God cares for orphans, Part 4

In an example of a best-case scenario, one of my English students has found a home in a Christian family.

You may remember Lolita, 10, from earlier posts. She has now been adopted by an American woman. Lolita met her new mom through a hosting program that brings kids to the U.S. to stay in families during Christmas and summer vacation periods. This gives them a chance to get to know each other a little bit before pursuing adoption. Now that the adoption has been completed, Lolita’s mom reports that they are doing fine and that Lolita is enjoying school. Praise the Lord!

Many kids are being adopted through this program. Let’s pray that the children would receive the true Spirit of Adoption as they are being loved and given a home by families who are following the Lord.

This seems like a good opportunity to share about a dream I had a few years ago.

I was walking down a main street and came upon a rally of some sort. People were marching with banners that said “Abba.” I looked around and spotted some orphans I knew, from Lolita’s orphanage. They were cheering for “Abba” along with everyone else. I was a bit concerned, assuming that they didn’t know what they were shouting about. I approached the children and asked, “Do you know who Abba is?” “Yes,” they chorused. “He is God, our Father.”

I was surprised at their depth of knowledge. Upon waking, I wondered how much of the Truth was absorbed by the kids at summer camp when we shared the Gospel with them daily. I wonder how many of them know the Father and are able to cry out to Him as they wait for families.

God cares for orphans, Part 3

Recently I was talking with Galina, the orphanage counselor whom I tutor in English. I update the database of kids in the orphanage who are eligible for our hosting program, so sometimes I ask Galina to clarify about certain kids. This time she told me that two more of the kids are being adopted (by Americans), along with their older brother from another orphanage.

“Soon we will have no kids and the orphanage will close!” she said sadly. I immediately thought of our prayers for the orphanages to close. It is in some ways a joyous thought, but for someone like Galina, it is a sad one. It truly takes great sacrifice to love kids who may be adopted by others or will simply graduate and go out into the world. Some are moved to other orphanages as well. Therefore, many orphanage staff members who seem harsh are simply trying to keep a little emotional distance between themselves and children they might lose.

I am constantly amazed by orphanage workers who pour their lives out for the children. The pay is not enough to keep them there. There is not much reward. And I wonder, other than faith in God, what could possibly motivate them? Not that the human race is devoid of compassion, but what could give them the strength to go on serving in the way that they do? God works in surprising ways and uses the people we’d least expect, in order to save lives.

In fact, maybe he will use some of those same people to place orphans in families. I have heard people who care for orphans say that they would adopt a child themselves, BUT… (and here are a list of factors including finances and jealousy of other children in the group). But these are the people who have the heart and experience for caring for wounded children. If they were given a chance, they could become more than a caregiver. They could give an uprooted child a second chance at having a family.

No words to add

I finally finished "Everlasting Man" by G.K. Chesterton. I got stuck in a few sections, but in general I enjoyed it.

Here is one of my favorite quotes from the book. The quote is about the power of the Gospel. But I'm not going to add any other explanation. You'll see why.

"The tale has been retold with patronising pathos by elegant sceptics and with fluent enthusiasm by boisterous bestsellers. It will not be retold here. The grinding power of the plain words of the Gospel story is like the power of mill-stones; and those who can read them simpy enough will feel as if rocks had been rolled upon them. Criticism is only words about words; and of what use are words about such words as these? What is the use of word-painting about the dark garden filled suddenly with torchlight and furious faces? 'Are you come out with swords and staves as against a robber? All day I sat in your temple teaching, and you took me not.' Can anything be added to the massive and gathered restraint of that irony; like a great wave lifted to the sky and refusing to fall? ' Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me but weep for yourselves and for your children.' As the High Priest asked what further need he had of witnesses, we might well ask what further need we have of words. Peter in a panic repudiated him: 'and immediately the cock crew; and Jesus looked upon Peter, and Peter went out and wept bitterly.' Has anyone any further remarks to offer? Just before the murder he prayed for all the murderous race of men, saying, 'They know not what they do;' is there anything to say to that, except that we know as little what we say? Is there any need to repeat and spin out the story of how the tragedy trailed up the Via Dolorosa and how they threw him in haphazard with two thieves in one of the ordinary batches of execution; and how in all that horror and howling wilderness of desertion one voice spoke in homage, a startling voice from the very last place where it was looked for, the gibbet of the criminal; and he said to that nameless ruffian, 'This night shalt thou be with me in Paradise?' Is there anything to put after that but a full-stop? "

God cares for orphans, Part 2

The other day I was at a prayer meeting for people with a heart for orphans. The crowd of about 14 included missionaries from different countries (Germany, the U.S., Great Britain) as well as Russians. There was a young Russian lady present whom I hadn't met before, although she was accompanied by some ladies I do know who work in transitional homes for orphanage graduates.

After the prayer had ended, I approached the young lady to introduce myself. She was sitting by herself as the others talked amongst themselves. "I'm an orphanage graduate!" she announced, partway into the conversation. My heart was immediately touched that she had risen out of her circumstances and joined a body of believers who wanted to help others in her situation. "I want to help orphans too," she said. She also shared with me that she had lived in Kazakstan for four years, as a missionary to the Muslims. "I liked my years from 20-25 the best," she said almost wistfully. "I was active, doing ministry. But now I will be doing ministry too, helping orphans." She was around my age. And what a life! She would be an example to others. I was encouraged.

When I got up to leave, the missionaries continued to chat jovially, but my new friend came over and gave me a hug and a little kiss on the cheek. It is sometimes surprising how easily God can unite believers in love.