The Climate of Endless Possibilities

Having joined Lifeline just months ago, I was ushered into a place that held many unknowns for me. Though my husband and I walked through his adoption of our two oldest daughters, and my heart has always desired to adopt a sibling group into our family, what I’ve experienced in the adoption world in comparison to Lifeline’s range of outreach is only the tip of the iceberg.

I would expect to become moved– as I have – by the many ways that Lifeline has reached out to the needs of the orphan, provided safety and rescue to those involved in human trafficking. I would expect to become thankful that such an organization makes it their ministry to continue to provide education for individuals to make a better life for themselves and their children. I would expect to be amazed at the dedication of the staff as they have reached out to birthmothers who long to place their baby into a loving adoptive family, meeting the heart cry of adoptive parents all over the United States. 

What I didn’t expect was the way that the small things that seemingly slip “under the radar” so to speak, have made the most profound influence on my life and have become HUGE in the grand scheme of a day.  Small things become huge very quickly, such as a simple blog about a family who has held their long awaited child in their arms for the first time.  Small things – a simple prayer in the morning becomes an outpouring of love by staff members for a family in need.  Small things – the way detailed communication can embrace an otherwise frustrated situation and bring a peace and hope that have never been known before. Small things – the way that the tedious things we do each day can be used to create amazing, redemptive stories and meet big dreams with hope, love, and the gift of a new start for so many.

Lifeline, from the ground up, twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week, is striving to bring hope and the light of God’s provision to the orphan, the poverty stricken, the abused and neglected, the uneducated, and those who feel they have no hope and no future.  This ministry fulfills on a daily basis Christ’s desire to meet the needs of those in need everywhere with compassion, hope and a future.  Jeremiah 29:11 tells us the hope that God has for us… "For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”  New Living Translation (©2007). Lifeline’s willingness to minister and meet the needs of those less fortunate, brings a climate of endless possibilities and allows us to reach out all over the world to people of all ages.

Ursula Wright, Georgia Case Worker and Birth Mother Counselor

You are the defender of orphans..

I was reminded of these truths when reading in Psalm 10 recently:  “You are the defender/helper of orphans” and “You will bring justice to the orphans”.

What a comforting reminder!  I have seen His faithfulness to this promise, and yet, how easy it is to forget when faced with a challenging or discouraging situation.  How easy it is to stress and fret instead of trusting in the Lord’s promises.  HE is the defender and the helper of orphans.  HE is the one who brings them justice.   All we have to do is be faithful to follow the Lord’s leadings and guidance, and then it is our responsibility to surrender the rest into His faithful hands and receive His peace.  We are called to trust Him to keep His promises and to fulfill them in the way that He knows is best.  His ways are higher than our ways, and His timing is quite often not our timing.  But He is always good.  He is always in control.  He is always faithful. 

Michelle Joy O'Malley, Georgia Social Worker

Thoughts from a Mother in Waiting

My wife recently posted on her blog her thoughts about our child who we are anxiously waiting to meet. I believe that these thoughts resonate with many of the parents who are eagerly awaiting the day that they will hold their child in their arms.

I am really thinking about the baby we will adopt tonight....well, all the time and just writing about a sample of my thoughts tonight in our quiet home while my boys breathe deep, slow sleeping breaths. I wonder...

Will it be a boy or a girl?
Will it be more than one?
How old will he/she/they be?
When will we see him for the first time?
What will his given name be?
What will we name him?
What will his story be?
Will he be crying at night in the orphanage?
Does he have siblings?
What is his birth mama thinking and feeling?
Has he been conceived?
Where will he be born?
What will be the day that I hold him for the first time?
Will my eyes ever dry in thinking and praying for this precious child?
What will the 24+ hour flight to and from Uganda be like?
What will we do while we're in Uganda?
What will my boys think about a foreign country?
What will it feel like to have baby home at last?
What will his/her birthday be?
What will we do for their birthday party?
Will I ever stop staring at my children...all of them?
Will this overwhelming sense of gratitude for being on this journey ever cease...I hope not.

I don't have any answers for my questions, hopes, dreams....I imagine many different scenarios, faces, paths. And for those I am deeply thankful. The greatest gift of all right now...


"My frame was not hidden from you
when I was made in the secret place,
when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.
Your eyes saw my unformed body;
all the days ordained for me were written in your book
before one of them came to be." (Psalm 139:15-16)


And my response...

"How precious to me are your thoughts, God!
How vast is the sum of them!" (Psalm 139:17)


He knows. He cares.

Post by Daniel Taylor
Georgia State Director of Lifeline Children’s Services

Original Blog by: Sarah Taylor
Former Lifeline employee and wife of Daniel

*Daniel, Sarah, and their two sons are currently in process to adopt a child from Uganda.

