Always Wanted

Did you know that if only six percent of born-again Christians in the world adopted there would be no more adoptable orphans in the world?  Only six percent! (source)  

Throughout the Bible, God clearly commands every Christian to care for orphans.  Christians everywhere are responding to this command and extending God's love and blessing to children. Some are adopting or providing foster care. Many are supporting adoptive and foster care children and families in various ways.

Whether you're part of the 6% called to adopt or the 94% who can support adoption and foster care, Always Wanted wants to partner with you.

There is so much information available on adoption and foster care and it can be really difficult to navigate through it; we hope you get a great start here.   We’re continually working hard to maintain this site as a thorough guide to the best printed and online resources available.

Be sure to check out Stories and Faces of Adoption and Stories and Faces of Foster Care.  We encourage you to connect with these Vanguard families and individuals; email them, ask them questions, encourage them, build community.

• Leads Vanguard in praying and advocating for adoption and foster care
• Makes adoption more affordable for Vanguard team players through Vanguard's Adoption Grant Program.
• Coordinates education, support and community meetings and events
• Provides support for adoptive and foster care families at Vanguard through:
  1) The Volunteer Network serving in tangible ways
  2) The Sponsor Family Program: one family commits to support a new foster or adoptive family in tangible ways for one year. Provides prayer, respite care, meals, etc. as needed and notifies the volunteer network of needs.  
• Leads Vanguard in caring for children in the US foster care system and promotes adoption from foster care
• Directs birth families to positive resources, support and adoption options
• Maintains the Always Wanted website as a thorough guide to the best printed and online resources on adoption and foster care.  Also hosts Stories and Faces of Adoption and Stories and Faces of Foster Care, a collection of stories about adoption and foster care at Vanguard.

Looking for more information?  Want to help lead the ministry?  Have suggestions on how we can make this site better? We’d love to hear from you! Please contact Julie Briggs at juliebriggsis@gmail.com.

Adoption and foster care are two great ways to care for orphans but they are not the only way.  For more information on how Vanguard is caring for orphans throughout the world, check out:

• Vanguard's Beyond Survival ministry in Swaziland, Africa
• Vanguard's Lasting Beyond ministry, serving orphans, widows and the homeless