However, Bethany Christian Services’ Chris Palusky shares, “We’ve been following in the news and what we understand is there was a deal with the previous administration with those refugees in the states allowing them to stay while their case was being heard. We’ve heard that’s being overturned or at least going to courts right now.”

After coming to America, some of these believers were unaware that they needed to apply for an asylum visa within one year of their arrival. WNYC News reports that under the Obama Administration, a deal was struck so Indonesian Christians could live freely if they met with the ICE on an annual basis and were not involved in crimes or other offenses.

But after President Trump signed an executive order last year, that has changed and it seems the deal has been brought to an end.

(Photo courtesy of FMI)

The order mandates ICE to detain those suspected of immigration violations, regardless of their criminal history. This is what led up to the arrest of the Indonesian Christians and the court case.

Around 50 believers are being affected right now, many of whom have been in the states for decades, have built up lives, been married, and now have children.

The case of these Christians was heard in February and for now, the judges have blocked their deportation. However, follow-up hearings will be this month, and if the people are deported they could face problems in their home country.

Religious Persecution

Many of these believers have fled Indonesia because of the religious persecution they saw or faced in the Muslim majority nation.

“In a place like Indonesia, which is the largest Muslim country in the world…it’s a large majority of Islamic groups and the Islamic leadership. So, Christians are a minority in Indonesia. And in many cases of Indonesia – it’s a big country – they face persecution,” Palusky says.

WNYC News says that Arthur Jemmy, one of the Indonesian believers who is being affected, left Indonesia twenty years ago after seeing a preacher beheaded by a Muslim mob.

Persecution of Christians continues today. Just last month, an Islamic extremist attacked a Church in Java, Indonesia.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has stated that the country is religiously free, but it is still #38 on the Open Doors World Watch List – eight places higher than it was last year.

What Bethany is Doing

Bethany helps resettle refugees who have faced persecution like this as they come to America.

(Photo courtesy of Bethany Christian Services via Facebook)

“Usually we try to partner with churches. So, when we resettle refugee families, we work with a church partner and we try to have them linked up so they’re able to welcome them to the United States, help them to find appropriate housing, which we also do, and get them signed up for school, proper clothing, and then really build a partnership and a friendship,” Palusky says.

A number of these Indonesian believers have sought refuge in their churches so they wouldn’t be detained or deported. In this way, they have found a home and created deep friendships.

Bethany encourages you to reach out to refugees in the United States.

“Become involved. I think right now in the United States, we’re a bit fearful of what refugees are and what we have are preconceptions,” Palusky says. “But they’re usually women and children displaced by war and they’re the most vulnerable. So please find out about refugees, get to know a refugee, and get involved with refugees. It’s a great opportunity to be the hands and feet of Christ.”

To get involved, contact Bethany here.

Pray these believers will be allowed to stay in the country. Pray for hope to stay intact no matter what the future holds.

The safety and well-being of children and families is Bethany Christian Services’ primary concern. Given our long-standing commitment to welcoming refugee and immigrant families, in partnership with local churches and community agencies, Bethany Christian Services is deeply saddened to hear of President Trump’s pending executive order to temporarily halt refugee resettlement, to significantly reduce the numbers of refugees resettled in the United States and to exclude from resettlement refugees coming from some of the most war torn countries in the world.

Each year, thousands of families arrive in the U.S. as refugees or immigrants – some are children who arrive as unaccompanied minors, having been separated from their families overseas as they fled violence or disaster. Providing protection to those seeking safety is one of our nation’s proudest and longest standing traditions.

The need for resettlement remains great and Bethany is committed to working with government officials at all levels to ensure that this tradition of welcoming refugees and immigrant families and helping them adjust to life in the U.S. continues. While we understand and appreciate the President’s commitment to our country’s safety, the vetting process for refugees is rigorous.

Historically, all refugees coming to the U.S. are vetted first through the United Nations and then through U.S. authorities, including the National Counterterrorism Center, the Terrorist Screening Center, the Department of Defense, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security.

Additionally, this screening process can take up to two years. Our hope is that this pending ban is indeed only temporary so that the millions of refugees currently fighting for their lives can once again rely on the caring and compassion that has made the United States the greatest country in the world.

Would you please pray for guidance for Bethany at this time?