The Fountain of Youth: Our Children

At sunrise EVERY morning I wake to the words, “Daddy, it’s light time. Time to play”. And then later that night I hear the protest, “but Daddy, I can’t go to sleep; I’m not tired”. I often wonder how does my child have so much energy?

This weekend my son’s 4 year old friends who are twins had a pirate and princess themed birthday party. At the party was a giant inflatable pirate ship. The kids were having so much fun playing, and they played for hours in the hot sun. Many of the parents, including me, stood off to the side wondering, “How do our kids have so much energy?”

As the numbers of children began dwindling from the pirate ship, I began thinking about how much I miss my sons during the week and wanted to spend some time with them while they were playing. Pretty soon I was transformed from mild mannered Daddy to the evil Captain Hook, and I was being chased by Peter Pan and his band of Lost Boys (and Girls). A plastic sword fight ensued and the children squealed with glee.

As I ran by one of the other parents, being chased by a group of 4 year olds, he said, “Wow, you have a lot of energy”. I chuckled as I continued running from and then chasing my two sons and their friends, and I thought to myself, “Just thirty minutes ago I was standing on the sidelines desiring the energy of a four year old and now I have it”. I felt better that day than I have in a long time, and my children loved their time with Daddy (Captain Hook), and I loved my time with them.

I encourage you to step off the sidelines and join in play with your children. All too often I miss opportunities to bond with and teach my children while they are playing by sitting on the sidelines and watching. Psalm 127:3 tells us that children are a gift from the Lord. Let’s all as parents partake more purposefully in the gift that the Lord has given us. Children are so good at enjoying and being content in the smallest of things, and I believe that this is where much of their energy comes from. I believe that we too can have energy like our children when we delight and meaningfully participate in the time the Lord has given us with them. And not only are we blessed and strengthened, but our children are receiving the hope and future that was planned for them and spoken of in Jeremiah 29:11 by the very people God chose for them.

If you are a parent, I encourage you to play with your child today in a moment that you may have normally let pass by; get down in the floor with them, run around outside with them, slide down the slides at the playground with them, play video games with them, whatever their interest may be.

And whether you are already a parent or not, I encourage you to adopt a child today who is waiting for a Mommy and Daddy to play with them, waiting for Daddy to throw the football with them, waiting for Mommy to read their favorite book to them, waiting for someone to get down on their level, make eye contact with them, and tell them that they are special and loved. I encourage you to partake in the gift that God has given to us. A child is waiting for you today.



Daniel L. Taylor
Georgia State Director

Lifeline of Georgia and You

Lifeline Children’s Services has now been in Georgia for over a year and half. We have thoroughly enjoyed working with the families of Georgia, and God is doing a great work here. We are steadily growing and have strategically placed workers throughout the state to better serve you. We have workers and partners in Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Rome, Savannah, Tyrone, and Valdosta. However, even with the addition of many workers throughout the state there are plenty of opportunities to volunteer and serve.

Lifeline, as much as we are an adoption agency, we are a ministry that focuses on serving and loving birth mothers. In Georgia, we need counselors and mentors who have a heart for loving, listening to, caring for, and serving women in crisis situations. If you have a little time and love to give and feel called to serve women in need, we have opportunities for you.

We also have volunteer opportunities for those who do not feel called to client services. For those of you who have worked in offices, you know how valuable volunteers can be. If you live near the Columbus area and would like to serve, there is plenty of work to be done to further the kingdom, and bring children home to their forever families. We would love to have you serve with us.

Although we have grown a lot in a little over a year, we need to grow more. We have numerous families adopting, but the orphan population is still estimated to be between 143,000,000 to 210,000,000 orphans. We want to get the message out to Christian families in every city in Georgia that Lifeline Children’s Services is here in Georgia, and we are passionate about impacting the lives of orphans here in Georgia and abroad. We can achieve this goal with your help. We need you to be a point person within your church and community. You can help by partnering with us to hold a presentation or informational meeting in your church or local business. We have all the tools, and we will conduct the meeting; but we need you as the local representative to steer the heart of your friends and family to the anguish of the orphan, to make your co-workers and community members aware of the severity of the orphan situation, and to inform everyone you know of the impact that they can make in the life of a little boy or girl who wants nothing more than for them to be their mommy and daddy.

And if you do not have the time to volunteer, we have other opportunities for you to change the plight of the orphaned worldwide. We are now helping children in the U.S. and ten international countries find mommies and daddies, but there are children in many other countries that we will be able to rescue if you will partner with us. There are orphans in nine additional countries that we striving to rescue in the near future, and your donations can bring them home. The fees that our families pay do not cover the entirety of the adoption cost; your gift enables them to bring children into their home where the children experience the love of a mommy and daddy, and you experience the blessing of playing an essential role in helping us make that happen.

