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Michael and Trisha are just beginning the adoption process. They loved how the speakers placed the focus on the relationship with the child rather than allowing discipline to be the sole focus.

“I was convicted, challenged, and encouraged”, says Michael.

Jeff and Krystle are in the process of adopting and attended ETC to complete self-training hours. Jeff loved how ETC speaker, Daren, dealt with a situation by using the theory of levels. Children are given an option of how to solve the problem based on which level they are at.

Tim and Rayna are in the process of adopting their first child. They came to ETC to prepare for themselves for their upcoming adoption. The fact that the different speakers mentioned that parents should be “the biggest advocate for their child” resonated with their personal goal of being educated and equipped […]

Rose Again Foundation was founded in May 2013 by high school senior Natalie Dixon. Moved by what she saw on mission trips to Mexico and Guatemala, she was resolute in her desire to be a solution to the world orphan crisis.

Since its founding, Rose Again Foundation has worked to improve the health, wellness, education, and self esteem of abused, abandoned, and neglected foster children in the Temecula and Murrieta area, as well as to the five orphans they sponsor in Kenya. They have partnered with ICA on numerous occasions to bless both children and families. Thanks to the love and generosity of Rose Again Foundation, ICA foster families have received Christmas gifts. Foster children have been gifted swim lessons, basketball camp scholarships, guitar lessons, drama summer camp scholarships, and archery lessons. In addition, Rose Again has benevolently been a sponsor of ICA’s Family Appreciation events at Mulligan’s, and the Lake Elsinore Storm.

Rhonda Reinke, CEO of the Rose Again Foundation, says “Serving God’s children has been a blessing to myself, my family, and our amazing volunteer board members Jeff and Natalie Dixon, Craig Shadle, Kristen Hufford, Suzanne Bailey and Wendy Gorham. We have served over 200 local foster children and emancipated foster young adults, and each has truly been a blessing to serve and to know. Our goal is to help foster children acclimate to their new surrounding, make new friends, build relationships, improve their education, and help them feel loved and cared for, and help them begin to heal from their loss and circumstance.”

There are numerous ways you can  help support Rose Again Foundation. They are currently the charity partner for the Temecula Half Marathon/5K on Sunday, November 12th. If you are interested in running on TEAM RAF, you can register here. If […]

Last spring, ICA was privileged to be able to host its very own Empowered To Connect Simulcast at Calvary Chapel, Murrieta. ETC is designed to help adoptive and foster parents, ministry leaders and professionals better understand how to connect with “children from hard places” in order to help them heal and become all that God desires for them to be. Featuring Dr. Karyn Purvis, this two day event is made for parents, whether children are biological or adopted, as well as those serving and supporting, such as social workers, agency professionals, church staff and ministry leaders, counselors, and therapists.

This April, ICA will once again be hosting a live simulcast. The testimonies from families that attended last years event have proven ETC to be a priceless resource. Gina and her husband attended ETC last year. After a difficult eight year season, they found that they were struggling to stay connected to their children. Both adopted at birth, they are now sixteen and nine.

“We were grasping at straws, using typical consequences. Nothing worked. There was such a wall up. We were talking at our children, but not being received. Things were getting worse”, Gina said.

After attending ETC things began to change for Gina and her family. “We realized to we needed to get to the underlying issues–the feelings and anxieties behind their behaviors. We learned to focus on the heart and not the behavior. Because of this conference, we are on the path to being better connected.”

Gina now looks forward to attending ETC once again. “I can’t wait to go back for this refresher. I highly recommend ETC to all parents, not just adoptive parents.”

The ETC model has been a transformative tool for countless families and professionals. If you’d like to sign up for the April 8th and 9th conference, visit ICA’s […]

This summer four families participated in Welcome Home USA. The program provides children in the foster system the opportunity to stay with a host family for one week. In that week they participate in activities, learn new skills, and interact with host families. This year, three boys and two girls were able to be a part of Welcome Home.

During the week they were with host families, they attended daily meetings where they participated in ice-breaking activities, like the M&M game. This game gave the children the opportunity to become more comfortable with speaking out loud through the answer of questions associated with the color of M&M’s. Games like Nose Dive provided many giggles, as children used Vaseline on their nose to transport cotton balls. In addition to meeting and game times, the children attended a pool party at a host family’s home, and had their first bowling experience. They also got to spend a day riding an ATV, petting goats, feeding chickens, and admiring bunnies at a day camp put on by Mountainside Ministries. Each weekday, the children worked on personal Lifebooks. The Lifebook gave them the opportunity to document their likes, dislikes, feelings, as well as the story of their journey from past to present, and their hopes of what they would like to do when they grow up.

The week long program gave many of these children in the foster system the opportunity to shine. One participant, a young lady, was extremely shy at the beginning of the week. She spoke very little, and would not look anyone in the eyes. As the week progressed, she connected with a volunteer and quickly began to blossom. As her comfort level increased, she began to smile, laugh, and display confidence. This was demonstrated […]

James 1:27 Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction…

International Christian Adoptions is driven by the Biblical mandate to care for orphans. The needs of orphaned children know no end, and ICA is always looking for people to with a heart for orphaned children to invest in their ministry.

Did you know that:

• Every 20 seconds another child is orphaned
• Every day 5,760 children over the age of 4 become orphaned
• 143,000,000 orphans in the world today spend an average of 10 years in an orphanage or foster care system
• 14,050,000 will grow up as orphans and “age out” of a system
• Every 2.2 seconds another orphan “ages out”
• In many countries, 15% commit suicide before age 18
• In many countries, 60% – 70% are trafficked

The statistics are staggering, and the need to help these children is overwhelming. International Christian Adoptions exists to support people as they pursue adoption, as well as the many other means to help these children.

