Orphan care and adoption are emotionally charged topics no matter who you talk to. Almost everyone has an opinion, even if it’s not something they’ve spent a lot of time and effort thinking about. There’s a lot of potential for hurt feelings, mistakes, corruption, and more. It’s difficult to know what advice to trust, what information is accurate, and which ministries operate with integrity. Plenty of advice is tainted in some way. Much information is mixed with lies. Many ministries either stumble or intentionally fall into deceitful practices.

I don’t say this to discourage you from seeking advice, absorbing information, or supporting ministries. Not at all! This website and blog would not exist if I didn’t firmly believe that all of the above are essential for each and every Christian. However, I encourage you to research well and approach each element of ministering to orphans with prayer.

Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. ~1 John 4:1

Satan loves to muddy the waters surrounding these issues, and they have become very muddied indeed. Sometimes trying to uncover the truth might make you feel like a dog chasing its own tail…you run in circles and can see your goal, but it always stays just out of reach. (Dog’s do make a regular habit of catching their tails, though, so there’s hope! 😉 ) A few verses later in 1 John 4, it says,

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. ~1 John 4:5

It can be helpful to refer to organizations like Christian Alliance for Orphans that screen member organizations for “commitment to financial integrity, good governance and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

I also mention this subject because it’s impossible for me to do in-depth research for every ministry I link to from this blog and site. Please don’t support one of these organizations simply because you saw it here! Do your own research about it. And after you do so, share what you find with TIO! One young lady contacted me just this week to share a personal experience so I could make an informed decision about linking to a particular ministry. I appreciated that so much!

As TIO grows, I hope it becomes a team effort among young people (and older people!) to support one another in this work and share ideas on how to engage more effectively.

Do you know of any orphan ministries you believe are effective and filled with integrity? Are there any ministries you feel should be approached with caution? Leave a comment or use the contact page to share your insight!