I digress!

I will be doing a breakout session on “how grassroots movements can solve the global orphan crisis.” I’m really excited about this talk and how it can make a huge impact on orphans worldwide! It’s my belief that if EVERY church would engage and if EVERY Christian would play in the game then we could solve extreme poverty, which creates the orphan crisis. I’ll let you know more about it soon!

Also, I’m back as a featured blogger. I had to pay Dan and Jason to let me do this again. All kidding aside, I love that I can participate in this conversation and help promote T4A.

I believe this conference can, and will CONTINUE to be a catalyst for the church to love, serve and care for orphans and advocate for adoption around the world.

So me a favor:

1. Check out the conference.
2.Register.
3. Spread the word. (even if you can’t attend). Use Twitter, Facebook, your blog, etc to help us let the world know that the church is serious about this issue and we’re going to stand together to make a difference.

BTW, if you’re going to T4A this October, leave a comment and let me know. I would love to connect with you at the conference.

We couldn’t do this without your continued support!

We wish everyone a very Happy New Year!

Today we released our first video with my friend Tom Davis. Tom has been advocating on behalf of the orphan for 12 + years now. Watch the video and do us a huge favor and use your social media outlets to help us spread the word.

!C//ORPHAN Keynote, Tom Davis on Justice from The Idea Camp on Vimeo.

I wrote a blog post for my friends Restore Austin. You can read it here. Restore Austin is also apart of Austin New Church. I will be speaking at ANC this Sunday about Gospel Justice. Love this church, and how they serve the community of Austin and the world.

The Need is the Call

Hello friends, I’m pretty sure this is our first “we need your help” fundraiser. But at this point, we truly do need your help! Two years ago I (Chris) visited an orphanage in Zimbabwe called Musha Wevana. Right now they have over 100 kids. We are in the process of raising money to rescue more homeless orphans by building a new orphanage, and we are also trying to sponsor each child monthly.

Last week, I received a video from my friend John who leads the orphanage. In the video he stated that the kids are only getting meat once-per-month. Needless to say, life in Zimbabwe is not easy, yet I know that I/we/YOU can help make a difference and make sure these kids have meat in their diet on a consistent basis.

We’ve decided to do a Christmas fundraiser. As we all gather to celebrate the birth of Jesus, spend time with family and friends, eat good food, and drink good drinks, I’m asking you to extend this “goodness” to the kids in Zimbabwe by raising $1500; which will provide them with the much needed meat for their diets.

Here is how you can help:

1. Donate directly to Paypal. 100% of all donations will go directly to purchasing the food. $5, $10, $25…anything helps!

2. Host a Christmas event: My friend in California is doing an “Ugly Sweater X-mas Party.” It will cost $5 to get into the party! Maybe you could do something similar!?

3. Sell something: Seriously, it’s the season of consumerism. Maybe you could pick an item, sell it, and donate the proceeds?

4. Get others involved: Your faith community, small group, youth group, co-workers, etc! Ask them to also help by donating cash, throwing-a-party or selling something they don’t need. Of course, all proceeds (Yes-100%) will go directly purchasing the food.

Please feel free to Tweet this link, blog it, Facebook it, etc!
Our Twitter is @helpendpoverty.

My friend Aaron Ivey says this all the time, “the need is the call.” This is such a true statement! We have a need, will you help us feed 100 kids in Zimbabwe.

Thanks for your time and support!

The H.E.L.P. Team www.helpendlocalpoverty.com

PS: We hope to have a video soon, explaining the issues that these folks in Zimbabwe are facing.