Teens Interceding for Orphans (TIO) discussion

Who's ready to start reading?! I know I am, but I'm looking forward to discussing it with you all even more. This week (June 2-8) we are reading chapters 1 and 2. I'll be posting discussion questions on this thread. Keep us updated about your reading progress. On your mark...get set...go!

Hey everyone! How far along are you in reading the first two chapter of Orphan Justice? Since I've already read the book, I've just been skimming the first little bit to try to find some good discussion points.

What part have you found to be the most profound so far? One of the sections that hit me the most in the whole book is in chapter one on page 22. One of Johnny Carr's friends asked him what would have happened to his adopted daughter if she hadn't been adopted. The question made him think of Xiao Quing, a teenage orphan he had met in China.

(view spoiler)[
My mind drifted back to our recent visit to an orphanage in Xiali's province. Knowing that we had adopted deaf children, one of the workers introduced us to Xiao Quing, a deaf teenage girl. She could read and write at a very elementary level, but she did not know sign language, so we could not communicate.

Her situation was tragic. Xiao Quing was about to turn eighteen. At that point she would no longer qualify to live in the orphanage and would be turned out into the streets with no real communication skills, no language, and no family. Her future would likely involve drugs, prostitution, and perhaps even suicide. If Xiao Quing were lucky enough to get a job, she would be pained an extremely unfair wage, and she would likely be abused.

For a moment, all I could see was my daughter standing there. If we, or someone else, had not adopted Xiaoli, her future prospects would have been no different than Xiao Quing's--living on the streets, sleeping wherever she could find a dry spot, unable to communicate, and addicted to drugs. More than likely, Xiaoli would have been trafficked--taken into custody against her own will, her body sold for men's dirty pleasure over and over and over again.

If this were to have been her future, statistics say that Xiaoli would have contracted HIV, which would have eventually stolen her life away, if she hadn't committed suicide first. Alone, a slave, and hopeless...would she have seen any other option?

With a heavy heart, I turned back to Matt and finally responded, "You can't handle the truth, man." (hide spoiler)]

This page hit me in the gut the first time I read it and has stayed with me. Lots of people don't understand my passion, my obsession with orphans. But this is the fate of hundreds and thousands of children. I don't know how to know about it and not be "obsessed" with trying to help.

So, your turn. What has struck you so far as you've read?

C'mon peeps. The point of reading a book together is to have discussion. ;)

I've read chapter one. It's very fascinating. I love the verses he adds along-- I never knew either how much the Bible talks about Christians caring for orphans!! I wondered what would have happened if he had not adopted his daughter.

Everything that I've read thus far in Chapter One makes me all the more excited to read Chapter Two! =)

I know. It really is impressive what a big scriptural theme it is. I wonder why it's become a more marginalized "doctrine" in so many Christian circles. We should do a Bible study to hunt all the verses down.

Leah wrote: "I know. It really is impressive what a big scriptural theme it is. I wonder why it's become a more marginalized "doctrine" in so many Christian circles. We should do a Bible study to hunt all the v..."

Agreed. =)

Maybe after this book study/discussion.

Leah wrote: "Maybe after this book study/discussion."

good idea =)

Hi Leah -

I think I'm on chapter four but I'm reading it quickly. It's very eye-opening. The statistics are profound, and of course I love the author for taking this on as a mission to educate others. (Obviously I'm a huge advocate for orphans.)

My adopted daughter (from RU orphanage) just graduated this past Friday and it made me cry to think that if she was in RU she'd probably be on the streets. She's so sweet and innocent and would definitely have been a target for predators. It makes me want to vomit to think of her alone in the world.

I realize there are many more like her too. So I could relate to what you found the most memorable too.

Michelle
"Scattered Links"

M. wrote: "Hi Leah -

I think I'm on chapter four but I'm reading it quickly. It's very eye-opening. The statistics are profound, and of course I love the author for taking this on as a mission to educate oth..."

Wow, Michelle! You're almost done with week two's reading already!

That section must have hit super close to home for you. I occasionally try to imagine myself as an orphan who never found a family and is now past adoptable age. It's horrible.

