Jacob Sturges

It may be over 100 degrees here in AZ, but it is good to have this!!

I was reminded when I attended my first CAFO Summit in Orlando, FL…A decade ago! Through that first trip, it opened up working alongside thousands of ministry partners across the country and around the globe! The following are some of the highlights over the last 10 years:

1. Sitting down with a lead pastor of a church in South Dakota, when he asked, “What can I do to get my church involved?” My response, “You already have a full plate, leading a large church of several hundred members. Speak the truth of God’s Word of what it says to love, care, and serve orphaned and vulnerable children in your community.”
2. Invited to speak at a small, rural church in Iowa that had been chartered with their denomination for over 140 years (at this point), and seeing that more than 50% of their members had done some form of foster care, adoption, or respite care. (Note that this was a holiday weekend and attendance was about 50 people).
3. A friend and ministry partner had asked if I could come and speak during their first Stand Sunday in southwest Wyoming. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to make it, but asked my parents if they would be able to speak (they were about 90 minutes away). Following that first Stand Sunday, this ministry partner organized an opportunity for their church to provide several gift bags for foster families and social workers.
4. Making the trip down to speak in Des Moines, IA for a conference to encourage foster, adoptive families, social workers, and pastors and ministry leaders.
5. Leading a small group, after returning from Ukraine and using the booklet: Everyone Can Do Something. Several years later, one of the individuals that was part of that small group (who was a missionary with his wife in the MENA-Middle East/North Africa region) shared with me when I met him in the West Bank in Israel, that small booklet, became a foundation in teaching pastors, leaders, and seminary students in Canada.
6. Sitting down and doing two podcasts with a friend and ministry partner in New York…All within 7 years of each other. Sitting down and sharing my family’s journey of international adoptions and becoming aware of best practices when it comes to loving, caring, and serving orphaned and vulnerable children, youth, and families.
7. Waiting seven years for my home church to host their first Orphan Sunday+Stand Sunday in 2017!
8. Hosting two tables at a gala for a ministry that provides hosting for vulnerable children and families in crisis. That ministry leader would become a ministry partner, friend, and encourager!
9. Traveling back to South Korea, after 35 years, and speaking there.
10. Speaking at a small foster and adoptive support group in Missouri, before moving to Georgia!

There are so many more stories from speaking in churches, schools, and conferences to walking alongside foster and adoptive families to inviting pastors and ministry leaders to become engage in this conversation of loving, caring, and serving orphaned and vulnerable children, youth, and families to race, ethnicity, culture, and identity. If you would like me to come and speak about my family’s journey of international adoption or about best practices when it comes to loving, caring, and serving orphaned and vulnerable children, youth, and families, please reach out.

Finding time to rest!

Getting things settled in the apartment has been a process. Today, we traveled to the Blue Ridge, GA to Copperhill, TN.