Doing Nothing

Deuteronomy 27:19  tells us that God commands us not to "distort the justice due an alien, orphan, and widow." (NASB)

"So to deprive the fatherless of justice doesn't simply mean that you deny them a proper hearing in court.  It means not welcoming them into your home, not helping them when they are cold and hungry, not listening when they cry out.  In other words, the sure way to deprive the poor of the justice due them is to do nothing!"     ---The Fields of the Fatherless, by C. Thomas Davis

And yet that is what most of us do, isn't it?  We know about the plight of orphans.  We read the statistics.  We see the faces.  We hear the stories.  And yet we somehow can go to sleep at night without giving it much thought.  We simply DO NOTHING.

It's not enough to read about it and agree.  It's not even enough to have adopted or participated in some form of orphan ministry in the past and think we're "in the clear."  This is something God Himself commands us to do...to make sure we do not distort the justice due an orphan.

God didn't say it just once.  The Bible mentions the importance of caring for orphans many times.  Why is it that something God repeats all throughout His Scriptures is so very easily overlooked?  

If the coach of the most respected and successful team in all of history stopped one day to lean over and give his "secrets" to success, wouldn't all the coaches want to listen and take notes?  If the most successful business owner in the world were to write a book giving the exact formula for success, wouldn't that book sell millions of copies?

And here in our hands, we hold the Living Book written by the God we desire to serve.  And tucked away in the book of James, we find a gold nugget...a prized jewel.  Here, we have the God of the Universe giving His description of what HE HIMSELF defines as pure and faultless religion.  I can picture all of His followers saying, "Oh, I want to know what Your definition of pure and faultless religion is!  I want to know so that I can offer that up to you!  Is it a sacrifice of great money that You want from me?  Is it going to church twice a week?  Is it tithing 10 percent plus an offering? Is it becoming a pastor or missionary?  What oh what is it, Lord, that You define as pure and faultless religion??  Tell me Your secret, Lord!"

James 1:27 says, "Pure and faultless religion is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress." (NIV)  Think about it...  The God we worship...the very one we desire to please and love and worship takes the time to give us HIS definition of "pure and faultless religion."  And what do we do?

Many times, we simply do nothing.

It's that depraved indifference.  Indifference to the lives of orphans because they aren't in our own homes.  Out of sight, out of mind.  Indifference to the God who gave us His own definition of what He accepts as pure and faultless religion.

I am beginning to pray some very bold prayers.  One of them is for God to raise up many people who will shake off that depraved indifference.  Ones who simply cannot just "do nothing."

Playing Church

Perhaps you have heard of Amy Carmichael, the Irish missionary to India.  She once had a vision that she wrote about in an essay titled "My Brother's Blood Crieth."  She talks of the church sitting in circles making daisy chains while the lost blinded people of the world drop off a nearby cliff.  Nobody leaves the circle to go help the falling people.  In fact, the screams of the falling men and women are an irritation to those making their Christian daisy chains.  (Read the whole essay here if you've never seen it.)  I read that when Amy Carmichael sent this essay to the church back home, they were very upset.  Nobody wanted to be accused of what she was implying.

But it was is the truth.

I could go in a million different directions with this, but I am choosing one path that is very dear to my heart...

Orphans.

There once was a boy who had been in an orphanage for 6 years.  Six years.  Let that number penetrate your mind...  

Six years without a mama or daddy to tuck him in bed at night.

Six years without a mama or daddy to hug him and tell him everything is okay.

Six years without enough nutrition for a growing boy.

Six years without his own Christmas stocking, his own Easter basket, his own stuffed animal.

Six years of flus, colds, hurts that nobody had time to tenderly care for.

Six years of lying in bed alone every night and wondering if one day...maybe...someone would love him.

Six years for an orphan must feel like an eternity.  

So, this boy had been an orphan for 6 years.  Sometime during those 6 years, he went to America on a hosting program for orphans.  He spent 5 weeks in a Christian home, visited their church, met their Christian friends, and learned of their God.  At the end of the 5 weeks, he returned to his home country and never got word that anyone wanted to adopt him.  He lay in bed, knowing that some of his friends who had been hosted were now being adopted.  What in the world went through his head?  Do we dare even want to slip our feet into his shoes and try to imagine how he felt?