Thanks for your comments!

I read the human trafficking stats to my hubby and dau while we traveled in the car this weekend. Husband had no idea that human trafficking was so prevalent. He didn't believe the stats, but I shared the postscripts of where they came from.

I think we get lost in our bubbles of life, our immediate "places" and don't take the time to look outside. It's normal because we're safe, fed, and happy, and people don't like to know how ugly the world is. It's much easier to turn a blind eye.

M

Oh gosh yes. I was totally blindsided too. Since first reading this book at the end of last year I've also read Terrify No More and Pricelessas well as read a bunch of websites. Now I'm working onThe Locust Effect. Locust Effect may take a while. The first chapter was so horrifying I had to put it down for a few days.

And it is so easy to turn a blind eye. Especially because talking about it bumps other people out of their comfort zone and they don't like it. It's a really hard topic to talk about without getting shut down.

Part of me wants to apologize for recommending and assigning a book that presents such ugly truth. But at the same time, how can anyone work to change what's going on if they don't know?

Exactly. I think that's what motivates me to write. The best way to reach others and make them care is to show them the problem, show them the plight of others. (Not that I don't write to entertain, too, because I do.) But this isn't an easy read. Some books aren't.

M

Well, my copy finally made it to the library...I'm a week behind, yikes! I think I'm picking it up today so I'll get reading and try to catch up.

Amanda wrote: "Well, my copy finally made it to the library...I'm a week behind, yikes! I think I'm picking it up today so I'll get reading and try to catch up."

So glad you got your copy, Amanda! I don't think you'll have too much trouble catching up. Don't forget to share your thoughts as you read! Our discussion could use some more activity!

Here's my thoughts on chapter one:

- I found the definition and explanation of what exactly an orphan is and the needs they have interesting. That's definitely something I was unaware of before.

- It hit me how the author said orphan care is not just a "good idea," it is completely necessary and required. How we are in direct disobedience to God if we ignore the command.

- I guess the overall main thing in this chapter that stood out to me is how he says adoption is not necessarily the grand, all-encompassing solution to the world's orphan problem...because it's so much deeper and more complex than that. There are many other issues that will not disappear by the adoption of a few kids, and not all these kids need to be adopted anyway.

I'll try to read chapter two today as well. :) I'll be at camp next week, so I'm not sure if I'll be able to bring this/read it or not, but we'll see.

Great thoughts, Amanda! There is so much to think about on this topic, and it's so exciting to see other people discovering the complexity and essential nature of the subject.

Accepting that adoption is not the "grand, all-encompassing solution" was hard for me to accept when I first started reading books like Orphan Justice. But now I realize that is so true. (Not saying I don't want to adopt someday. ;D)

If you come up with any ideas for how teens can help in the non-adoption areas the author mentions, please share them!

Good luck getting some reading in next week.

Leah wrote: "Great thoughts, Amanda! There is so much to think about on this topic, and it's so exciting to see other people discovering the complexity and essential nature of the subject.

Accepting that adopt..."

Thanks! :) Yeah, I think I'd like to adopt some day...seeing how it played out in my family has kind of made me want that, too. That and homeschooling. ;)

My family didn't adopt, but we have homeschooled. Homeschooling is high on my priorities list (and so is adopting).

Apologies for falling behind on this. My mom had major surgery on Friday, so things have been rather hectic. Since everyone just posts on this topic anyway, I just shrank it down to this one. I think this coming week should be chapters 9 & 10. Right? What are you all thinking of the past several chapters? Which chapter is your favorite so far?

Leah wrote: "Apologies for falling behind on this. My mom had major surgery on Friday, so things have been rather hectic. Since everyone just posts on this topic anyway, I just shrank it down to this one. I thi..."

I hope your Mom is doing ok!

I need to get some reading in today/tomorrow of this book! =P

Leah wrote: "Apologies for falling behind on this. My mom had major surgery on Friday, so things have been rather hectic. Since everyone just posts on this topic anyway, I just shrank it down to this one. I thi..."

