Caroline's Promise News

During the last week of the year, many non-profit ministries contact their donors asking for year-end gifts. We do this because we realize that many people give to non-profits right now in order to save money on their taxes. While we are very grateful for the tax benefit that comes along with charitable giving, we know that you give to Caroline's Promise for many other reasons besides the tax deduction. You give to Caroline's Promise because you know that your generosity changes lives. Today, I'd like to introduce you to one of those lives.... Betzabe is a beautiful 12 year old girl living in one of the poorest areas of Guatemala City. She lives with her older sisters and a younger brother. There are no parents living in the home. The odds are stacked against Betzabe. • 1/4 of Guatemalan babies are born to teenaged mothers, some as young as 9 years old! • 28% of women in Guatemala give birth before age 18 • 1 million children enter the sex trade every year. Guatemala is a h...

The Guatemala team arrived safe and sound on the 26th of December. Due to unreliable Internet connection, we've been having trouble posting what the team has been up to! Thank you for your patience as we work through these technical glitches. Here are some thoughts from team member Ashley about their first experiences in Guatemala.... "Leaving the falling snow and stepping off the snow into the unbelievably perfect sunshine was just the first sign of how amazing the mission trip would be. Delmi and Carlos were the most welcoming hostesses there could ever be; greeting us with grilled cheeses sandwiches and delicious soup. After all our bellies were full of the snacks, our group of 12 headed to the dorms to rest from our flight. We replenished our rest and had a full meal for supper at Delmi's again. Since Delmi's food is the most delicious in the world and her prayers so spiritually inspiring, eating her food and hearing her prayers tie for first place in the best expe...

The Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA) announced the accreditation of Caroline’s Promise of Kernersville, NC. ECFA accreditation is based on the ECFA Seven Standards of Responsible Stewardship™, including financial accountability, transparency, sound board governance and ethical fund-raising. Caroline’s Promise joins a growing number of Christ-centered churches and ministries across America, supported by over 35 million donors that have earned the right to display the ECFA seal. When an organization is accredited by ECFA, it demonstrates its willingness to follow the model of biblical accountability. “We are pleased to include in our membership a ministry committed to educating the community about adoption and orphan care,” said Dan Busby, president of ECFA.

Are you scratching your head, trying to find a teacher gift for all those wonderful people who invest in your kids? What teacher needs another coffee mug or hand lotion? This Christmas Caroline's Promise is giving you a way to honor the teachers in your life while helping a teacher in Guatemala. When you donate $10 we'll use it to assist a teacher at our partner school in Guatemala City. These precious ladies make $120 a month and give so much to the kids at Casita Adonai. In return, we'll mail you a beautiful Christmas Card that you can give to your teacher, acknowledging the gift given in their honor. Visit our Smarter Shopping (link here) page and choose "Honor a Teacher". For every $10 given we will send you a Christmas Card to give. https://app.etapestry.com/cart/CarolinesPromise/default/category.php?ref=2815.0.54772779 This is a repost from November 15, 2010

Did you miss our Open House? Well, you are in luck! This Thursday, December 16 we will have our fair trade items at an Open House for the Oak Ridge Business Center . So if you're looking for a few last minute gifts, drop by. There will be a craft room, visit with Santa and marshmallow roasting. It's 6 - 8pm at the corner of Linville Road and Hwy 68 in Oak Ridge, NC

Caroline's Promise seeks to "Reclaim Hope for Orphans". When we use the word "Orphan" we are talking about the "fatherless" and that includes children right here in our backyard who are in foster care. God has connected us with a wonderful lady, Mae Bullock, who is a Wendy's Wonderful Kids Recruiter for Children's Home Society in Greensboro, NC. Mae advocates for older children who are in foster care by working to meet their needs and helping to place them in forever families. We have been blessed by our relationship with Mae and are excited to present you with a simple, but effective way that you can make a difference in the life of one of these precious children. Children's Home Society has a program called "Hope for the Holidays" where children present their Christmas Wish List. Mae still needs about 50 sponsors for these wish lists. Most of them are middle school and high school aged children. You can bless them this Christmas...

