I met with Pastor JongRak Lee today who oversees the Baby Box ministry caring for abandoned babies in South Korea. It's been awesome to see how social media has played a key role in getting the word out globally on the needs of these children and the incredible ministry Pastor Lee has been doing for the past 4 years. And within these four short years, God has used this man to help rescue and protect the lives of 375 babies. Without a doubt, just the trailer for the documentary The Drop Box, directed by Brian Ivie, has been instrumental in gathering global support for these precious babies. 

I asked Pastor Lee for an update on their situation today and here are some current prayer requests he has and some simple ways we can support this ministry. 

Prayer Requests 

• Community Support: The city of Seoul is pushing Pastor Lee to move his ministry outside of Seoul. But the new city they are moving to called Ilsan has been protesting against this ministry from entering their area for various reasons. Please pray for God to change the hearts of the Ilsan neighbors to receive this family and ministry with a heart of love. 

• Provision of Funds: God provided a larger area of land in Ilsan which will allow them to care for more children and especially have facilities that can care for the children with special needs. The final plans for the new building project will have 3 floors, but phase one of the project will be to establish the first floor facilities, which will cost about $1.8 million. They are still short about $1 million. 

• Law Changes in Korea: Please pray for new laws that will protect the privacy of the birth moms and the lives of these babies so that less children will be abandoned (and aborted) and more can be placed in permanent homes instead. 

• Culture Changes in Korea: Please pray for the Church in Korea to celebrate and embrace the orphan and adoption and to see this as a visible expression of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Pray for the Church to rise up and take the lead in caring for the orphans as James 1:27 commands us to. 

Financial Support 

Financial Support from the US

A US tax-deductible 501(c) account has been created for Pastor Lee's ministry through Kindred Image. Click here to go directly to their donation page. 

Financial Support within Korea 

If you are giving within Korea, you can wire your donations to any of these accounts: 

• 국민 Koomin Bank 715301-01-258639 
  
• 농협 Nonghyub Bank 170118-51-009901
  

Account Holder Name : 주사랑공동체교회


Donations 

Because of the regular flow of babies that come through this ministry, basic baby needs are always welcome, such as: 

• Diapers 
• Baby food 
• Baby clothes
• Toiletries 

Items can be sent to their address: 

주사랑공동체 교회
주사랑공동체의 집
서울시 관악구 난곡동 646-151

To visit their website (in Korean) click here. 

Volunteer Opportunities 

Currently, they are not taking anymore volunteers as there has been a huge flow of support in recent months. But if you do have a heart for the orphan and would like to offer your time and services, here are some other organizations you can look into supporting within Korea: 

• Women's Hope Center (A crisis pregnancy center with offices in Seoul and Pohang) 
  
• Handle with Care (A forthcoming adoption and foster care service for expats in Korea) 
  
• Single Love (Serving the single moms of Korea) 
  
• Jerusalem Ministry (An orphanage ministry strong in discipleship and mentoring) 
  
• Holt Children's Services Korea (The first inter-country adoption agency in the world) 
  
• Eastern Welfare Society (Adoption agency) 
  

Please continue to pray that every orphan will one day have a family to call their own in this nation ... soon. For our God "sets the lonely in families." (Psalm 68:6) Thank you.

"Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause." 
Isaiah 1:17 ESV

Here is my interview with Family Life Today on orphan care and the Korean Church that was broadcast on August 30, 2013. Please pray for God to move in the hearts of the Church in Korea to begin caring for the orphans within our nation. May they see and understand the beauty of adoption and the Gospel. 

Download MP3 Here
Download Manuscript Here 

This Thursday and Friday, August 29 and 30, Family Life Today and Hope for Orphans will be broadcasting two special shows focusing on justice and orphan care. We are praying that more churches will gain a vision for orphan care and realize how vital this is to the Gospel message and the Gospel life that we called to live. Please pray that God would use these broadcasts to bring hope and homes to the orphans in our cities and around the world. 

To find a radio station and times in your local area, click here. 

A short-term mission team from Sydney, Australia came this winter to serve some of our justice and mercy ministries. Here is a brief video recap. I am so thankful that more churches are experiencing a justice awakening. More Lord!