Please excuse our mess.  

Things are a bit outdated but we are working hard to

construct a new website that will be even better for you!  

ORPHAN"AID"

Hope That Binds ORPHAN"AID" will be set up at BBQ on the River Thursday, September 26 through Saturday September 28 from 10:00 a.m. until 10:00 p.m.  We will offer specialty drinks for only $3 and gourmet popcorn in the flavors of BBQ Ranch and Funfetti.  

Come visit Booth #73

100% of proceeds will support adoption grants

Adoption in Real Life

Scripture is clear that as believers we are to care for orphans.  This looks different for each of us.  For some it means adopting a child into your home, for others it may be foster care, or even a mission trip to serve and care for orphans across the world.  

Over the next year we would like to share what adoption looks like for 24 individuals and their families.  Each post in the "Adoption in Real Life" series will be written by individuals who have been obedient to God's call to care for orphans.  They are willing to share what God has taught them and as you will see from each post each story is unique.  Isn't that part of the beauty of God’s lessons for His sons and daughters . . . so that we can learn and grow from one another.  

Our hope is that you will see "Adoption in Real Life" and not just something going on in the distance.  Our prayer is that God will reveal your role in adoption.  

Please welcome

Jessica Irvin

Click here to visit Jessica's blog.

You'd think with a house full of kids that the last thing I'd be thinking of is more kids. Our family went from a married couple with a dog to a family of 8 in just 7.5 years.  With three the old fashioned way and three through Ethiopian adoption, most would accurately say we’ve got our hands full.   But, even while I was in Ethiopia picking up our 6th child, I just couldn’t  shake the feeling that God was asking us to do more--to make room for more, to care about more, to change the world for more....

Our pastor preached an awesome series from Acts.  One particular week, he taught from Acts 8 about (appropriately enough) Phillip and the ETHIOPIAN. Phillip is returning from a long journey of sharing the gospel when an angel of the Lord says "go south.” Now, Phillip has put in some serious time already. He had planned to go home and rest and now God wants him to reroute his GPS and "go south."

He could have thought up many good reasons why he shouldn't go, but Phillip said "yes" to God and obeyed. Because of that decision, "the Ethiopian" was changed and modern day Christianity can be traced all the way back to Ethiopia—think about what would have been missed if Phillip hadn’t been willing to forgo his own comfort to advance the kingdom of God.

And so I ask, how much comfort are we willing to forgo?

And you may ask, "How does this even relate to adoption?"

Well, adoption isn't easy.

The decision to adopt, the process, the circumstances that lead to the child’s need to be adopted in the first place,.....none of these things are particularly easy and one can think up countless reasons (even good reasons....logical ones) why you shouldn't do it.

I've heard lots of “good” ones:

It's too expensive (not in God's economy)

I don't think I could love a child that's not my own (A lie from the enemy-- none of "our" children are "our own." They are ALL God's children--we're just lucky enough to get to love them for a while).

My husband/wife doesn't want to (pray for them)

I just haven't felt called (James 1:27).............................

I've thought of a few reasons why adopting again would be crazy for us:

We have 6 kids (true)

 We have six kids (yep)

                                   We have six kids (that's about all I've got)

But, I can think of one really good reason to do it---God did it for us.

The whole idea of Christianity rests on the truth that as Christians, we've all been adopted into God's family.

And let me tell you, our adoption was HARD. Our adoption COST more than we could ever calculate. Our adoption took SACRIFICE.

But most of all, our adoption into God's family took great LOVE.

Truthfully, it would be far easier and a lot more comfortable to say no to God's command to care for the orphans and the widows in their distress—but as our baby boy (our 7^th) waits across the world for us to come for him, I can’t help but think about the ones who will miss out on the love of a family if we as Christians choose to walk away.

Our pastor has said, "God often chooses to use ordinary people to do extraordinary things."

Well, we couldn't be more ordinary and I pray that he will use our family to impact those around us for his glory.

Too much is at stake for us not to act.

Adoption in Real Life

Scripture is clear that as believers we are to care for orphans.  This looks different for each of us.  For some it means adopting a child into your home, for others it may be foster care, or even a mission trip to serve and care for orphans across the world.  

