{"id":303019,"date":"2014-04-17T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2014-04-17T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/%series%\/growing-a-heart-for-the-orphan\/"},"modified":"2014-04-17T11:00:00","modified_gmt":"2014-04-17T15:00:00","slug":"growing-a-heart-for-the-orphan","status":"publish","type":"podcast","link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/growing-a-heart-for-the-orphan\/","title":{"rendered":"Growing a Heart for the Orphan"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pastor\u00a0Johnny Carr shares how he\u00a0and his wife, a teacher to the deaf, came\u00a0to adopt three special needs children to add to their family of four.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":294104,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uag_custom_page_level_css":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"https:\/\/web.familylifetoday.com\/fl2014-04-17.mp3","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"00:","filesize":"24.53M","filesize_raw":"25716431","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":""},"categories":[2818,2821],"tags":[2712,4177],"podcast_series":[8005],"cwp_profile":[9333],"series":[2101],"class_list":["post-303019","podcast","type-podcast","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-adoption-and-orphans","category-reaching-out","tag-adoption","tag-special-needs","podcast_series-orphan-justice","cwp_profile-johnny-carr","series-familylife-today"],"acf":[],"episode_featured_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg?w=508","episode_player_image":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2023\/02\/image-scaled.jpg","download_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-download\/303019\/growing-a-heart-for-the-orphan","player_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast-player\/303019\/growing-a-heart-for-the-orphan","audio_player":null,"episode_data":{"playerMode":"light","subscribeUrls":{"apple_podcasts":{"key":"apple_podcasts","url":"https:\/\/podcasts.apple.com\/us\/podcast\/familylife-today\/id212174303?mt=2&app=podcast","label":"Apple Podcasts","class":"apple_podcasts","icon":"apple-podcasts.png"},"google_podcasts":{"key":"google_podcasts","url":"","label":"Google Podcasts","class":"google_podcasts","icon":"google-podcasts.png"},"spotify":{"key":"spotify","url":"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/show\/0j5UaKdQOHQCuo1bt0ebEm","label":"Spotify","class":"spotify","icon":"spotify.png"},"youtube":{"key":"youtube","url":"","label":"YouTube","class":"youtube","icon":"youtube.png"}},"rssFeedUrl":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/feed\/podcast\/familylife-today","embedCode":"<blockquote class=\"wp-embedded-content\" data-secret=\"5WX3cDy7UQ\"><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/growing-a-heart-for-the-orphan\/\">Growing a Heart for the Orphan<\/a><\/blockquote><iframe sandbox=\"allow-scripts\" security=\"restricted\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/podcast\/familylife-today\/growing-a-heart-for-the-orphan\/embed\/#?secret=5WX3cDy7UQ\" width=\"500\" height=\"350\" title=\"&#8220;Growing a Heart for the Orphan&#8221; &#8212; FamilyLife\u00ae - A Cru Ministry\" data-secret=\"5WX3cDy7UQ\" frameborder=\"0\" marginwidth=\"0\" marginheight=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" class=\"wp-embedded-content\"><\/iframe><script>\n\/*! This file is auto-generated *\/\n!function(d,l){\"use strict\";l.querySelector&&d.addEventListener&&\"undefined\"!=typeof URL&&(d.wp=d.wp||{},d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage||(d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage=function(e){var t=e.data;if((t||t.secret||t.message||t.value)&&!\/[^a-zA-Z0-9]\/.test(t.secret)){for(var s,r,n,a=l.querySelectorAll('iframe[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),o=l.querySelectorAll('blockquote[data-secret=\"'+t.secret+'\"]'),c=new RegExp(\"^https?:$\",\"i\"),i=0;i<o.length;i++)o[i].style.display=\"none\";for(i=0;i<a.length;i++)s=a[i],e.source===s.contentWindow&&(s.removeAttribute(\"style\"),\"height\"===t.message?(1e3<(r=parseInt(t.value,10))?r=1e3:~~r<200&&(r=200),s.height=r):\"link\"===t.message&&(r=new URL(s.getAttribute(\"src\")),n=new URL(t.value),c.test(n.protocol))&&n.host===r.host&&l.activeElement===s&&(d.top.location.href=t.value))}},d.addEventListener(\"message\",d.wp.receiveEmbedMessage,!1),l.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\",function(){for(var e,t,s=l.querySelectorAll(\"iframe.wp-embedded-content\"),r=0;r<s.length;r++)(t=(e=s[r]).getAttribute(\"data-secret\"))||(t=Math.random().toString(36).substring(2,12),e.src+=\"#?secret=\"+t,e.setAttribute(\"data-secret\",t)),e.contentWindow.postMessage({message:\"ready\",secret:t},\"*\")},!1)))}(window,document);\n\/\/# sourceURL=https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-includes\/js\/wp-embed.min.js\n<\/script>\n"},"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1001\/2024\/09\/FLT-Podcast-Cover-2-508x508-3.jpg",508,508,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"kfairris@familylife.com","author_link":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/author\/kfairrisfamilylife-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Pastor\u00a0Johnny Carr shares how he\u00a0and his wife, a teacher to the deaf, came\u00a0to adopt three special needs children to add to their family of four.\u00a0","meta_box":{"show_notes":"","transcript_url":"https:\/\/transcript.familylifetoday.com\/fl2014-04-17.pdf","transcript_content":"<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> What are you doing, as an individual, to care for the needs of orphans, as we\u2019re instructed to do in James 1:27? Johnny Carr is on a mission. He wants every Christian and every church to be actively involved in doing something to care for the needs of orphans.