(Photo courtesy of Bethany)

“We are working, number one, with the government; number two, with local churches, so we can make sure the people who need it the most are receiving that help,” says Bethany’s President and CEO, Bill Blacquiere.

“Also, many schools have been devastated by the hurricane, and we know children need to be in school. So, we’re supplying textbooks that were destroyed, school kits, and even school uniforms to children.”

Hurricane Matthew recovery

According to the latest UN update, 1.4 million Haitians are in need of food assistance. Over 800,000 people are in urgent need and some 600,000 base their livelihood solely on agriculture. As previously noted, Hurricane Matthew destroyed an overwhelming majority of Haiti’s crops and animals.

While food is a critical need, so is clean water.

“Some of the areas that were hit were places where water would be shipped in, or piped in…and that no longer happened,” explains Blacquiere.

Bethany Christian Services is partnering with Haiti’s government to make sure clean water gets to the vulnerable families who need it most. Once families have been identified, water is distributed by Bethany and the seven Haitian churches it partners with.

“Through our efforts and social media…we have raised over $30,000 towards [providing] clean water and other supplies for families who truly are devastated by this hurricane,” shares Blacquiere.

Providing clean water may not seem like a big deal, until you consider its role in preventing cholera. Cholera is caused by drinking contaminated water. In the weeks immediately following Hurricane Matthew’s landfall, widespread cholera outbreaks were a serious concern.

Going above and beyond to help

Bethany isn’t a disaster response ministry. But, part of providing holistic care for families and children in need means helping them weather life’s storms.

(Photo courtesy of Bethany)

It’s an encouragement to believers, and an example of Christ’s love to those who don’t know Him.

“People in the community see [that], ‘The church is really helping us’ and people are drawn to attend that church; [the] church has a strategy for presenting the Gospel to the families,” says Blacquiere. “Pray for the strengthening of churches in Haiti that are part of the solution here.”

You can be part of the solution, too. Along with prayer, “we do need some financial assistance to continue to make sure families receive clean water and some food,” says Blacquiere.

$25 provides a family of five with clean water and rice.

Bethany’s in a race against the clock to find homes for 30 special needs children in China. (Image courtesy Bethany)

Maybe it was after a meeting went too long, and you were hard-pressed to arrive at your next appointment in a timely fashion. Or, if you’re a mom, maybe it’s every week as you fight the morning surge to get your kids to school on time.

For one ministry, the clock is ticking right now. President and CEO of Bethany Christian Services, Bill Blacquire, says they only have six months to find parents for special needs children in China.

“When we hear the term ‘special needs’ or a physical or mental impairment, we always think the worst,” says Blacquire. “But, there’s a whole range here of those special needs.”

Dozens of Chinese special needs kids are depending on Bethany to find ‘forever families’ for them within 180 days. Blacquire says the deadline was part of an incentive from the Chinese government.

“They want to see their children exposed to as many families as possible,” Blacquire says. “Many of these children have waited in an orphanage or an institution for a long period of time.”

If they don’t get adopted through Bethany’s 180 campaign, 30 kids face a bleak future.

“[They] will end up growing up in an institution or an orphanage if we don’t find a home for them,” says Blacquire. At 16 or 17 years old, he adds, they’ll be on their own.

“They either go out on the street, maybe have some kind of minimal job from the government, or they will beg,” Blacquire explains. “And, there’s always a potential that the child could be exploited, whether that’s for labor or sex work, or something of that nature.”

While these kids have excellent physical care in Chinese orphanages, Blacquire says a key emotional component is ever-missing.

“The difference is [that] when you have a parent, the child feels belonged to, the child is used to seeing that same parent, and there’s much love that goes on between the child and the parent,” he says.

“That just doesn’t exist in an institution.”

Family plays a key role in the development of any child, but it’s especially important in the lives of children with special needs.

“Until they’re really with a parent and in a family home, we don’t know what their potential will be,” explains Blacquire. “But we do know, by all the research, that their potential will be greatly increased by being part of a family.

“In addition, the children will be exposed to school and they’ll be able to learn, and they’ll be able to learn maybe even job skills.”

Have room in your family for one more? Click here to get the ball rolling by filling out a preliminary application on Bethany’s website.

