly adoption support group fellowship! I can't stress how awesome these times are together. Children this time from here to Peru to Taiwan came together and just..... well..... were able to be kids!! So God!! And the adults got to relax and talk and play and eat and eat some more ..... you know..... fellowship! This fellowship the men were able to endulge themselves in the LSU game! Amazing times together to enjoy our family and friends! If you did not make this one please try to make the next one! We missed you!

Foster Care Match Party and Heart Gallery display!!

Thanks Dean and Coca Cola for the two banners!!!!!

Thanks Kelley for blowing up helium balloons!!

Games in progress!!

some wonderful volunteers!!

more great volunteers!
MORE PICS OF CHAMPIONS4LIFE TO COME SOON!!!!!!!

Candy at the Heart Gallery at HPC! Thanks, Candy, for volunteering and many thanks Rebecca for the display!! We will doctor ours soon!

Here are a few pictures from the Champions4Life Olympic Fun Day and Heart Gallery at HPC. These are from my phone but will be getting more of the fun soon!! And today we know what resulted from this weekend: Champions4Life: 6 of the 19 foster children were matched with a family and one matched with an older teen!! WoooHooooo! Heart Gallery: 6 families want to become certified foster parents and more than 10 want to become mentors on a regular basis in these children's lives!!!!! We are so excited and thanks to our wonderful volunteers and our church staff at Healing Place church and of course our awesome relationship with OCS/Dana Hunter!!!!! God is good and faithful!!

Foster Care Match Party and Heart Gallery!

Champions 4 Life Fun Day!

This weekend (Saturday) we are excited to host our second Foster Care Match Party: Champions4Life Fun Day!! We will have hamburgers, nachos, cheese, brownies, drinks, olympic style games, and a lot more! After the party, the children will come to our 5p service to be presented with Olympic Medals and a gift from us! We are excited to be able to be a part of something bigger than what we see! Our prayer is that every one of these children get adopted!!

And then on Sunday, we will display the Heart Gallery at all services at Healing Place Church Highland Campus. Please be sure to come by the back of the church and see the precious children in our community that deserve a family to call their own! If you are interested in foster to adopt please visit http://www.adoptuskids.org/!

And on Sunday we will also have our first Round Table Discussion! Our specific topic of discussion will be older child adoption and transracial adoption! If you are interested in coming please contact Carole at carolesturner@yahoo.com.

Also we are on twitter! Follow us for more updates!

The Foster Care System and The Local Church!

This morning I was so priviledged to get the opportunity to speak to a group of amazing and hardworking Louisiana OCS Supervisors that are on the front lines when the children come into foster care. I was able to talk about the value of building a relationship with the local church. It was a simple message about our ("His Heart for Orphans" Adoption Ministry) relationship we have built with our local foster care system for the past several years. Not only did HPC's "His Heart for Orphans" team of volunteers make a huge impact on this group but so did the HPC's Cooking for Christ team who prepared a meal that ANY body would love and the women and men who attended the conference raved about the food and the service! (Grilled chicken over a bed of brown pecan rice topped with shrimp ettoufee, grilled summer squash, spinach salad, apple crisp for dessert and Strawberry Lemonade! and it was DELICIOUS!!!!!

As I was driving home I just felt first a sense of relief that we were able to accomplish what we set out to do and that is highlight the local church and then as I took a deep breath and finally was able to relax, my thoughts then went to the HEARTS of the people that showed up to serve! Not only did people from "His Heart for Orphans" come to volunteer but after an email was sent out from Tori many others showed up eager to serve and then Cooking for Christ and their team showed up. I can not tell you how just seeing all the people that came to serve had a huge impact on the conference attendees! I was so proud to be a part of Healing Place Church. I remember looking around the room and watching the volunteers going from here to there, setting up, cleaning up, and all in between and all with a smile on their faces and I thought I would not want to be doing anything else with any other people at this very moment. Here they were, the local church! Right here serving! It was a beautiful picture! I personally cannot imagine not being a part of our local church. And then I thought back to an hour before when I was sitting in the last row of the conference room about to go up to speak and I receive a text from my sweet husband telling me to "Go get'em and that the Holy Spirit was there." and then I received two more texts letting me know I was being prayed for and then I look in the doorway and there are Robin and Mrs. Romaine coming to show support and pray for me while I speak. And then I get in the car and call my Mom who tells me that she called my sister-in-law and they said a prayer together before I spoke. And Johnny Green twittering to his followers to please pray for me. WOW!!!!! I hope everybody can at some time in their life experience the love that a local church family freely gives out! AMAZING!!!!!