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> We never want to make guilt part of this, but we do want to expose what the Scripture says; and then, again, what is the reality? What does that mean to us here? Maybe, for the small church of 75\u2014that\u2019s mainly senior adults\u2014every year, on Orphan Sunday week or May, as Foster Care month\u2014they prepare meals for the social workers in their area and just go down and say: \u201cHey, here\u2019s lunch. We love you. We appreciate you. How can we be praying for you?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> This is <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> for Thursday, April 17<sup>th<\/sup>. Our host is the President of FamilyLife<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>, Dennis Rainey, and I'm Bob Lepine. What would God have you do to care for the needs of orphans? We\u2019re going to explore that subject today with Johnny Carr. Stay tuned. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>1:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd welcome to <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Thanks for joining us. You know, over the last decade or more, we have spoken many times about the needs of orphans, about adoption, about foster care. In that decade, I\u2019ve had the opportunity to be introduced to some of our listeners and to meet some of their children. They have said to me: \u201cOne of the reasons we have this child in our home is because of a program I heard on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>,where you guys were talking about the plight of the orphan. God used that to just confirm for us that that was His plan for our family.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>2:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I think I\u2019ve mentioned this on a previous broadcast, but I ran into a young mom at the Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit last year in Nashville. She said she was on her way, at nine o\u2019clock at night, going to Wal-Mart<sup>\u00ae<\/sup>. We had a show on\u2014talking about the orphan. God met her in the parking lot and worked her over. She didn\u2019t just get what she went after when she went into Wal-Mart. She came home with a vision. Her husband was kind of like: \u201cWhoa! What happened in that ride?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> And we should mention that we\u2019re both going to be at the Orphan Summit in early May, this year, in Chicago; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes, that\u2019s right\u2014at Willow Creek Community Church. We\u2019re excited about that. We hope to have a ton of students from Wheaton Bible come join us and maybe from Moody.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> You\u2019re talking about Wheaton College.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Alright.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes, Wheaton College and Moody Bible Institute. We\u2019d love to have as many of those college students as possible come join us. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>3:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLast year, we had to turn away people. We had 2,500 at the summit. This year, we\u2019ve got room for you!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> If folks would like more information about the Orphan Summit, which comes up in early May, just go to FamilyLifeToday.com. There\u2019s a link on our website that will take you right to where you can get information about it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes. We\u2019ve got a guy who\u2019s a flaming evangelist for the orphan movement. Johnny Carr joins us on <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. Johnny, welcome to the broadcast.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> Thank you so much. It\u2019s my pleasure to be with you.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Johnny is Vice President of Strategic Partnerships at Help One Now ministries. You\u2019ve been all over this subject of orphans over the past\u2014what?\u2014couple of decades or so?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> Yes. I started full-time, I would say, in the orphan care arena in 2007. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes, but you ended up\u2014actually, you and your wife\u2014adopting three of your five children. You\u2019ve also written a book called <em>Orphan Justice: How to Care for Orphans Beyond Adopting.<\/em>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>4:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think this is such an important topic because a lot of folks adopt an orphan, but they\u2019re not really fully-prepared for the issues they can face when they do adopt. Take us back, though, before we get to the subject of your book, just to how you got a heart for orphans. I mean, you grew up in the South. Did you hear a big message from the church, back then in the South, about orphans? \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> [Laughter] Well, no! I did not. It\u2019s interesting that you say that, too, because after the first message I ever preached on orphans, a World War II veteran came up to me afterwards. He said: \u201cJohnny, I\u2019ve been going to church all my life. That\u2019s the first time I\u2019ve ever heard a message on, not just spiritual adoption, but actually adopting a child.\u201d It was kind of great to hear that!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tOur story, though, Dennis, started\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Well, to that point, you\u2019d never heard a sermon on orphans?