And, no matter how wonderful his experience was in America, he was again back in his orphanage with the knowledge that he was not adopted by his forever family.  Then, some time later, he was given the opportunity again to travel to American on another hosting experience.  Again, he spent 5 weeks with a host family and had a tremendous time.  He visited their church, met their Christian friends, learned again of this great God.  But again, he had to leave after the 5 weeks and return to his life at the orphanage.  And, again, he was not adopted.

Let me interject a couple of points I want to be clear about...

**Is the hosting program at fault?  NO!   They are WONDERFUL!  I very much line up with what they are doing and, in fact, have contacted one such hosting agency to see if I can work alongside them.  Hosting programs are really amazing ways of bringing these precious children into Christian homes, and the adoption rates are very high in these programs.  It's all GOOD....it's better than good...it's RIGHT.  The hosting program is laying special bricks in this huge wall of orphan ministry.  They are using their bricks in amazing ways, and the wall NEEDS these brick layers to coordinate the hosting programs.

**Is the host family at fault?  NO!  Perhaps they were too old to adopt...or their health wouldn't allow it...or they didn't meet the income requirements for adoption...or whatever the reason.  Sometimes the door closes, not allowing certain people to adopt, through no fault of their own.  Sometimes being a host family is a key brick being placed in the wall of orphan ministry.  The wall NEEDS host families willing to bring these children into their homes, teach them about Jesus and advocate for forever families for them.  

But, today as I was praying in my secret place, the thought of those daisy chains came to mind.  Think about this for just a moment and try to keep your mind open and your defenses at ease...  How many churches did this child visit?  At least 2.  How many Christians were in those churches?  Let's say they were even smallish churches...we could guess at least 200 Christians.  How many Christian families did this child encounter on his 2 trips to America, with visits to friends' houses, church events, etc?  I cannot even guess, but we know it's many.

With all my heart, and without any mean tinge in what I'm saying, I want to simply ask of myself and any Christian who is reading this:  Where is the church?  Where are the ones who will rise up and honestly say, "Here am I, Lord...use me"?  Where are the Christians who will enter into this orphan's pain as if it's their own pain...the ones who will not rest until he is in a forever family...the ones who will open their own homes and be the Hands and Feet of Jesus that we so love to sing about and preach about and talk about over coffee?

Please don't get me wrong.  I've been repenting my own sins in this area, and I'm GRIEVED!  Where in the world is the church??  

We are busy making daisy chains.  We are making sure our worship music goes off without a hitch.  We are polishing up our sermons and lessons.  We are going to camps, workshops, seminars, and retreats to follow God.  We are busy with Christian aerobics classes, potlucks, classes and lock-ins.  We are reading many books, memorizing many Scriptures, and debating Creation -vs- Evolution.  We are so busy for God.  So busy that when an orphan walks right into our church building, we entertain him with music and send him away without ever once entering into his pain and asking ourselves, "Is it ME, Lord?  Is it my home you want to place him into?"

James 2:16 says, "If one of you says to him, 'Go, I wish you well; keep warm and well fed,' but does nothing about his physical needs, what good is it?"

Matthew 25:40 says, "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me'."

How are we missing this???

We are busy making daisy chains.

Then I saw, like a little picture of peace, a group of people under some trees with their backs turned towards the ravine. They were making daisy chains. Sometimes when a piercing shriek cut the quiet air and reached them, it disturbed them and they thought it was a rather crude noise. And if one of their group started up and wanted to go and do something to help, then all the others would pull that one down. "Why should you get so excited about it? You must wait for a definite call to go! You haven't finished your daisy chain yet. It would be really selfish," they said, "to leave us to finish the work alone."  (excerpt from Amy Carmichael's essay).

How much is a life worth?  HOW MUCH IS A SOUL WORTH?

FORGIVE US, LORD!  These are YOUR children, and we act as though it's an option to care for them.  These orphans have now heard of You through their precious host families, but do they know that You are the Father to the fatherless?  Do they know that You set the lonely in families?  Do they know that it is OUR hands and feet that you use to place them into families?  Are these orphans experiencing this group of Christians actually DOING what You want them to do...to love them as You loved us?  You adopted us through great suffering.  Are we too busy making daisy chains to be willing to do as You did?