But most importantly, the orphans worldwide need your prayers. Every day 5,760 more children become orphans. Every 15 seconds, another child in Africa becomes an AIDS orphan. Approximately 250,000 children are adopted annually, but, each year 14,505,000 children grow up as orphans and age out of the system by age sixteen. Each day 38,493 orphans age out with no family to belong to and no place to call home. In Russia and the Ukraine, studies have shown that 10%-15% of these children commit suicide before they reach age eighteen. These studies also show that 60% of the girls become prostitutes and 70% of the boys become hardened criminals (2008). Keep these children in your prayers. Ask for the Lord’s provision in their lives, and ask how He wants you to be a part of their provision.

As you pray for the children, also keep our workers in your prayers. Our workers work tireless, long hours fighting for the lives of fatherless and motherless children. Pray for their endurance and for their families.

In conclusion, thank you for all the support that you have given Lifeline as we have grown in Georgia. Pray sincerely about how you can impact the lives of orphaned children in Georgia and worldwide. I am eager to partner with you as we change the lives of orphaned children forever. If you are interested in serving or partnering with us, you can reach me directly at 706-571-3346 or at daniel.taylor@lifelineadion.org. God bless you and thank you for your prayers.

Sincerely,
Daniel Taylor
Georgia State Director

The Destiny of the Damaged

“NO, she couldn’t stay in my home; do you know what kind of life she’s led?” “Absolutely not, he’s damaged; didn’t you hear what he did?” “I can’t parent a kid from foster care; they are all just too bad”. The damaged orphan, the child who many feel doesn’t need another opportunity for a stable, permanent home - a chance to have a new life with loving parents. Are theses children just too far gone to help?

In Jericho, there lived an Amorite woman whom many believed to be despicable and damaged. The iniquity of the Amorites stands out among a list of other cultures that inhabited Jericho in Genesis 15:18-19. Not only was this woman an Amorite, she was a prostitute. It would be fair to say that in that time period, an Amorite prostitute would have been considered one of the most damaged, worthless people of society.

However, a divine meeting with two of God’s people would change her life forever. Through Joshua, God sends two of his people to the Amorite women. We read in Joshua Chapter 2 that this woman had already heard of the works of God; this is what she says,

"For we have heard how the LORD dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt, and what you did to the two kings of the Amorites who were beyond the Jordan, to Sihon and Og, whom you utterly destroyed. "When we heard it, our hearts melted and no courage remained in any man any longer because of you; for the LORD your God, He is God in heaven above and on earth beneath."

The two men made a promise with the woman that they would come to her and save her in her time of need. The Bible tells of God’s people coming to Rahab:

“Joshua said to the two men who had spied out the land, "Go into the harlot's house and bring the woman and all she has out of there, as you have sworn to her." So the young men who were spies went in and brought out Rahab and her father and her mother and her brothers and all she had; they also brought out all her relatives and placed them outside the camp of Israel. Rahab the harlot and her father's household and all she had, Joshua spared; and she has lived in the midst of Israel to this day, for she hid the messengers whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho. (Joshua 2:22;23;25)

The Word of God went before God’s people to this Amorite woman in the land of Jericho, and the Holy Spirit is going before you to the heart of the orphan in foster care. As God goes before us, we MUST follow the command that he gives us in James 1:27, to look after orphans and widows in their time of distress. God’s people came to this desperate woman in her time of need and rescued her from her situation. We must also go to the troubled orphan and rescue him from his desperate situation.

Foster care workers do the best that they can, but it is impossible for them to meet the needs of 500,000 orphaned in America without God’s people. It is our responsibility to act on our Father’s calling and follow the Holy Spirit in action. Our Father is preparing the hearts of children to be plucked from their situations and be forever changed by the people who serve the “God in heaven above and on the earth beneath”.

The people of Israel took Rahab into their families, she married one of their own, Salmon, and she lived with them for the rest of her life. And once a part of God’s family, how did God see fit to use this harlot of Jericho? In Matthew 1:5-6 we learn that our Father finds her acceptable to not only become one of God’s people, but to become the mother to the godly Boaz, the great-great-grandmother to King David, and ultimately an ancestor to our Savior Jesus Christ.

If through the love of His people God can take an Amorite harlot and transform her into a righteous ancestor of Christ, how much more can He do in the life of an orphan in foster care? Is that “damaged” child, undeserving of your time or is he a child of God who, through your love, will be a testimony of faith. He has already prepared the way for you; will you follow His call?

By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they had been encircled for seven days. By faith Rahab the harlot did not perish along with those who were disobedient, after she had welcomed the spies in peace Hebrews 11:30-31.

Daniel Taylor
Georgia State Director