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> Not until I preached one. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I\u2019m thinking back, and I\u2019ve probably heard a few thousand sermons.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>5:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI don\u2019t know that I\u2019ve ever heard one. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> You know, this is really a modern movement that\u2019s taking place today. But go ahead\u2014take us back to what happened in your life.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> Yes. There were some adoptions in our family, but they were private adoptions. It wasn\u2019t something that we really talked about. So, this was not something that I had really given a lot of thought to. However, in college, I met my wife. I saw Beth at the Baptist campus ministry. [Laughter] Yes! Almost every adoption story starts like that; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> It does start there! That\u2019s the way ours starts. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> So, I saw Beth. She was doing sign language\u2014she was a sign language interpreter. I saw her at our Baptist campus ministry. Actually, the girl she was signing for was Heather Whitestone, who would soon become Miss America, right after that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> But I thought Beth was prettier than Miss America. So, I chased her around for a while. Soon, our relationship started going fairly deep. One of the things she said to me, in the beginning, was, \u201cYou need to understand that whomever I marry needs to agree that, one day, we will adopt a deaf child.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>6:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd I thought, \u201cWell, you\u2019re so pretty; sure! [Laughter] Whatever it takes to get you to say, \u2018Yes.\u2019\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> You were under the influence. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> I was very much under the influence. You know how those things go. When you\u2019re dating, you have dreams\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Sure.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> You have these things\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Sure. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> You just agree. We got married, and God blessed us with two kids by birth. Beth got her degree in Deaf Education and was teaching deaf children in the public school system. After that, God brought a missionary through town. My mission\u2019s pastor came to me and said: \u201cHey, I want you to meet this guy. He\u2019s working with deaf people in Belarus.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI thought: \u201cWell, that\u2019s fascinating. I know that Beth would love to do that.\u201d So, we go to dinner. We\u2019re sitting down; and he says, \u201cJohnny, not only am I working with deaf people, but these are all deaf orphans. I\u2019m working in this orphanage, and it is all deaf children.\u201d Dennis, it scared me to death. I thought, \u201cMan, I\u2019ve got to get out of here!\u201d [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Did you feel like this was, maybe, a set-up?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> Absolutely!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>7:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Like your wife had set this up?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> And I could see the lights going off in her eyes. I am thinking, \u201cOh, no!\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Did you make eye contact with your wife, at that point?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> I think I did. I really do because I remember, instantly though, thinking about that conversation that we\u2019d had when we were dating. We came home from that night, and it really began the conversation again. I\u2019ll be honest\u2014because I know you guys do a lot of marriage and family stuff\u2014it had become an issue in our marriage\u2014one where she really felt like this was more than just a dream you have at night. This was something God had placed in her heart. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tMy resistance to that, through the years, had really put a barrier in our marriage. It had become a real sticking point that we had to deal with through the years. She had kind of come to the point of kind of forgiving me, but that dream was dashed in her heart. So, that night began another conversation. A month later\u2014I\u2019ll never forget it\u2014the first Monday night of February, I came home from a deacons\u2019 meeting. The kids were in bed. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>8:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tShe said, \u201cYou know, let\u2019s have the conversation.\u201d We started talking and, you know, I was scared of the home study. I was scared of the cost\u2014financial\u2014that was the biggest part for me.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Why were you afraid of the home study? What is there about that to be afraid of?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> Well, you know, typically, women are the large majority of social workers\u2014a woman coming in my house and telling me whether or not I\u2019m fit to be a parent\u2014that was the part that just kind of frightened me. I guess I was just really being defensive, you know?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes. You hadn\u2019t yet bought-in, in other words.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> No, not at all. And then the cost, you know?