...I'm behind on it too. Waaay behind. I did read some on the way to camp, and I believe I got through 3 or 4, but I'll have to skim those again to refresh my memory before I post my comments here.

Sorry about that, guys! I hope your mom is recovering well, Leah!

Mom is doing well. And I'm leaving on a missions trip tomorrow night. Keep up your reading and we can debrief when I get home!

Leah wrote: "Mom is doing well. And I'm leaving on a missions trip tomorrow night. Keep up your reading and we can debrief when I get home!"

Wow! Congratulations, have fun (and learn some stuff!), and I'll be praying lives are changed :)

Hopefully I'll get to read another chapter or two today...the book is due next Monday so I've really gotta step it up, here.

Okay, I'm to the end of chapter 7 now (yay, catching up!), and I'm finally going to take some time to type out all the notes I've taken so far...bear with me, here; this'll get long.

Chapter 2:
Human trafficking is something I've only recently heard about, and it's broken my heart. I guess the main thing from this chapter that hit me hard was how true it is that people ignore the issue because we think we can't do anything about it. I know that's true of many things in my life and I need to be working on fixing that. I also had no idea how adoption can actually fuel trafficking. That's horrible and definitely something to make people aware of.

This in accordance with a few other things I've read recently on the topic have really made me stop and think. True, part of the reason I've been so behind was because of the library being slow and camp, but I was also hesitant to continue because of how overwhelmed I already am (in a good way).

Chapter 3:
I'd never heard many of the stereotype judgements against HIV/AIDS, so this chapter wasn't a correction so much as a caution for later. Definitely still beneficial! :) For example, I had no idea the disease was so widespread or the vicious cycle caused. I also didn't know the difference between HIV and AIDS.

Chapter 4:
The realities of orphanages is another topic I know some about, but had never really considered in detail--especially the idea that even "good orphanages" are not best for children as a long-term solution. We do foster care here in the US, but even that, we see the issues caused. I suppose I never really thought about all the aspects of life children growing up in orphanages miss. It was a saddening realization.

The idea of community orphan care and getting the orphans in families in their own culture was really interesting and does seem like a good idea, though it'll be a lot of work to override the cultural ideals surrounding orphans today.

Chapter 5:
The cycle of poverty was very hard-hitting. The frank truth that there is not easy answer was, well, not an easy answer to accept! Knowing that the best thing for kids is to be in families--their own or one in their community, preferably--and yet so many of these communities are stuck deep in poverty is quite a difficult situation. This is where the guy says American money and other resources can come in, but more than that, physical support of the cultures across the world. It's still kind of overwhelming and "But what can I possibly do?"ing, though.

Then came the part about poverty in our own country. That was...wow. He really had a point about how we judge people without understanding their situation. Those of us who are raised never seeing and maybe even never hearing about situations can be very quick to judge someone who's pulling out the food stamps in the grocery store or acting "weird" or looks "weird." If I'm honest, I'm guilty of this.

Chapter 6:
Foster care is something I've been interested in for several years, but my parents, particularly my father, have never really been open to it. Slightly shocking was seeing both of the reasons spelled out right there in the chapter. I realize fostering kids is a risk, and sometimes it really isn't best for a family, but I'd still like to be involved in it at some point.

Chapter 7:
I'm starting to notice this book applies to more than orphan care. It's simply the laying out of often-neglected commands of Jesus. Sure, Mr. Carr explains how these pitfalls of middle class today connect to orphans in the world. But the truths he is faithful to present apply to more than that. I'm starting to realize the immense amount of courage he must've needed to write this book, because confronting people is never easy. I admire him for it. That's the kind of writer I want to be; writing the truth even if it's hard.

The end of my lengthy notes/comments. What do y'all think? Agree? Disagree? :) Thanks, Leah, so much for this book suggestion.

Yay, finally finished this morning and got that book back to the library. After a brief moment of panic when I accidentally deleted my notes file, I rewrote my notes for chapters 8 and 9 and read/took notes on chapter 10. I'll get those up soon.

How'd everyone else do? Almost done or done a long time ago? :) I really loved the book and hope to buy a copy sometime.

Loving your notes Amanda! I just got back from my missions trip, so I need to skim through those chapters and reply to your comments.

