Adrienne Raptis: Building the James 1:27 House

Two sparks ignite a global flame in this powerful conversation between Maria Termotto-Horwitz and Adrienne Raptis, who share how a divine appointment transformed into Amanda Termotto’s, Right from the Heart Foundation—a nonprofit supporting orphanages across continents.

Their story begins with matching necklaces at a local event that sparked a conversation revealing God's intricate plan decades in the making. Adrienne shares how in college, God planted a vision that she would build the "James 127 House" for orphans, referring to the biblical mandate to care for the fatherless. Years later, when offering to help Maria with her foundation's website, she discovered one of Maria's Ugandan orphanages was already named James 127 Ministries—a confirmation that brought tears and chills, revealing God's perfect orchestration.

Both women vulnerably discuss their personal connection to what they call the "orphan spirit"—Maria through losing her mother to suicide at 13 and experiencing her father's rejection, and Adrienne through her public health work with vulnerable children worldwide. This shared understanding fuels their passion for supporting children who lack parental care in Uganda and India, creating not just financial support but personal relationships through video calls and birthday celebrations.

The conversation weaves through their book projects—"Blessed Beginnings" and "You Are a Wonder Woman"—whose proceeds directly fund orphanage construction and support. They emphasize the power of collaboration in Kingdom work, believing that God is bringing His people together in this season to create greater impact than any could achieve alone.

Join Maria and Adrienne in creating a lasting legacy by supporting orphans and vulnerable children through their foundation. Visit their website to contribute or connect directly with them to learn how you can become part of this transformative work spanning continents and generations.

A special thank you to the Best Home Ever Team for sponsoring Spark, allowing us to keep supporting Amanda Termotto’s Right From The Heart Foundation — from caring for orphanages in Uganda and India to funding outreach here at home. Get connected through a Spark Palm City networking event, Blessed Life Ever home church, Mustard Seed Collective Bible study, Calvary Fitness workout, or Like Arrows homeschool co-op. To learn more or get involved, text or call Maria at (561) 779-9452.

Thanks for listening to Spark! Special thanks to the Best Home Ever Team for helping us support Amanda Termotto’s Right From The Heart Foundation. Join us at events, Bible studies, workouts, or our homeschool co-op — and book a VIP golf cart tour. Call or text (561) 779-9452. Spark it up!

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Chapters

• 0:00 Meeting and Building a Partnership
• 3:04 The James 127 House Vision
• 6:25 Supporting Women and Children Globally
• 9:40 Understanding the Orphan Spirit
• 13:30 New Book and Foundation Mission
• 17:04 Creating a Lasting Legacy

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:22

Welcome to Spark igniting faith, family and revival. I'm your host, maria Tremato Horwitz, and today I'm joined by Adrienne Raptus. Adrienne is the owner of Raptus Rare Books. She is the author of you Are a Wonder Woman. She's the mother of two and resides here in Palm Beach. Adrienne, welcome to the show.

Speaker 2: 0:41

Thank you so much for having me, Maria Of course.

Speaker 1: 0:44

So today we want to talk about the nonprofit that we have together. Amanda Tomatoes, right from the Heart Foundation, I'd like to tell them how we met your involvement and how we're going to impact the world for Jesus Christ.

Speaker 2: 0:57

Yeah, it's such a cool story. I met Maria at an event that our mutual friend Brandy puts on called Faith, fitness and Finance. So if you ever want to do that, I think it was last May, so we've just known each other for a short time and I didn't know anyone coming in. And we both had our Hearts for Moms necklaces on, which is another great organization that we both support that helps single moms in the Palm Beach County area. So if you want to find out more about that, we'd love to tell you about that too, and there's a gala coming up on November 1st and we each have a table supporting them. So it was just so cool and I just connected with you and we just I didn't know anyone. So over that time we got to know each other.

Speaker 1: 1:47

She's telling me about her orphanages that she supports in India and that inspired me to tell her about the orphanages we have in Uganda.

Speaker 2: 1:56

Yeah, so I've been supporting this orphanage in India since about 2019. And really it doesn't have funding other than myself, my parents, a few other people, and so I was trying to start a nonprofit last year so that at least we could be tax deductible donations. And, if you're not aware, there's a lot of persecution happening in India right now. Where they are currently at, they're being kicked out pretty soon, and so we're actually trying to build an orphanage for them, and so we're raising you know, trying to raise funds, but it's, you know, I'm I've been blessed financially, but it's also we'd love to bring in other people to support and be part of that as well. So it was just such a cool story and it goes. Yeah, it's just such an amazing thing. So when I was in college, I felt that God told me that I would build the James 127 house. So this is very specific. You know, james 127, if you're not aware, is the verse that says the religion that God finds true and faultless is to help orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world. And so I thought maybe this orphanage in India was the orphanage that you know I was going to build. That was the James 127 house. And then I connected with you and God just was telling me don't reinvent the wheel. And you had your spark events. And that spark was you know, bring these two sparks together and let's create a fire, right? So I connected with you and I said, maria, let's, you know I can support your orphanage orphanages in Uganda and you know your tax deductible. You know I can support your orphanage orphanages in Uganda and you know your tax deductible. You know already, nonprofit, we can, we can work together and and that was just great. And she didn't have a website. Right, and through the years I've learned how to build like I don't know like 10 different websites. So I was like I can build you a website. I don't know like 10 different websites. So I was like I can build you a website and I was like, tell me more about these orphanages that you have, because I really didn't know that much. And so they're sending pictures and I'm finding out the information and one of the orphanages is James 127 Ministries.