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I get that!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> You hear all of the horror stories, you know? Everybody\u2019s got that crazy uncle, who\u2019s got a bad story about everything in life. So, I had heard all of these stories about adoption. I was just frightened about it all.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI told her\u2014I said, \u201cTomorrow I\u2019ll call and, at least, start asking some questions.\u201d The next day, I did. I got on the internet and searched \u201cBelarus international adoption.\u201d I found an agency in California\u2014called the guy up and told him our story. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>9:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe said: \u201cWell, Belarus is shut down. You can\u2019t adopt from there. What are you thinking?\u201d I said, \u201cWell, a child under the age of six\u201d\u2014because we kind of want to keep the birth order going\u2014\u201cwith no other disabilities but deaf because we just feel uniquely qualified to adopt a deaf child.\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHe said, \u201cWell, if I ever hear of anything, I\u2019ll let you know, but that\u2019s fairly specific.\u201d Ten minutes later, he called back and said, \u201cCheck your email.\u201d When I did, that\u2019s when I opened up a picture of James. He was four years old. He was in an orphanage in China. Seven months, to the day, later, we were in the central part of China, in a province with 100,000,000 people, getting ready to adopt our son.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> I want you to take us to that orphanage where you met James; but I want to go back to your wife doing sign language, as a college student. Where had she gotten her heart to communicate with the deaf?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>10:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> Her dad had a little corner store. There was a young girl in that area who hung around the store some that was deaf, and she had taught her the alphabet. That was pretty much it. You know, Beth started signing\u2014really learning sign language\u2014I think her senior year of high school or freshman year of college. Within two years, she was interpreting chemistry classes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThese days, when we\u2019re around deaf people who are new\u2014who don\u2019t know us\u2014they think she\u2019s deaf by her signing. That would be like you or me going to China, and speaking Chinese, and having them think we were raised in China\u2014because deaf people usually know who\u2019s deaf and who\u2019s hearing by the way that they sign, but God had just given her an incredible ability to learn the language and express it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> So take us to that moment, in central China, when you came, face to face, for the first time with your son. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> We\u2019re at a hotel room. There was another lady, traveling with us, who was also adopting through the same agency. We were in the same hotel. They called from downstairs and said they\u2019d be bringing our children up.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>11:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are in one room together, waiting. A lady comes around the corner and has this little four-year-old boy. There they are\u2014standing, just kind of looking at us. I remember James was scared. He had this very frightened look in his eyes. As they walked into the room, the lady who was walking with him, knelt down; and she started crying. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tMy wife just kind of leaned into her. Our interpreter began to talk to my wife and say, \u201cYou need to know that this lady is also a special teacher, like you.\u201d Beth looked up at her and said, \u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d He said: \u201cShe\u2019s also a deaf teacher. She doesn\u2019t work at the orphanage, but she has been housing him at her school and trying to teach him.\u201d So they had this immediate common bond\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> A bond, yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> \u2014which we can talk about later because it\u2019s a fascinating story\u2014where that goes from there. But Beth reached out\u2014my wife reached out\u2014to grab James and to hold him.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>12:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAt that point, everything in our life began to change. Yes, it\u2019s really, even now, hard to process how much God spoke to us that day. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> That was a defining moment, not just for your family and what your family would be going forward, but for everything about your life and what you\u2019re investing your life in today. It\u2019s really why you do what you do vocationally. It\u2019s why you wrote the book that you wrote. God\u2019s put a burden on your heart for orphans and for how we, as Americans, are called to go near or how we are called to assist those who are in need; right?\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> Absolutely! And I would say\u2014to go beyond Americans\u2014to say believers. That\u2019s one of the great things we\u2019re seeing, right now, is a movement taking place in all believers\u2014not just American believers\u2014but all believers. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes, this is not a problem that just needs to be addressed by the American church\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> No.