A huge thank you to Susan Flynn for asking me to do this presentation about the relationship with the local church. You are a treasure in the foster care system. Looking forward to continuing this relationship with you and Dana too! Many many thanks to Pastor Dino, Pastor Johnny Green and Robin Rhodes for supporting us, for loving us, and for allowing us to walk this vision. Thanks to all the volunteers that showed up and served with a heart of Jesus!! All of you were and are awesome!!!!! Bro. Larry, thanks for your heart to give and say yes!! You are a first class servant! Charlotte, Miranda, Heather, and the others that I do not know your name, Stephanie, Katherine, Jason, Jason's friend, Henry, and Anthony please know you made a difference today!!!!! In more ways than I think you can even imagine!! THANK YOU!!!!!

Next Adoption Workshop!

"His Heart for Orphans" Adoption Workshop

Saturday, October 17

8:30a-11:30a

What does God's Word say on adoption? Through "His Heart for Orphans" adoption workshops you will receive a Biblical perspective on adoption along with valuable information on the domestic and international adoption process. You will also meet some amazing children who were adopted into their forever family. Please click here to sign up for this free workshop!

Adoption Support Group Fellowship!

I forgot to post the pictures!! As you can see we always enjoy these times together. It is such a blessing to be with other families who walked the path of adoption, are wanting to walk the path of adoption, or being with people who just have a heart for orphans! The weather was great! It was a cool breeze that felt like Spring had rolled in!! Ok, that's a lie!! LOL It was stinkin hot but that didn't stop us from feeling the love and watching all those precious children in the backyard play and laugh with each other!! I love our fellowships!!

Orphans Deserve Better Campaign!

taken from Kerry Hasenbalg's blog: Orphans Deserve Better Campaign

Dear Friends,

The Christian Alliance for Orphans is launching the “Orphans Deserve Better” campaign today. Although directly confronting Warner Bros upcoming horror movie, Orphan, the intent is not to “bash” Hollywood, but to rouse greater awareness and engagement in meeting the needs of orphans. I’d greatly appreciate your help as part of this effort—signing the petition, perhaps posting a story, and sharing the website.

May we be known as a people who do indeed “defend the cause of the fatherless” in ways both large and small.

Jedd Medefind (President, Christian Alliance for Orphans)
Please visit the following website to see how you can join us in defending the fatherless: Orphans Deserve Better

Servolution: Serving Foster Care Workers and Our Next Adoption Support Group Fellowship!

Servolution

was so excited to see this truck pull into the parking lot!!

some of the awesome Cooking for Christ team and some of our volunteers!!
You guys are awesome!!

A beautiful and hard working foster care worker enjoying a free lunch from HPC!!


awesome volunteers serving workers some delicious food!!

He was ready!! An awesome man of God sharing some scriptures with us!

We were so excited to put on our red serve shirts today and feed 74 EBR Foster Care Workers some delicious food: chicken penne pasta, cole slaw, beans and potatoes, awesome brownie and of course some Southern Louisiana sweet tea!! These awesome people work hard to help meet the needs of the foster children of their area. We just want them to know how much we value who they are and what they do!!

And many thanks to Mr. Jerry and Cooking for Christ team for their hard work and delicious food. And thanks to you who helped us serve today!!