Speaker 2: 4:23

Like I get chills every time I say that. Like I get chills every time I say that because it just shows the power of coming together. And sometimes I've questioned myself. I thought it was going to be a missionary in Africa, and here I am, living in Palm Beach, among the wealthiest of the wealthy. I'm like am I on the wrong path? What's what's going on here?

Speaker 2: 4:42

God and God has been telling me recently you are where you are for such a time as this, you are in the right place at the right time, and all the resources that I have now, all the connections that I have, are actually going to be useful for what God wants me to do. And where I could have built, you know, built one well before. Now I can build many wells, and we're actually the two of us are meeting with an organization called Never Thirst today that I've supported a little bit over the years, but they build wells around the world, so it's just, it's just such a cool thing, and so they in. In Uganda, they're trying to also build an orphanage, and so we're sending funds right now, and Maria's new book, blessed Beginnings so I don't talk the whole time is supporting all of the proceeds from her new book that just launched yesterday or last week are supporting that, and so tell us a little bit more about your book.

Speaker 1: 5:42

Yes, yes, and before we jump in there. It's such a testimony to obedience to God, Like God gave you the idea hey, why do this alone when you can partner up? And I believe that in this age right now, God is bringing together his people to collaborate, because we are much stronger together than apart and we can only accomplish so much in our own strength alone. But then, when we're with someone else alongside us running the good race and fighting the good fight, we can do so much more together than apart. And that is the mission of Spark, all these different sparks coming together to ignite the world with the fire and love of Jesus Christ. And it's so cool that you approached me to collaborate before you even knew that it was called the James 127 Orphanage.

Speaker 1: 6:32

And God placed that dream and vision on your heart so many years ago. And in the Bible it says in Joel your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. I will pour out my spirit upon you. Your old men shall see visions, your young men shall dream dreams. And these dreams and visions that were placed in your heart so long ago are now coming to fulfillment. And it's just like in the book of Genesis when God placed the dream and vision in Abraham's heart that he would be the father of nations, and he saw that come to fulfillment 27 years later. This is another example of how God placed a dream, a vision, in your heart with this orphanage and now, literally, the money's being sent to build this orphanage in Uganda and also India, yeah, so exciting.

Speaker 2: 7:16

So, yeah, and I and I wrote this book during COVID in 2020, called you Are a Wonder Woman, and you are definitely a wonder woman, and so many people, but just inspiring us. I felt like God was telling us to slow down and also just to help us understand. You know, you, as myself, sometimes we tend to do so many things right. We are constantly, especially as business women, we're doing this and that and trying be superwomen. And God was just saying you are already beautifully and nonprofit in India. You know, now it's this right from the Heart Foundation and it's just a way to.

Speaker 2: 8:15

I just said let's support other women and children, because when you support women and children, you are really and those who are in distress, you are doing, you are being the hands and feet of God, and that's really. You know, we can do a lot of things. We can, you know, build businesses, but what is it for right? It's what is the legacy that we want to leave and what is the heart of why we're doing the things that we're doing. And so it's just so exciting that the things that I'm doing, I'm now able to really, I feel like, make a legacy, a lasting legacy for the kingdom of God and not just for myself or anything like that, and let's talk about the heart the organizations were involved in, of course, Hearts for Moms.

Speaker 1: 9:07

Where did your heart develop, this love and compassion for the fatherless, the widow?

Speaker 2: 9:13

the marginalized. Where did this start? You know, I don't really know. So I actually have a background in public health, a background in public health, and so I did missions, trips and I worked in Haiti and you know a lot of third world countries around the world. I did my master's thesis on orphans and vulnerable children with HIV. So mothers who had had HIV and how it affected their children, and just I think, through the travels and just seeing children, right, you know children who you know they're, just their hearts are so pure, but you know they come into this life and you know they just come together with these circumstances that are just so hard and so like lifting them up and giving them a chance and giving them a future, because God cares about their heart. So it was interesting.

Speaker 2: 10:08

This year I was exposed to this idea of an orphan spirit and when I heard about this, someone was talking about the orphan spirit and that is kind of in all of us we can have an orphan spirit where we try to prove ourselves right, to be loved, to be worthy, and when I heard that, I don't know what happened but I was just bawling, so I don't know where this comes from, but I had to also realize that I had some orphan spirit inside of me and part of me.