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> \u2014American followers of Christ. This is a global challenge\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>13:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014where the believers in these countries\u2014where there are tens of thousands and, in some cases, hundreds of thousands, if not millions of orphans. In fact, take a step back and give our listeners some idea of what UNICEF reports, in terms of the number of orphans globally.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> Yes, that\u2019s important. I try to take some time in the book to really flesh out this definition because it gets very confusing. Overall, UNICEF would say that there are 153,000,000 orphaned and vulnerable children in the world.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, their definition of \u201corphaned and vulnerable\u201d children is \u201cthe loss of one or both parents.\u201d For those children who have lost both parents, the number generally accepted is around 18 million. Some of those children, though, have living aunts and uncles, or maybe older brothers and sisters, and other folks who can take care of them.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThen we get into street kids. We get into kids that are left on streets.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>14:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThey still have living parents, but they\u2019re not taking care of them. We get into situations\u2014like in our foster care system\u2014where kids have been abused and neglected around the world. They have living parents, but their parents are not doing what they should to care for their children.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIt really does get complicated because someone will say, \u201cWell, how many children <em>need <\/em>to be adopted?\u201d We really don\u2019t know. It\u2019s nowhere close to 153,000,000 that need to be adopted. That\u2019s why the subtitle of the book is what it is\u2014<em>How to Care for Orphans Beyond Adoption<\/em>\u2014because there are many other ways that we need to be caring for these orphaned and vulnerable children.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI would say that number is somewhere in the millions, but many of these kids aren\u2019t even what we would call \u201clegally adoptable.\u201d They may be stuck in an orphanage somewhere without proper paperwork\u2014so they can never even leave that country to be adopted by an American family, nor could they ever be adopted within their own country\u2014because they don\u2019t even have a birth certificate to go to court with.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>15:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes. In fact, I would like to encourage our listeners to go to FamilyLifeToday.com and click on a link to hear a story about a young lady from Romania\u2014a little girl who grew up, really, being abandoned by her mom and dad because of, I think, alcoholism\u2014and being totally neglected.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Beautiful young lady\u2014but\u00a0 who has been given a family and been given hope in a larger family. Again, it\u2019s not that adoption is going to be the answer in every situation; but for some who are listening to our broadcast, God\u2019s going to use this to give them an idea, or hope, or courage, or faith that they need to press into this, just like you did.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> There are a lot of dads, who listen to these broadcasts, and they go, \u201cI\u2019m just not where my wife is.\u201d Coach a wife, from a man\u2019s perspective: \u201cHow can a wife\u201d\u2014and again, we know she should pray. Number two, she ought to get together with other wives, who are kindred spirit about adoption, so she doesn\u2019t lose heart,\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>16:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u2014\u201cBut how can she talk to her husband so he\u2019ll listen?\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> I think, number one\u2014is what <em>not<\/em> to say or how <em>not <\/em>to act\u2014I think the nagging or just consistently doing things that <em>you know<\/em> will get under his skin. That\u2019s just going to drive him away\u2014or talking about him to your friends and things like that.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Or leaving a book by his side of the bed; right? [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> Those are some annoying things that don\u2019t help. As you said, praying\u2014and I think sitting down and just having a very honest conversation\u2014very similar to the way Beth did with me, even though it took some other things in my life to bring me to that point\u2014for me to <em>know<\/em> that this was something very <em>serious <\/em>for her. This was not just a passing little fad. This was not just something that would be a nice thing to do.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>17:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI think that getting away\u2014maybe it\u2019s a weekend getaway\u2014maybe going to a FamilyLife\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em><sup>\u00ae<\/sup>!\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> <em>Weekend to Remember<\/em>. [Laughter]\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> But I mean, seriously though, getting away from the normal to really have time to say: \u201cI want to talk to you about something that is very important to me. I want you to understand how important this is.