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family development, and mentoring services to families in the village of Wabigalo—as well as school sponsorship for children. The Bells support a little boy through Plant:Uganda. “This holistic approach that provides care and discipleship for the family as well as education for the child is what we love about Plant:Uganda,” says Kathy, adding that the call for the Church to care for orphans is a global and local one: according to UNICEF, there are an estimated 163 million orphans in the world—including 500,000 children in foster care in the United States. The Bells also have begun the process to adopt locally. The call to care for children, Kathy believes, can be carried out in a number of different ways. “Our philosophy includes looking at what it means to educate families, advocate for families, and support families—what does that look like practically? We try to help families who are called to adopt—or called to support adoption financially,” Kathy says. “Also, when you’re adopting, you learn that kids with traumatic backgrounds can’t always be parented in the same way as biological kids, so we support parents and educate them to understand the needs of the children … to find the balance of structure and nurture and to help them find their voice. We especially want to be a resource for parents.” Ash’s responsibilities center on finding funding for families as they go through the adoption process. Reclaim Orphans has been able to help families adopt six children so far, both internationally and domestically. “There are a lot of people who would make great parents and feel called to adopt, but money is their biggest obstacle,” Ash says. “There are others who recognize the calling to care for orphans, but don’t feel that they can adopt children, so they are willing to help orphans find homes by providing funding.”
PREPARED FOR SERVICE. Kathy majored in social work at Malone, knowing that she wanted to work with children. She gained valuable experience while volunteering and interning at Pathway Caring for Children and Stark County Children’s services.
As Kathy and Ash continue working out what it means to care for vulnerable children, they look forward to welcoming a sibling group into their family soon.
Malone Magazine | Spring 2012 {23}