“. . . for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be for all the people.”  (Luke 2:10)

Dear Friend of the Persecuted Church,

Warm greetings!  I hope this letter finds you well.

May God bless you and your loved ones as we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

I want to share a special blessing that has recently been finalized for me and my family -- and has set a new legal precedent for the nation.

As you may know, CFI, through your support, has been helping thousands of persecuted Karen and Karenni Christians in Burma.

Together, over the years, we prayed and lobbied hard for many of these persecuted Christians to have the opportunity to come to America.

God heard our prayers -- many of our persecuted brothers and sisters from Burma are now living in freedom here in America.  Thank God!

As a result of this resettlement many of the children in our CFI schools and orphanages along the Burma/Thailand border have been given the opportunity to begin a new life.

Two years ago, my wife Karen and I “took in” eight of these children.

Even though they quickly became a part of our family, we needed to make it “official” in the eyes of the law.

However, we were told no one had ever adopted stateless, refugee children with no birth certificates.

As a result we launched a long, arduous legal process to adopt.

To make a long, difficult story short, as of Wednesday, November 25, 2009, at a special hearing, a judge granted our request and made our adoption official.

This incredible decision paves the way for others to adopt refugee children who come to America.

Needless to say we had a great Thanksgiving Day celebration.

Adoption gives a glimpse of salvation -- we don’t deserve it -- we don’t earn it -- and yet we are grafted in to the family of God.

So now Karen and I “officially” have 12 children.  On a side note, whoever said it was cheaper by the dozen did not have 12 kids.

We are excited to see how God is going to use each of our children to advance His Kingdom.

But I want to share that none of this would have been possible without your prayers and support of the ministry of Christian Freedom International.

Your prayers and gifts over the years have brought lifesaving aid and advocacy to thousands of believers around the world.

Your “investment” in CFI is reaping major results.

And as you know, we are not supported by government grants but only through the sacrificial gifts of people just like you.

We have so much that needs to be accomplished over the coming years.

And I might add, as persecution has increased around the world, the demands for our services have never been greater.

Given the state of current world events -- and even the radical changes our own government is making -- it looks like 2010 will only be busier, more demanding.

Over this past year, the poor economy and falling stock prices have taken an enormous toll on our donations.

That is why I am asking you to prayfully consider a generous “year-end” gift.

Your generous, tax-deductible “year-end” gift will help us fill in the gap and determine our operating budget for 2010.  Your gift will help position us to . . .

---                    expand our humanitarian programs worldwide on behalf of the Persecuted Church;

---                    increase our important advocacy work;

---                    and, directly impact the lives of persecuted Christians in some of the most dangerous places in the world for Christians.

Please take this need before the Lord.

Thank you for your faithfulness.  And, “. . . may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all. . .”  (2 Cor. 13:14).

Have a wonderful Christmas!

Sincerely in Christ,

Jim Jacobson

President

P.S. Remember any gift to Christian Freedom International that is postmarked before December 31 may be deducted on your 2009 tax return.

 

Give your year end gift, here. 

 

  

 

SAULT STE. MARIE, MI -- December 9, 2009 -- Jim and Karen Jacobson might describe themselves as ordinary citizens, but the Michigan residents have done something so extraordinary that they just may have set a new precedent in the U.S. adoption arena.  After nearly 18 months of wading through the murky waters of bureaucratic red tape, they have become the legally adoptive parents of eight refugee children, all of whom hail from Burma, one of the most devastated and war-torn countries in the world.

The Jacobsons are hardly strangers to the plight of Burma’s ethnic refugees, who in recent years have finally been granted approval by the U.S. State Department to seek asylum in the United States.  Jim Jacobson’s nonprofit organization, Christian Freedom International (CFI), works extensively among thousands of persecuted Karen and Karenni Christians in Burma and Thailand, with Jacobson having personally made countless trips to the region throughout the past decade to help build schools and medical clinics, and deliver humanitarian aid and hope to a people who have been struggling in the midst of a genocidal nightmare for decades.

Hundreds of Burma’s refugees who relocate to the United States each year have been orphaned by the violent war in their homeland.  When the question arose for Jacobson and his wife, Karen, about whether to adopt four refugee siblings -- who had previously received care through CFI in Thailand before arriving in the U.S. in the spring of 2008 -- the challenges stretched down a seemingly endless road, one where no American had ever ventured before.

The lack of official birth records -- and no real way to determine a refugee minor’s true eligibility for adoption -- remains the primary obstacle in the adoption of Karen and Karenni children directly from Burma’s refugee camps, and it was the initial hindrance to the Jacobsons’ adoption once the children were in the United States.  “One of the things that makes it very difficult to adopt refugee children is that there is no certificate of foreign birth, they have no birth record at all,” says Karen Jacobson.  “The only birth records they have are the ones that have been discovered or researched by the UNHCR [United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees].  But if they don’t know it then they assign them a birth date, basically, because no one knows the exact day.”  It was only when a Michigan judge finally ruled, after six months of deliberations, that the children’s green cards and immigration paperwork could serve as “Other Proof of Birth” that the adoption process was allowed to move forward.  

In the months that followed, the Jacobsons also applied to adopt four other refugee children. “It was clear that all of the children wanted us to adopt them,” says Karen Jacobson.  “The goal for them is to train and be educated to someday go back and serve the Karen people.

Life in a leper colony is filled with hopelessness and grinding poverty.  The unfortunate victims of leprosy are considered cursed, even by their own family members, and are often disowned for life even after they have received medical treatment and are no longer considered contagious.  Cut off from family, friends, and society, many lepers resort to begging on the streets, forced to live out the rest of their days in lonely squalor.

CFI co-workers made a recent delivery of supplies to a leper colony in Orissa, bringing rice, blankets, and Bibles to over 40 colony residents.  In a place filled with overwhelming need, CFI serves as a beacon of hope and inspiration for these suffering men and women.

For the past year, CFI has actively responded to this severe humanitarian crisis in Orissa.  Our ongoing support provides food, clothing, medicine and Bibles to hundreds of needy people, particularly those who are languishing in refugee camps.  With the help of indigenous co-workers in India, CFI is making an impact in a place that has been torn apart by hatred, violence, and destruction.

Your partnership with us is critical to the success of our mission to support the Persecuted Church in places like Orissa.  Please help us continue this mission through your prayers and financial support.

To help provide much needed aid to the forsaken Christian lepers in Orissa, click here. 

It has been one year since the severe outbreak of violence in Orissa, but Christians continue to suffer greatly in this region. Thousands of people remain in refugee camps, fearing forced conversion to Hinduism or even death if they return to their homes. The crisis has caused a great need for basic supplies of food, clothing, medicine, and adequate shelter for these helpless victims of persecution.

The Indian government has closed several camps throughout the state, leaving many refugees with nowhere to go. Some have chosen to live in the slums of Orissa’s capital rather than risk their lives by returning home. Other refugees who left the camps have managed to secure work as day laborers in nearby cities, but are not earning enough to survive.

Many refugees who chose to return home have reportedly been denied access to shops where they can buy basic necessities.

Meanwhile, reports of attacks against Christians in other states continue to surface throughout India.

To Help our Brothers and Sisters, click here.