“They [will] have access then to over 400 waiting children,” Blacquire states. That number includes the special needs children in China.

Pray that whether or not these children find families, they learn about their Heavenly Father and His love for them. Pray against the attempts of Satan to tell these children they are unworthy.

Maybe it was after a meeting went too long, and you were hard-pressed to arrive at your next appointment in a timely fashion. Or, if you're a mom, maybe it's every week as you fight the morning surge to get your kids to school on time.

For one ministry, the clock is ticking right now. President and CEO of Bethany Christian Services, Bill Blacquire, says they only have six months to find parents for special needs children in China.

"When we hear the terms 'special needs' or 'physical or mental impairment,' we always think the worst," says Blacquire. "But, there's a whole range here of those special needs."

Dozens of Chinese special needs kids are depending on Bethany to find "forever families" for them within 180 days. Blacquire says the deadline was part of an incentive from the Chinese government.

"They want to see their children exposed to as many families as possible," Blacquire says. "Many of these children have waited in an orphanage or an institution for a long period of time."

If they don't get adopted through Bethany's 180 campaign, 30 kids face a bleak future.

"[They] will end up growing up in an institution or an orphanage if we don't find a home for them," says Blacquire. At 16 or 17 years old, he adds, they'll be on their own.

"They either go out on the street, maybe have some kind of minimal job from the government, or they will beg," Blacquire explains. "And there's always a potential that the child could be exploited, whether that's for labor or sex work, or something of that nature."

While these kids have excellent physical care in Chinese orphanages, Blacquire says a key emotional component is ever-missing.

"The difference is [that] when you have a parent, the child [belongs]; the child is used to seeing that same parent, and there's much love that goes on between the child and the parent," he says.

"That just doesn't exist in an institution."

Family plays a key role in the development of any child, but it's especially important in the lives of children with special needs.

"Until they're really with a parent and in a family home, we don't know what their potential will be," explains Blacquire. "But we do know, by all the research, that their potential will be greatly increased by being part of a family.

"In addition, the children will be exposed to school, and they'll be able to learn, and they'll be able to learn maybe even job skills."

Have room in your family for one more? Click here to get the ball rolling by filling out a preliminary application on Bethany's Web site.

"They [will] have access then to over 400 waiting children," Blacquire states. That number includes the special needs children in China.

Pray that whether or not these children find families, they learn about their Heavenly Father and His love for them. Pray against the attempts of Satan to tell these children they are unworthy.

You often learn about it by seeing a billboard or hearing a story on the radio.

"We took a different approach and looked at doing something on Facebook," says John VanValkenburg with Bethany Christian Services. "It's been a tremendous success in the first few weeks of November."

It's called the "30 Families for 30 Kids" campaign. Every day on its Facebook page, Bethany highlights an older child waiting to be united with a forever family. You can check it out here.

Since National Adoption Month began in 1995, the number of kids in foster care has decreased sharply, falling from approximately 523,000 in 2002 to just over 400,000 in 2012. Unfortunately, the number of kids who age out of the foster care system and can't go back to live with their biological parents is still high: 26,286.

"Statistics show that living in foster care long-term can have a negative and lasting impact on children," says Bethany president Bill Blacquiere. "More than 40% of foster children end up abusing drugs and alcohol, 40% turn to crime, and up to 10% commit suicide.

"Our hope is that the '30 Families for 30 Kids' campaign will have a lasting impact on securing loving homes for the vulnerable children in the foster care system."

VanValkenburg says adopting older kids is easier than most people realize.

"A lot of people don't know that in most states, adopting these children can cost less than $200, and sometimes that amount is reimbursable," says VanValkenburg. "It costs next to nothing to adopt these older children."

Children age out of foster care at 18 years old. Why is it so challenging for older kids to find homes?

"I think there are some stereotypes that they're…delinquents, but that's really not the case," VanValkenburg states. "In most cases, they're the victim of abuse and neglect, so they've been removed from the home.

"It's just unbearable to think about how much these kids have gone through."

VanValkenburg explains that abuse and neglect often lead to a general mistrust of adults.

"They don't trust adults because the adults in their lives couldn't be trusted in the first place," says VanValkenburg. "It is a little bit more of a challenging placement, but with an agency like Bethany, we prepare families for these challenges.