Speaker 2: 10:42

Even though I wrote this book that God downloaded to me, I still was trying to prove myself, or, you know, I think sometimes there are generational things. I don't know where it comes from, but I think that's also partly where I get my love for orphans, and so God is using, stripping the orphan spirit away from me, this year especially, and I'm just, you know, realizing, truly, stepping into the worthiness of who I am and I don't need to prove myself. And then also, I think let's really help those who are in need, and whether that's through Hearts for Moms, maybe the kids are not orphans, but they're vulnerable because they don't have the, you know, sometimes they're in. There's stories of people who they're living in their cars and you can't, you can't go to school, you can't, and it's just. It also just affects who they are right, you know. So they're feeling of value. So, yeah, so I guess that's where it comes from.

Speaker 1: 11:51

The orphan spirit.

Speaker 2: 11:53

I mean, I think you probably have a very similar orphan spirit. You know feeling as well.

Speaker 1: 12:00

So yeah, orphan spirit you know feeling as well. So yeah, with losing my mom to suicide when I was 13 and thinking that it was her my whole life, and being told that she was suicidal before she met my dad and that she had depression and anxiety and bipolar, but then to recently find out that that is not the case, that she had such a bright light and the love of God and everyone around her could see it. But my father was jealous of that light and sought to stomp it out. Between his words, his narcissistical nature, the misogynist that he was, he would tell me after she died that there are no good women on earth and that women inherently are evil. And I would listen to him say this and say I am a woman, yes, and he's like that's the problem.

Speaker 1: 12:51

So I do have an orphan spirit. My mother abandoned me, my father abandoned me, but it's the Lord that brought us up and clinging onto the scriptures that we have an inheritance in heaven and clinging on to the scriptures that we have an inheritance in heaven, that we are chosen, that our father knit us perfectly in our mother's womb, these are the verses that we hang on to and realize that we have a heavenly father who cares so much more about us than any earthly father ever could. And this nonprofit in my mom's honor, amanda Tomatoes, right From the Heart Foundation. Its mission is to inspire and empower young people in living their life boldly for Christ, and we do that through helping the orphans, the widows, the fatherless, and inspiring and encouraging others locally and globally.

Speaker 2: 13:40

Yeah, so I'm so glad that we, you know, I think you know, I know it was God that brought us together and yeah, so I think that if anyone wants to be a part of this, you can go to the website.

Speaker 2: 13:48

Amanda is right from the heartfoundationcom and give there and it's tax deductible donations. And the kids, especially in India and Uganda. You know we video chat with them. You know they send, I think, the same thing for you in Uganda from the kids in Uganda. But the kids in India they, every year on our birthdays they, you know, do a little like party for us, I mean. So it's a great. It's not just supporting, you know, this big organization. This is like you get to see the impact that you're making and that's what's just so wonderful. So our next step would be to go visit them.

Speaker 1: 14:33

Yes, we're trying to figure out.

Speaker 2: 14:35

We're trying to figure that out.

Speaker 1: 14:35

If anyone has resources or connections, please get with us on that as well.

Speaker 2: 14:40

Yes.

Speaker 1: 14:41

Awesome. And let's see I can mention about Blessed Beginnings, embracing Pregnancy and Parenthood Through Biblical Wisdom. So this book was just launched and all the proceeds also go to the orphans. And this has gentle guidance for nourishing your body, soul and spirit during pregnancy. Encouragement for partnering with your husband in unity and prayer, biblical truth that dismantle fear and affirm God's design for birth, practical prayers, journal prompts and declarations to anchor your journey and testimonies of God's faithfulness through my own motherhood stories and this is available on Amazon as well as you Are a Wonder Woman by Adrienne Raptus, also on Amazon. And what else should we say? Any closing thoughts? Prayers?

Speaker 2: 15:27

I just think that, as you, you know, if anyone is thinking about this, I think there's just a legacy. I want to just kind of talk about legacy. You know, all of us have a short time here on this earth, and what is the impact that you want to have? And so I just invite you to be part of this legacy to make a difference in the lives of orphans and vulnerable children, and, you know, hearts for Moms or any organization that is really helping those who can't help themselves. You know God wants us to. Obviously that is something that Jesus talked about so much was helping the poor. And you know, I think, that we have a responsibility to. You know, use the resources that we've been given and, like, steward them and be God's hands and feet.

Speaker 2: 16:31

So, yeah, we just invite you to be part of it. You know, and if you want to find out more information, contact us. You know directly and that that's so beautifully said.

Speaker 1: 16:42

It's all about legacy. What are we leaving behind? How are the children that we're raising? What legacy will they leave?

Speaker 1: 16:49

And we are called to usher in the kingdom of Jesus here on earth and in his kingdom, the orphans, the widows, the marginalized, they're all cared for, there are crowns on their heads. They are our brothers and sisters. And if we appeared before God on judgment day and we were not his hands and feet in the world, then what part do we have in his kingdom? But we are called to live a life that is worthy to hear him say on judgment day well done, my good and faithful servant, because you have been faithful, and that's that which is least. Be over that which is most. Enter into the joy of the Lord.

Speaker 1: 17:28

So we pray that you live a life that is worthy of that legacy, worthy to step into your calling that God has laid out for you. And if we're going to be spending eternity with each other in heaven, we might as well get to know each other, partner up and love each other here on earth, yeah, and create a fire. Yes, yes, all the sparks here. We are sparking it up and, on that note, be blessed, don't be stressed and spark it up. Thank you,