Totally forgot about the rest of the notes...here we go:

Chapter 8:
As I mentioned I lost my first notes from this chapter, so I'm not entirely sure what I originally wrote, but I tried my best to list a few things...

The main thing that stuck out to me here was how he said most of us are anti-abortion, not truly pro-life. If abortion were ever banned, would we be ready to care for all the disabled and unwanted children that would then be living? It was another one of those hard-hitting, hard to accept truths.

Also, how he pointed out that it's so easy to judge--until it happens to us. And he's so right that the church's job is to love people, not to condemn and talk about them behind their backs. How horrible to be cruel to the "pro-choice" people in the name of Jesus! That is NOT how he did it!

Chapter 9:
This seemed to me mostly a call to investigate priorities. Definitely beneficial, but I don't have much specific to say. :)

Chapter 10:
I scribbled down so many good quotes from this chapter...I won't list them all here, but here's a few parts that stood out to me--

I loved the part where James ran and showed his new little sister all her things, shouting and signing, "Yours! All yours!" I loved how he was excited to show her she had a family now. To show her everything had changed. And the sentence there that really stuck with me was this: "The gospel doesn't erase our past, but it drastically changes our future with a living hope."

The section where Mr. Carr spelled out who exactly Jesus died for hit me in the heart...I don't even know how to describe it. I was tearing up. Just wow.

Last thing...something that really resonated with me because I've learned it of people lately: "He didn't really need an 'answer.' James needed us to enter into his pain with him."

--

So like I said...I loved this book. Yaaaaay!

Hey everyone! For anyone who is still interested in reading Orphan Justice (or gifting it to someone), the kindle version is currently on sale for $4.99 (from it's normal $9.99 price). Just so y'all know. ;)

Yipes! And The Global Orphan Crisis is free on Kindle right now! Hurry and get it!

EDIT: Its the SAMPLER, not the full book. Sorry guys. I was excited too.

http://smile.amazon.com/Global-Orphan...

Yipes just saw this!!! Is the global crisis book a sampler or THE book??? I think it said it was the sampler...

Two chapters left of orphan justice!!! I'm really really late!!!

Yeah. My bad. It was the Sampler. :( Sorry. It doesn't look like the whole book is available as an e-book. The sampler is about 2 chapters long though. Not bad.

I'm so sorry that I didn't have time to participate, I have been traveling a lot, and haven't always had WiFi access this summer, I did read the book, and I loved it! It challenged me so much, and I definitely feel like God wants me to do something with foster care, would you all please pray for me since I don't know what that would look like...

Taylor wrote: "I'm so sorry that I didn't have time to participate, I have been traveling a lot, and haven't always had WiFi access this summer, I did read the book, and I loved it! It challenged me so much, and ..."

Definitely will be praying for you Taylor!! :)

I'm so glad you read and enjoyed the book, Taylor. I'm hoping to contact our local DCF (Department of Children and Families) office and ask them for service projects that I can do with my friends for my birthday party this year. I wonder if you could get ideas by calling your local office or shooting them an email/letter.

Leah wrote: "I'm so glad you read and enjoyed the book, Taylor. I'm hoping to contact our local DCF (Department of Children and Families) office and ask them for service projects that I can do with my friends f..."

Oh, that's a neat idea, Leah! I'll have to remember that. :)

Taylor wrote: I definitely feel like God wants me to do something with foster care, would you all please pray for me since I don't know what that would look like... ..."

Taylor, did you ever decide what you're going to do in the foster care arena?

This may be a bit late (I just found this thread), but I just finished reading To the End of June: The Intimate Life of American Foster Care and I liked this quote in it:

"Poverty is a wide, wide road with many on-ramps for improvement. That's where I feel some courage and optimism for child welfare - because we don't have to fix the system directly to make things better for our kids. Work on one small aspect and we'll be working on the whole. Better school lunches, better libraries, after-school care, neighborhood resources - anything that touches social reform touches foster care too."

Just wanted to encourage you to keep praying about it and searching if you haven't found your place yet... even "little" things make a dent!