"We're along with them after the adoption, as well, to make sure that that forever family says together and is strong and healthy."

While adoption gets national attention this month, the fact remains that kids will still need homes after the holidays.

"Some kids out there that didn't celebrate Christmas the way it should've been celebrated," VanValkenburg says. "We're constantly looking for families for these children."

You don't have to adopt to make a difference. Share this story with your friends on Facebook.

"We recognize that adoption isn't for everybody, so we ask for prayers for these children that they find a forever family."

CAFO is now a worldwide movement that unites churches, organizations, and individuals to "inspire, equip, and connect Christians to reflect God's heart in caring for orphans in adoption, foster care, and global orphan care initiatives."

Bethany Christian Services is one of the founding members of this great movement.

In 2011, more than 2,000 people attended the Annual Summit that is held each spring. The summit's goal is to increase the engagement and effectiveness of the Church in caring for orphans and vulnerable children. CAFO is also known for leading Orphan Sunday activities every November in recognition of National Adoption Month. Thousands of churches worldwide participated in Orphan Sunday last November, and every year membership grows.

Orphan care ministries have been created regionally in the United States. They promote adoption, foster care, and/or global orphan initiatives. Adoption is one of CAFO's objectives. The Alliance and its members also like to see family preservation.

They like to see families stay together, even in hard times. Bethany and other organizations create sustainable foster care and child welfare service systems to make it possible for children to remain with their families or with families in-country.

November 4 is Orphan Sunday. Thousands of events across America and around the globe all share a single goal: that God's great love for the orphan will echo in our lives as well.

Orphan Sunday is your opportunity to rouse church, community, and friends to God's call to care for the orphan. Pray that more people this year will be involved with Orphan Sunday. Pray that orphans will be cared for and touched by the love of God through those who reach out to them with compassion.

"That means a family might be eating tortillas with a slight bit of salt on them for their meal each day," said Jennifer Dibble with Bethany Christian Services, "and that's all they're eating throughout the day."

Dibble says adoption is closed in Guatemala, and with no infrastructure for foster care, parents are faced with a very tough choice when they can't financially support their kids.

"Children are joining gangs or getting involved in prostitution and so on," Dibble explained. "It's a very, very desperate need."

That's why Bethany is stepping in to help with their One Family campaign. It launched recently in West Michigan, connecting the city of Grand Rapids with Chichicastenango, Guatemala.

"Our goal is to keep families together," said Dibble. "This is an opportunity for families here in the United States to come alongside one family in Guatemala, supporting them financially for $30 a month."

Bethany case workers in Guatemala are working directly with families in need. They meet with the families, Dibble explained, to assess their level of physical, financial, and spiritual need. Case workers then assign a financial value to these needs and divide the total sum into $30 shares.

"Over the next year, our goal is to see 1,000 sponsorship shares supported for the families in Guatemala," said Dibble. "Currently, we're supporting 15 families in Guatemala; we would be able to support over 100 families.

"That means hundreds of children stay together with their families."

Bethany's One Family program is also active in Tennessee, connecting Knoxville families with people in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Dibble says people are coming to know Christ through One Family.

"You see this growth, you see this joy, you see this incredible spirit within them just growing," said Dibble. "And that's the hope: that it would build within the individual families we're working with and that it would spill over to positively affect the community."

Click here to get involved in West Michigan, or here in Knoxville. Pray for strength and encouragement for the Bethany staff in Guatemala.

"They're faced with poverty daily," Dibble said. "The families that they're working with are in very desperate circumstances, and that can be emotionally draining for the staff."

"Spare the
Change" is a campaign sponsored by WZZM 13 and Choice One Banks. Donations
made to the campaign will help Bethany place older kids and teens in foster
care with families. Bethany is featured on WZZM's news broadcasts and local
talk show, Take 5. The host of Take 5 is an adoptive mom who also
serves on Bethany's National Board.

This campaign is
part of "Hero Central," WZZM's effort to inspire regular people in
West Michigan to help those in need. By telling stories about everyday heroes,
WZZM hopes to raise up an "army" of people to address the needs of
the community.

"Spare the Change" runs through September 12. You
can donate at any of the Choice One Banks in West Michigan, or make an online
donation by clicking here.