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> And not a sales-pitch, but just a: \u201cHere\u2019s what\u2019s on my heart, and I want you to know.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> Absolutely\u2014that\u2019s it.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> And the command of Scripture\u20141 Peter 3:7: \u201cHusbands, live with your wives in an understanding way.\u201d Our assignment, when our wives share from the heart, at this level\u2014listen.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> And listen prayerfully, carefully, thoughtfully. Don\u2019t just blow the conversation off.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> That\u2019s right. Then, I would say, \u201cTalk about your fears. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>18:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cWhat is it that would keep you from wanting to do this?\u201d\u2014just being open to a real conversation about this\u2014then, have some honest conversations about what those fears might be.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I know we\u2019re going to talk more about this, but I\u2019m just\u2014if you could condense it\u2014the guy, who\u2019s saying, \u201cOkay, I don\u2019t think adoption\u2019s what we\u2019re called to,\u201d\u2014\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> \u2014for whatever reason: \u201cWe\u2019re too young.\u201d \u201cWe\u2019re too old.\u201d \u201cWe\u2019re too poor.\u201d And, by the way, we would say, \u201cBefore you come to that conclusion, just ask God rather than coming to the conclusion on your own.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> Just say, \u201cLord, should we adopt?\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> Sure.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> At least, ask the question; but let\u2019s say you come and say, \u201cYou know, for whatever reason, I don\u2019t think that\u2019s for our family; but I do care about the needs of the orphan.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> If I\u2019m not going to adopt, is there one primary\u2014your book talks about a lot of ways.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> Yes.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> But if you were going to point a guy and say, \u201cOkay, if he can\u2019t do that, here\u2019s the next thing to consider.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> Well, I think it would be supporting those families who are and coming around those families. One of the most encouraging things we ever had was Lou and Gabby Boyd\u2014had us over for dinner one night.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>19:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tLou was a World War II veteran on a ship, outside of Japan, back in the day. They were in their 80s. Beth and I were getting ready to leave Pensacola and move to Pittsburgh. So, they had us over for dinner one night\u2014just the two of us, no kids. The four of us sat together at the table. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThey had just been a sweet couple who had been very dear to us anyway; but Gabby looked at me and said: \u201cJohnny, we\u2019re too old to adopt. This was not something that we ever heard about in the church before. We love what we\u2019re doing. So, we wanted to have you over and have shrimp and cheese grits\u201d\u2014which is what you do in Pensacola\u2014 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Right.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Johnny:<\/strong> \u2014\u201cand just say, \u2018Thank you for what you\u2019re doing.\u2019\u201d \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI looked at them and said, \u201cWell, Gabby, I just want to tell you and Lou, \u2018Thank you for being involved in orphan care.\u2019\u201d He said, \u201cWell, I just said we\u2019re too old for that.\u201d I said: \u201cNo, you\u2019re doing it right now! You will never know how encouraging this is to me and Beth\u2014that you would take the time to have us over for dinner and you would treat us.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>20:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\u201cThen, to say with your mouth\u2014not just think it\u2014but say it to us: \u2018Thank you for what you\u2019re doing. We love you. We appreciate you.\u2019\u201d It was important to us! Man, we could just go on and on.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Dennis:<\/strong> Johnny, you\u2019ve reminded us today that the church\u2014and that\u2019s not some building somewhere\u2014that\u2019s us, the people\u2014have a responsibility to go near the needs of the orphan. I\u2019m reminded of James, Chapter 1, verse 27, which I have repeatedly mentioned here on the broadcast: \u201cReligion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this to visit orphans and widows in their affliction and to keep oneself unstained from the world.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tIf you go near, like you did, you\u2019re going to be drawn like a magnet into the battle to protect them. That\u2019s where a ministry, like the one you work for\u2014Help One Now\u2014and where FamilyLife\u2019s Hope for Orphans offer\u2014really, training and kits to be able to start an orphan care, foster care, or adoption ministry in your local church.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>21:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tFor those who are curious about all this and need to find out more information, there\u2019s really nothing smarter that you can do than to go to the Orphan Summit at Willow Creek Community Church, here in a few weeks, and find out more from the leading experts in the world on orphan care, foster care, and adoption. What you\u2019ll find is hundreds of booths of leaders, showing how they can address the needs of the orphan.