Part 1: Download
Worship, 8 Reasons Why I Don’t Share My Faith, Audrey Donnelly’s testimony. “A Crash Course to Biblical Evangelism.”

Part 2: Download
Brad Vernooy shares an evangelism testimony, break out sessions with Mike Useloff on cults, Pastor John Basilio on world religions.

Thanks to Joe for capturing it all on video!

Hebrews from Memory:

Boy Comedian:

Cup Game:

Sisters!:

Kim & John Riggio’s Song:

!Los Campeones De La Salsa!:

Later that evening I typed the words “New York Orphans” into Google.  I knew at that time I was limited in what I could offer but I knew a path would be lit for me to follow.  The first choice from Google was a link for CASA.  I had never heard of this organization before but in its brief description I learned that it served children in need in New York so I filled out an online form requesting more information.  I surfed a little longer not finding anything and went to bed with thoughts that I would ever think of CASA again.

Monday morning around 10am I received a call from the CASA office in Goshen asking me to come in for an interview to become a CASA volunteer.  I still really had no clue what this organization was but  I decided to go and meet with them.  I got a little resistance about becoming a volunteer from people who thought it would take away from other responsibilities in my life but I felt stronger about the pull to do this than the pressure to not.

On Tuesday I was interviewed by the program director and learned that CASA stood for Court Appointed Special Advocate (assistant) for abused and neglected children.  The volunteers of CASA are trained and sworn in by the Family Court.  They are assigned a single family court case to follow.  It is their job to collect information and report to the court a more accurate account of a child’s life and to fill in the pieces of information lost in the system.  Often a child in Family court has been removed from their home because their family is unable to care for them for a variety of reasons.  Often they are placed in foster care.  The children change schools, case workers, homes, doctors, and service providers at rapid rates and information is not always easy to keep track of.  A CASA volunteer stays with the child’s case until they find a permanent home the CASA never changes.  In 1975 a Judge in Seattle Washington sent a child home for a weekend visit with their family and the child was killed.  That Judge created the CASA program giving the public the opportunity to the fill the gaps in a system in which 950 new children are entered everyday in America.  In as little as 2 hours a month a CASA can meet with their child and report the child’s side to the court along with other details that would be missed by someone unfamiliar with the child.

On Wednesday a new training was beginning, another one would not be held for 6 months timing was on my side.  I was approved and began training that week.  In the spring of  2008 I was sworn into the Family Court as an Orange County CASA.  The training is emotional because you are faced with the reality of local child abuse, internally I prayed that I would be placed with an older child because I was not sure if I could handle a case with children the same age as mine.  I made no indication of a preference and allowed the child that needed me to have me.  Within a week of being sworn in I was assigned my first case.

I cannot tell you the details of my case but can say that I was paired with an older child.  It seemed after our first encounter that I would never be able to do anything for this child.  I was persistent and slowly over time I gained their trust and eventually a bond.  The case has been challenging and the child has been let down by the system time and time again.  The simple answer to these problems was there all along I knew that they belonged with me but I saw their path to me as a long journey through a narrow dim lit path with a bright warm light at the end.  I knew the other placement options would have to be exhausted, I knew my spouse would need time to see this child as I did, I knew the system would need my pattern of faithfulness to approve me as an adoptive parent.  After the long path we are now approaching the end.

Next week we will be filing a petition for adoption of this child. I am overjoyed to be given another child in my life.  Your message has changed my life significantly, there’s no way I would have found CASA when I did if I had not heard that sermon, there is no way that if I joined CASA later that I would have gotten this case, and there is no way this child would come to have us as a family.  Your simple message helped me to start the journey.

Jennifer Brenner