Advocating for the orphan

Chantel Klassen and her husband Jared have declared themselves passionate about advocating for the orphan.

These twenty-somethings from Warman, Sask., see loving the orphan as an inseparable part of their faith and their perspective on church. Chantel emphasizes that “caring for the orphan is not just a call, but rather a command to all believers,” and that this needs to play a more significant part in the church.

The Klassens, members of the Bergthaler Mennonite Church, believe this so strongly that they founded Once Was Lost, a non-profit organization that raises funds to support families adopting internationally.

“We started this organization as we saw the large financial burden placed on those adopting internationally,” Jared says. “The average international adoption costs between $25,000 to $30,000, up [to] $50,000 or more. We saw a lack of fundraising options in Canada and . . . decided to get involved.”

“Adoption—and, more generally, orphan ministry—should play a larger role in the church,” he says. “It can be easy to ignore the plight of the orphan because, for most of us, it is not something we encounter day to day.”

Jared also points to the fact that “throughout the Bible [there are] examples of God’s compassion towards the orphan, the poor and the defenceless. As followers of God, we should share his passionate compassion for the disenfranchised of the world.”

The Letter of James states that there is only one type of religion that is acceptable: one that takes care of widows and orphans. And the prophet Ezekiel reminded the Israelites that Sodom was condemned for being unconcerned with, and for ignoring, the oppressed and the poor (16:49); it was their failure to take care of the oppressed that caused God to remove their blessing.

“For as long as I can remember I have had a heart for the orphan,” says Chantel. “It was always my dream to be able to work with orphans and give them the love and attention they had never received.”

For Chantel, that day is coming closer. The Klassens and their two-year-old daughter Raeca are currently in the process of adopting internationally from the Congo. Being convicted by biblical truths with a passion for orphans, one that began for Chantel as a teenager, the next obvious step of obedience was adopting a child. It was how their family could speak with their life, compassionately loving the orphans.

It hasn’t been an easy journey, though. Through months of waiting, searching for adoption agencies, dealing with unknowns, large fees and the massive amounts of paperwork that accompany every step, there has been struggle. The Klassens are still waiting faithfully for their adoption to be processed, trusting that God will work things out.

“What keeps the hope [is] knowing that it will all be worth it in the end and [that] we will be able to give a child or two a better life than they would have had,” she says.

This experience motivated the Klassens to begin Once Was Lost, yet another way they are able to advocate for the orphan. The registered non-profit organization “aims to provide financial support to families currently in the process of adopting internationally.”

Once Was Lost works with families in various stages of the adoption process. Families can contact the Klassens at waslost.org to become affiliates, and receive a portion of the funds raised through selling items such as T-shirts, bags, pillow cases and jewellery on the online store (oncewaslost.storenvy.com). Customers purchasing through the store are also able to designate their proceeds to a specific family if they wish.

The Klassens hope that sharing their story will stir up a desire in others to care for the orphan and be challenged to “have a strong desire to see a world where every child has a home.”  

Brandi Thorpe, a blogger for Young Voices, resides for a season in Kitchener, Ont. For more on the Klassens’ adoption journey, look for her Young Voices blog later this month. Interested in a deepened conversation about adoption and the church? E-mail her at brandi.j.thorpe@gmail.com.