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>Bob:<\/strong> I mentioned there\u2019s a link on our website, FamilyLifeToday.com. In the upper left-hand corner, you\u2019ll see a box that says, \u201cGo Deeper.\u201d It\u2019s a blue box. If you just click on that, it will take you to an area of our site where you can get information about the Orphan Summit. There\u2019s a link there so you can find out everything you need to know about this event coming up in Chicago. There\u2019s also a link to our Hope for Orphans ministry.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>22:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou can find out more about what FamilyLife is doing to try to care for the needs of orphans in our world and to view the video that we talked about today. And there\u2019s also information on how you can get a copy of Johnny Carr\u2019s book, <em>Orphan Justice: How to Care for Orphans Beyond Adopting.<\/em> You can order a copy of the book from us, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com. Again, click the button that says, \u201cGo Deeper.\u201d The information you need about Johnny\u2019s book is available there. Or call 1-800<strong>-<\/strong>FL-TODAY; 1-800-358-6329. Ask about the book, <em>Orphan Justice, <\/em>when you call. Again, order, online, at FamilyLifeToday.com. Click the button that says, \u201cGo Deeper,\u201d or call 1-800-FL-TODAY.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tNow, as always, I want you to know how grateful we are for those of you who make the ministry of <em>FamilyLife Today <\/em>possible\u2014those of you who support all that we are doing, here at FamilyLife, including the outreach we have through our Hope for Orphans ministry.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>23:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThis month, when you help support the ministry of <em>FamilyLife Today, <\/em>we want to say, \u201cThank you,\u201d by making available a set of three prayer cards that will aid you in praying for your family. One of the cards is for a wife who wants to pray regularly for her husband. There\u2019s a card for a husband so that he can pray for his wife on a regular basis. And, then, there\u2019s a third card for parents to pray together for their children. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tThese prayer cards just offer you some specific prompts as you consider how you can pray for the members of your family. The cards are our way of saying, \u201cThank you for your support of this ministry during the month of April.\u201d Go to FamilyLifeToday.com if you\u2019d like to make a contribution. Click the button that says, \u201cI Care,\u201d in the upper right-hand corner of the screen; or call 1-800-FL-TODAY. You can make a donation over the phone. Ask for the prayer cards when you get in touch with us by phone. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<strong>24:00<\/strong>\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tYou can also mail a check to <em>Family Life Today. <\/em>Our mailing address is Post Office Box 7111, Little Rock, AR; and our zip code is 72223. Let me just say: \u201cThank you for whatever you\u2019re able to do in support of this ministry. We appreciate your partnership with us very much.\u201d\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tAnd we hope you can join us back tomorrow when we\u2019re going to talk more about how we can care for the needs of orphans in our world. Johnny Carr joins us again. I hope you can, as well.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tI want to thank our engineer today, Keith Lynch, and our entire broadcast production team. On behalf of our host, Dennis Rainey, I'm Bob Lepine. We will see you back tomorrow for another edition of <em>FamilyLife Today<\/em>. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<em>FamilyLife Today<\/em> is a production of FamilyLife of Little Rock, Arkansas. \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tHelp for today. Hope for tomorrow.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tWe are so happy to provide these transcripts to you. However, there is a cost to produce them for our website. If you\u2019ve benefited from the broadcast transcripts, would you consider <a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/donate\">donating today<\/a> to help defray the costs?\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\tCopyright <sup>\u00a9<\/sup> 2014 FamilyLife. All rights reserved.\n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"http:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/\">www.FamilyLife.com<\/a>\u00a0 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t1\n\t\t\t\t<\/p>","theme_header_position":"","post_header_is_sticky":"","is_header_overlay":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast\/303019","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/podcast"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=303019"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/294104"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=303019"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=303019"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=303019"},{"taxonomy":"podcast_series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/podcast_series?post=303019"},{"taxonomy":"cwp_profile","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/cwp_profile?post=303019"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wp-stage.familylife.com\/www\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=303019"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}