The Story Behind the Volcano Pacaya Ornaments-- A really big step for our family was when our twin 19 year old sons were going to Guatemala for over two weeks with two different Caroline's Promise summer mission teams. It's not like they had never been out of the country, like when we adopted Levi from China and when our family spent 6 weeks in Haiti working at an orphanage. But this time they were on-their-on.(kind of) But hey, they are 19 and besides they were going with David & Lisa Holbrook and Tammy Rumsvelt. Needless to say it was a life changing two weeks for them, along with some surprise moments when God not only revealed Himself to them in a fresh way, but He allowed them to experience His emotion, love, care and compassion for the defenseless which not only included orphans but rescued women who had become victims of rape, abuse and violence many times by their own families. How can they ever forget that? How can we ever forget that? It's the way God made us-...

This post is a reprint from my (Jody's) blog, dated November 15, 2010. Caroline's Promise wanted to show the many ways that you can make a difference; this is just one way we found.... "It started with looking around her room wondering how we would fit another birthday's worth of gifts in with all the rest of her "stuff". A sigh escaped my lips as I shook my head, just shutting the door, wishing that birthdays didn't have to equate with gifts. But she was turning seven and I couldn't exactly stop the cycle cold, now could I? But then my friend Lisa sent me some posts to publish on her blog and as I was reading the posts, I realized I had an answer to my problem. You see, Lisa is the executive director for Caroline's Promise; a non-profit focused on reclaiming hope for orphans through education, financial assistance for families adopting and orphan care. And right now, they are collecting gallon-size bags filled with school supplies for children at...

Taken directlhy from Christian Alliance site at www.chirstianaallianceblog.org December 1, 2010 Written By: Jedd Medefind Today is World AIDS Day. There was a time when Christians weren’t known for being involved with response to this dread disease. Like most others, in the early days of what was then often called “slim disease,” the Christian community failed to grasp the severity of what was coming. There were also many controversies—some legitimate and important, some fear-driven and judgmental—over what causes were driving spread of the disease. The bottom line is that we were late to respond. In prior eras, devout Christians had been at the front lines of addressing the most feared diseases of their era—often at great risk to themselves—from leprosy to the black plague. This was not initially true of AIDS. Thankfully, it often is today. From small missionary outposts and indigenous movements in Africa to the Sisters of Charity in India to local clinics in the U.S., Christians are ...

Caroline's Promise Christmas Open House Unique Gifts, Surprisingly Low Prices, Worthy Cause, Free gift wrap! Sure, you could buy your sister another bottle of her favorite perfume. You could give your kid's teachers apple-shaped note pad holders to add to their collection. And, we're sure Aunt Millie would appreciate the hand made doggie sweater for her precious Fifi. But, what if this year, instead of just giving gifts, you gave stories? Each unique, fair-trade item we have to offer comes with the story of the person who made it. Widows whose "magazine bead" necklaces are providing the income they need to survive. Single mothers whose hand-crafted purses and jewelry are putting food on the table and their kids through school. Stunning mother-of-pearl jewelry made by young women who have been rescued from human trafficking. Or, the "chip bag" earrings made by a group of school-aged boys who are paying for their own education. These are just a few...

Seven years ago today we met our daughter, Caroline for the first time. She was five months old, tiny and perfect! It had been a long journey, but all of that seemed to fade the moment she was placed in our arms. When we think of what life would be without her, one word comes to mind.....incomplete. In honor of Caroline's Happy Adoption Day, we're asking you to help us support vulnerable children in Guatemala. Many of our kids at Casita are orphans. All of them live in poverty. Daily they are faced with malnutrition. You can help us change that with your gift of $35 a month. If you've ever considered child sponsorship, I encourage you to do it this month. We need sponsors for 45 children before school starts on January 15th. You can read all about it here. When I'm in Guatemala I often think of where Caroline would be if God had not placed her in our family. Most of all I wonder, where would we be? I'm thankful that He "interrupted" our life an...