Over the next year we would like to share what adoption looks like for 24 individuals and their families.  Each post in the "Adoption in Real Life" series will be written by individuals who have been obedient to God's call to care for orphans.  They are willing to share what God has taught them and as you will see each story is unique.  Isn't that part of the beauty of God’s lessons for His sons and daughters . . . so that we can learn and grow from one another.  

Our hope is that you will see "Adoption in Real Life" and not just something going on in the distance.  Our prayer is that God will reveal your role in adoption.  

Please welcome our first contributor,

Tera Melber 

Do you ever step back and take a look at where the Lord has had you journey? Reflection is an amazing reminder of our sanctification process. Sanctification….the word I view with both dread and anticipation. It is God’s plan of growing us into the likeness of Christ. Sounds lofty, but what does it require? Sanctification requires stretching. I am not a fan of being stretched, but the Lord has stretched me over the last several years in ways that I would never have asked, but in ways that I would never trade.

Recently I took a look at the blog I kept during our adoption processes. We have six children. Three children became Melbers biologically, three became Melbers through adoption. The three most recent additions to our family were older when they joined our family and all came home with memories of their life in their home countries.

During the adoption process my blogs consisted of all the typical thoughts and anxieties that a mother exhibits while waiting for her precious child to be in her arms. Nothing ever happened on my timetable. What was the Lord thinking? Didn’t He know that our child needed to be home? Didn’t He sense our pain in the waiting? Didn’t He part the Red Sea? Wasn’t He capable of blasting through the Red Tape? I feel anxious typing all of that right now! So, as I re-read my entries I ran across this note that typifies what I pray the Lord has taught me and continues to teach me in my walk with Him. We were on our way home with our newest son.

This week we have watched God's hand guide every aspect of our journey. Lots of travel troubles, UGH. Through it all, when I would feel anxiety welling up in my heart, I would hear Him asking me, Do you trust me? Do you really mean all the things you say to everyone else? Do you trust me to work out circumstances according to My plan, not yours? Do you recognize that you are not in control? Over and over, I know that He was and is telling me that in good or bad I must choose to trust that this journey is HIS. This journey of my life is the one that He has planned and intended. I still get very anxious, want to control situations and people, but honestly....deep within my soul, I do trust Him. I may not like the plan, but I trust that He has ALL worked out. I'm in a plane right now on our last leg home from bringing home our son. We are surprising the other kids with an early flight home. Soon we will be the eight of us. Our sweet boy is sleeping peacefully. He fully trusts us as his parents. We know where he is going. We know what is in store of the other end of this plane ride. We had a plan to bring him home. Everywhere we've led him, he has willingly gone with a smile on his face, hand held out to take ours. Fully trusting. May I be the same with my Heavenly Father who has the plan.

As your family journeys through the growth of your family and through parenting, I ask you to trust Him with the plan. Recognize that He sees the view from above the plane. The full view. You only see out of your little window. How we react will show the world that we trust HIM and love HIM more than we trust and love our plan. Ask yourself, which you desire more…the child you are longing for or a relationship with the ONE who made both you and your child? Growth is never easy. Cling to Him.

Isaiah 55:8-9 “The Lord says: ‘My thoughts and my ways are not like yours. Just as the heavens are higher than the earth, my thoughts and my ways are higher than yours.’ ”

Who are We?

Who are We?  

Hope That Binds started as a desire, just a longing of providing support for families pursuing adoption.  In a beautiful, God ordained way, that desire grew to be a non-profit organization with the goal of being obedient to scripture by caring for orphans.

The board of directors developed a vision for the organization that outlines three main focuses of Hope That Binds.

Our vision is to ultimately bring glory to God and the demonstration of His love through the death of His son Jesus Christ so that we may be adopted as sons and daughters. 

Romans 8:23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firsfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies 24 for in this hope we were saved now hope that is seen is not hope for who hopes for what he sees? 25 but if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. 

Hope That Binds seeks to serve the western Kentucky and surrounding areas as a ministry by providing adoption resources.  Resources provided will include, but are not limited to,

• empowering the church through adoption consultation
• advocating for adoption both domestically and internationally
• being a vehicle for the financial needs of adoption.  

If you would like to receive updates on events and ways to get involved please join the Hope That Binds e-mail list by e-mailing hopethatbindsministries@gmail.com with your name and "add me to the list" in the subject line.