We have scheduled our next "His Heart for Orphans" Adoption Fellowship!!! Mark your calendars. Here are the details:

WHAT: "His Heart for Orphans" Splash Day
WHEN: Saturday, June 27, 2009 10:30 AM
WHERE: The Poche' House
WHAT TO BRING: Swimsuits and towels for the children, your favorite potluck dish, casserole, dessert, Family friendly Games (ex. volleyball) We will be eating lunch together "potluck" style so bring your favorite dish. Let us know if you have any questions. We hope you can make it!

Dina & Heath
Email us if you have any questions!! dinaslack1@cox.net

Next Adoption Support Group Fellowship!

We have scheduled our next "His Heart for Orphans" Adoption Fellowship!!! Mark your calendars. Here are the details:

WHAT: "His Heart for Orphans" Splash Day

WHEN: Saturday, June 27, 2009 10:30 AM

WHERE: The Poche' House

WHAT TO BRING: Swimsuits and towels for the children, our favorite potluck dish Family friendly Games (ex. volleyball) We will be eating lunch together "potluck" style so bring your favorite dish. Let us know if you have any questions. We hope you can make it!

Dina & Heath

Email us if you have any questions!! dinaslack1@cox.net

Next Adoption Workshop and Foster Care Prayer vigil!

2009 National Foster Care Prayer Vigil: May 17-24th

Ours will be Tuesday, May 19, 7p-9p at HPC Barnroom.

A prayer vigil can be:
· Part of a regular Bible study group in your home
· Part of a regular Community Group meeting
· Part of a Sunday School class
· A Prayer walk through your city
· A gathering of friends at a park, or the beach
· A lunchtime gathering with co-workers
· Whatever and wherever you want it to be
Ready to REGISTER your prayer vigil? Click here.

Next Free Adoption Workshop:

What does God's Word say on adoption? Through "His Heart for Orphans" adoption workshops you will receive a Biblical perspective on adoption along with valuable information on the domestic and international adoption process. You will also meet some amazing children who were adopted into their forever family.

Saturday, May 16

Healing Place Church

8:30a-11:30a

If you are interested in attending any of these workshops, please register at http://www.healingplacechurch.org/ Keyword: adoption and look for the registration link.
We look forward to seeing you there!

If you have any questions, please contact us at ephesians1five@cox.net

Christian Alliance for Orphans V live blogging!

Live blogging for Christian Alliance for Orphans V

Healing Place Church's Servolution OCS Fun Day!!!!!

This is what it was all about!

Fashion Fun with only newspaper and duct tape!!

Girl winner of the blindfolded drawing contest!


Volunteer looking so "trendy!"


All the awesome donated gifts to give to the children!


Boy winner of the blindfolded drawing contest!



The amazing volunteers!!


Whipped Cream Eating Contest!!!!!

Fasion Fun with newspaper and duct tape!!

Fashion Fun in action!!!!!

Looking good!!

Whipped Cream Eating Contest!!


They loved this!!!!!


Overly Dressed, Hula Hoop, Basketball, Blowing Bubble obstacle course!!!!!


Blindfolded Drawing Contest!!!!!

Beautiful corsages made by the Real Simple Lifegroup to give to the hardworking OCS workers!!!!! Thanks so much, Amy!

Servolution! Wow! What an awesome way to show Jesus to our communities! It was more than just an event for me and I am sure many others who were part of Servolution feel the same way that it is a lifestyle I and they want to make sure to continue. It is a way to outwardly express Jesus' love to others. The red shirts were all over. The day before our OCS Fun Day, I was shopping at Walmart for a few last minute items and ran into a red Serve shirt and you just feel like you already know that person. This lady and I were strangers but the commonality of that red shirt made us feel like family and we talked like we knew each other for a while!! The next morning, the day of our Servolution event I ran to another Walmart to get the balloons and whipped cream and there was another red shirt coming my way down one of the aisles. I said, hey where are you serving today. And without thinking she smiled and told me where they were heading. I didn't know her but I knew her heart as she walked toward me in the red Serve shirt! I loved it!!

