An Advocate for Orphans!


Do you know this woman? Her name is Irena Sendler. And she is a heroine!

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She died on May 12, 2008 at the age of 98 years old in Warsaw, Poland.
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During WWII, Irena, got permission to work in the Warsaw ghetto, as a Plumbing/Sewer specialist. She had an ulterior motive.

Irena smuggled Jewish infants out in the bottom of the tool box she carried. She also carried a burlap sack in the back of her truck, for larger kids.

Irena kept a dog in the back that she trained to bark when the Nazi soldiers let her in and out of the ghetto. The soldiers, of course, wanted nothing to do with the dog and the barking covered the kids/infants noises.

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During her time of doing this, she managed to smuggle out and save 2500 kids and infants.

Ultimately, she was caught, however, and the Nazi's broke both of her legs and arms and beat her severely.

Irena kept a record of the names of all the kids she had smuggled out in a glass jar that she buried under a tree in her back yard. After the war, she tried to locate any parents that may have survived and tried to reunite the family. Most had been gassed. Those kids she helped got placed into foster family homes or adopted.

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In 2007 Irena was up for the Nobel Peace Prize. She was not selected. (Al Gore won, for a slide show on Global Warming.)


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April L. Diaz

April has been a visionary activist her entire life. She has made it her mission to lead high performing teams and develop leaders in the margins of society while caring for our bodies, mind, and spirit. Secretly, she’s a mix of a total girly girl and a tomboy, and is still crazy about her high school sweetheart, Brian. Together, they co-parent 3 fabulous kiddos and live in Orange County, CA.

10 Facts about Adoption that will Surprise You

Until my dying breath, I will advocate for adoption and foster care. It has changed our lives... 

slides from HERE. Follow on Twitter: @adoptjourney.
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April L. Diaz

April has been a visionary activist her entire life. She has made it her mission to lead high performing teams and develop leaders in the margins of society while caring for our bodies, mind, and spirit. Secretly, she’s a mix of a total girly girl and a tomboy, and is still crazy about her high school sweetheart, Brian. Together, they co-parent 3 fabulous kiddos and live in Orange County, CA.

Working Mom :: Calling

When people ask me how I can be the kind of mom I want to be AND work full-time, I tell them 2 things. First, I have an amazingly supportive husband [without this the second point isn't even valid]. Second, I have an amazingly supportive employer with super a flexible work schedule.

It's the second point that I'll dedicate to this post [my last post was on the first point]. Let me begin by saying that I believe in callings. I believe God gives them to everyone, but callings look different. That's why it's especially important in the Church that we learn to honor and bless each others' callings. When we do that, we empower another to bring the Kingdom more on Earth as it is in Heaven. I also believe that callings can change as we grow, life changes, and we are faithful in what we've been given. What I was called to 5 years ago is somewhat different from today because of those things.

I work for a church and I'm immensely grateful our faith community models biblical gender equality. They believe in me as a pastor and a mother. They honor both callings and make space for me to be both. I believe in part I'm called to be a voice in the Church for those who don't have a voice [specifically the next generation, the poor, and orphans]. Some of the moments I feel most alive, impassioned, and fulfilled are when I'm leading, teaching, and loving people toward Jesus. If I quit my job, I believe I'd be disobedient to living out the calling God gave me when I was 16 years old.

I also believe that part of what I'm called to do is be a mother. In fact, I believe if you have kids that is one of your MAIN callings. Take it another step, I believe the Church - God's people - is called to father/mother the next generation! Because of this, I make willing sacrifices in my pastoral calling in order to fulfill my mothering calling. It's messy, but I believe someday I'll stand before God and give an account to my obedience in living out my callings.

Reminds me of the Parable of the Talents...will you/I invest or bury the gifts, skills, passions we've been given by the Living God?

[NOTE: if you have questions or suggestions for this "Working Mom" series,
I'd love to hear them!]
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April L. Diaz

April has been a visionary activist her entire life. She has made it her mission to lead high performing teams and develop leaders in the margins of society while caring for our bodies, mind, and spirit. Secretly, she’s a mix of a total girly girl and a tomboy, and is still crazy about her high school sweetheart, Brian. Together, they co-parent 3 fabulous kiddos and live in Orange County, CA.