Members of the ICA staff regularly give presentations at churches, events, Bible studies, small groups, schools, and organizations. These presentations discuss the different programs offered by ICA, as well as the many opportunities to get involved with their ministries. It is a joy for ICA to be able to come alongside those that want to advocate for adoptions.

If you would like to schedule a presentation for your church or other group, please contact the ICA office at: (951) 695-3336.

Welcome Home is a program at ICA that brings families together in a unique way. Through the years the program has grown, shifted, and adjusted, but the overall idea remains the same; orphaned children from different countries visit the United States. While here, they are placed with host families for three to six weeks. Upon their arrival, they are lovingly welcomed as treasured guests, shown the sights and landmarks of the United States, taught about the God who made and loves them, all with the ultimate hope of finding them an adoptive family. Over the years, countless children, many of whom were likely to remain orphaned because of their age, have been placed with forever families.

Meet the Marinucci family. They adopted one daughter at birth and had always hoped to adopt again. Wife and mom, Laura, recalls the series of events that led to their involvement in Welcome Home:

“We were one of the families who benefited from someone else hosting. We were unaware of the program until my best friend’s daughter attended a bible study at the home where the girls were staying. Unexpectedly that same day we received an inheritance check in the mail. I was chatting with my friend that finances always held up our decision to adopt. We lived in a very small home and she said maybe we needed to think about our living arrangements first. After going to pick up her daughter and witnessing her come out crying stating ‘there is no family for these girls and they will have to return to the orphanage with bleak prospects once they age out of the system’” she called me and said “I think I have your money spent for you!”

The Marinucci’s immediately called, and met with the girls the very next day. While their was no […]

To those who have been apart of the adoption process, you know the joys, the frustrations, the challenges, the victories, the commitment…the heart that goes into adopting a child. The commitment to nurture and love a child for a lifetime is no small feat. And it is, perhaps, for that reason, that there is nothing sweeter than an adoption story that comes full circle.

Elisia Ginn is a high school student at Santa Rosa Academy in Menifee, California. She is an athlete, passionate about soccer and basketball. She loves dance, and photography. After graduation, she hopes to attend college to become a physical therapist. And she is adopted. In 1998, at two weeks of age, Elisia became a member of the Ginn Family in an adoption orchestrated by ICA.

As a junior, Elisia is required to participate in a community service project at her school. Students are given the freedom to choose a project that they find meaningful. For Elisia, the choice was easy, and she made plans meet with Ren Sabio at ICA. Together they decided she would provide humanitarian aid to orphaned children in Mexico by collecting supplies to assemble “Hope Paks.” Each “Hope Pak” is comprised of a shoebox filled with basic necessities, such as toothbrushes, and toothpaste. They also contain school supplies. Boxes are delivered to orphaned children who do not have easy access to basic necessities.

Over the course of four months, Elisia collected empty shoeboxes and supplies from local businesses. She got in touch with family, and friends to ask them to contribute to her project. She received many donations, as well as cash to purchase supplies from out of the area family. When all was said and done, 100 “Hope Paks” were packaged and taken to the ICA […]

On March 19th, the Institute for Children’s Aid had the privilege of visiting Temecula Preparatory School. Approximately 300 students attended an assembly that aimed to educate students on the reality of child abuse, human trafficking, and the use of children in the production of chocolate.

Presenters Dennis Massawe, Chad Dulaney, Destiny Fitzpatrick, Youjay Baird, Doug Verner, Olivia Marsh, Julie Payne, and Laura Marinucci shared on a range of topics that covered, abuse, labor laws, facts, statistics, and, finally, ways that students can make a difference.

Many students were surprised to learn that:

• 1 out of every 3 girls is sexually abused before the age of 18.
• 1 out of five boys is sexually abused by the age of 18.
• While human trafficking is often presented as an overseas problem, it happens right here in the United States.
• Buying Fair Trade chocolate means that protecting children from labor.

Students responded to the information presented with great concern. Many expressed a desire to help by adding their name to a volunteer sign up list, and many others expressed a desire to adopt when they are older.

The Institute for Children’s Aid exists to be a voice for children who cannot speak for themselves. If you or someone you know is interested in scheduling an assembly or tour for a school, homeschool group, youth group, or other organization, please call the ICA office at (951) 695-3336.

International Christian Adoptions, along with the Institute for Children’s Aid, and Calvary Chapel Murrieta are so excited to be able to host the Empowered to Connect Conference via simulcast on April 10th and 11th from 9am-5pm at Calvary Chapel, Murrieta.

The Empowered to Connect Conference, led by Dr. Karyn Purvis, was designed as a tool for adoptive, foster, and any and all parents. Its purpose is to help people connect with children in difficult places so that they can heal and become all that God has designed them to be.

We at ICA are excited not only to offer people the opportunity to participate in this meaningful event, but to be able to do so locally at an affordable cost! Those who register before April 1st can secure their ticket at the early bird price of $15. Additionally, professionals can earn up to 11 CEU units! Your registration includes a workbook and light snack.

We believe that this conference can provide a wealth of practical help for anyone parenting, or working with children. We hope that you will pray about joining us and a community of other people united together for a common purpose!

If you have any questions, you can call the ICA office at (951) 695-3336 or you can sign up on our website.