OCS Fun Day was a huge success. Kiwanis cooked the delicious jambalaya, Wendy's Wonderful Kids donated the hamburgers and hotdogs and Tommy and Heath cooked them! The Space Walks were provided by All Around Town and HHFO hosted the place and served! On a serious note though, fun is not a word I would normally associate with being in the foster care system but this day was a special unique day. It was a day to bring together families who want to adopt with children who were available for adoption. It was truly an honor to serve the OCS workers, the children, and the families!! The best part about this event was you got to see how amazing these precious children are. I have to be honest and say this was a very emotional day for me as it was for others that were there. It is heart wrenching to know that I live in a world with so many families yet I was around 19 children who have no family to call their own. That broke me! I was still emotional about it last night. And still emotional about it entering church this morning and during worship I could not hold it back any longer. I sobbed for these children as the worship team sung Jesus all I need is you and then I continued crying as Amazing Grace was sung! HHFO's passion is orphaned children. Our passion is adoption. The only thing this OCS Fun Day did for us was to fuel a flame that already exists! I saw it in the Slack's eyes and I saw it in the Rohner's eyes. I also saw it in some of our volunteers eyes!! I believe that more can be done and my prayer is that God would show us what more to do and I just wholeheartedly thank OCS for allowing us to partner with them for this event!

And to the many wonderful amazing volunteers!!!!!..... You were truly Jesus to the children and to the families!! Thank all of you from the bottom of our heart for your heart to serve!! You made the Fun Day what it was!! Alliece, Donna, and Paul!!!!! Thanks for being available at a moment's notice and helping us make this event run so smooth! And Pastor Dino and Johnny, thanks for letting us do this!! And to Cooking for Christ for the awesome brownies!!!!! and thanks Emily-Joy for the pictures!!

Servolution!!!!!

Get live updates here! I just love being a part of this revolution to serve!! Our team will be hosting an OCS Foster Care Fun Day of 100 people in hopes and prayers that 21 foster children meet their forever family! Please join us in prayer for these precious children ages 6-15!

Servolution!!

Servolution is about churches partnering together and reaching out to their communities through simple acts of kindness for the soul purpose of expressing the love of God to people in our community.

the countdown begins!!!!! OCS Fun Day!! We are looking forward to serving the foster care children and the OCS workers this weekend!!!!!

Adoption Support Group Fellowship!

Just a gorgeous day to celebrate families who have adopted and come together for fun, food, and great fellowship!! The following post is on HPC Servolution blog:

His Heart’s for Orphans (HHFO), the Adoption Ministry life group of Healing Place Church, had their quarterly adoption support group fellowship last Sunday at our house! There was lots of great food, beautiful weather, great conversation and fun for the children. Many different countries, cultures and blends of families were represented. Children from here in the U.S. also China, Taiwan, Africa and Peru. It is so awesome to hear the stories of how they became a family. To have all of these families with children from all over the world end up in a backyard in South Louisiana together enjoying each other’s company is very humbling and can only be God!

Orphans and Adoption….. That is the passion of “His Heart for Orphans” We are a group of people who have either adopted, are in the process of adopting, want to adopt, or just have a heart for orphans. What ties us together is the fatherless and the desire to help these children who do not have a Mom and a Dad get connected to their forever family. It is our desire to support other families who want to mirror what God did for us: “His unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. And this gave him great pleasure.”

Two years ago, Servolution 2007, we did a two-room makeover for the meeting rooms at the state office where foster children and their birth parents visit. God used that to open many doors, and give us favor with the foster care system. This year for Servolution 2009, HHFO will be hosting a Fun Day party on April 4th at BRDC. The goal of the day is to introduce families to the precious foster children that are available for adoption here in Louisiana, in hopes that some or all of these children can be adopted. For some of these children, it is there last hope to get adopted before they age out of the foster care system.

Did you know: there are over 800,000 foster children in the US . Annually 20,000 kids age out of foster care nationwide, an increase of 41 percent since 1998. One third of them didn’t have a high school diploma and about 20 percent become homeless. Nearly half of the young women who have been in foster care become pregnant at least once by age 19. The need is great.

If you or your church is looking for ways to serve the foster-care youth of your community, please contact us ephesians1five@cox.net and we will give you simple steps of how you can serve these precious children!