Or are we merely playing church?

Dumb daisy chains.  Pointless daisy chains that will be gone tomorrow.

Oh how my heart is grieved!  Lord, forgive us.  Forgive me.

I will close with this quote from the book In the Arena, by Isobel Kuhn.  "It was clearly my duty.  I have heard some say that the need is not the call.  I do not understand that.  An obvious need is a call in any branch of human life.  The Good Samaritan did not need a special Bible verse miraculously shining upon him to indicate that it was God's Will he help the poor fellow who had fallen among thieves.  Where common sense clearly points out a duty, that is the voice of God.  We do not need any other, provided a higher duty is not claiming us."

Remembering Gotcha Day

Exactly 2 years ago, we were in the orphanage in Taiwan.  Here's the very first memory I have of our youngest daughter.  We followed the case worker off of the elevator, and there was our pint-size princess playing with some toys.  They told her to wave to "Mama and Baba," and I snapped this first picture.

Ours was not the "Gotcha Day" you dream about.  Our daughter had changed "homes" 3 times, and there we were to uproot her once again.  She cried a pitiful cry when we first held her.  It was a very long and exhausting day for all of us.  She and Daddy took a much needed nap in the hotel room that evening.

But oh what a difference a family makes!  Look at this munchkin now.  Can you tell she's a happy girl?!    Oh yes, she knows she is LOVED and cherished!  And top that all off with some cute bows, and there you have the princess of our domain...

This morning (which is night time in Taiwan), I was thinking about how at that moment 2 years ago, our daughter was spending her very last night in an orphanage.  Her last night without a Mama and Daddy.  Her last night alone, with nobody to rock her to sleep if she had a bad dream.  Her last night as an orphan.  There's such beauty in seeing a child go from orphan to daughter and heir in one amazing moment in time!

And as my mind pondered the depth of that, I found a sickening feeling also rise to the surface.  What about all the others?  What about those who will go to sleep tonight crying in their pillows because they want a mom and dad?  What about those who are still waiting for their forever family to come get them?  What about those who are getting ready to age out of the orphanage and will soon find themselves with no job (and nobody willing to give them a job), no food, no home, no hope?

What about Oleg?

This precious boy finds himself back in his life as an orphan after a wonderful summer hosting program in the United States.  What is he thinking?  What is he looking forward to?  What did he eat today?  Are his sheets clean and fresh?  Did anybody say good morning when he got out of bed?

My mind visits him over and over.  A mixture of smiles and tears floods me as I remember him.

His first Happy Meal...

His first ice-cream-sundae-building party...  Look at that SMILE!!!  He helped me set everything up for the ice cream event, and he wanted to keep it a surprise for the other children.  He kept saying to me (as if we had the most scrumptious secret in the world that he could hardly wait to share with everyone): "ICE CREAM!!"  I had the very best time experiencing this alongside him.  (And, by the way, he helped me clean the whole mess up afterward too...without me ever asking for help!  He's a very sweet boy and a big helper!)  Did you expect that?

His first birthday party...

His first trip to buy new shoes...

And quite possibly his fist time to pretend to be a fighter pilot...

Look at that face.  Imagine the breath he breathes and the dreams he dreams and the hopes he dares to hope when he's alone in that bed in the orphanage.  THIS IS THE FACE of just one of the 143 million orphans out there that is still praying, hoping, pleading to his Heavenly Father to please send him a forever family.  He's not a statistic.  He's a living, breathing, real boy named Oleg.

As I remember so fondly our Gotcha Day with our daughter, I also long to go far beyond that.  I yearn to be God's instrument to help place many of these treasures into their forever families.

1) PRAY that God will indeed place the lonely in families, as His Word says.  We have that Word, and we need to boldly proclaim it!
2) TRUST that He will be faithful to do as His Word says.
3) BE WILLING AND AVAILABLE to be used by Him.  He places the lonely in families, and WE are His Hands and Feet.  Are WE willing to be the family He chooses for one of these precious treasures?  Or are we too busy, too comfortable, too afraid?

We are the Bride of Christ, and He has left these little ones in our care.  One day, I believe, we will have to give an answer to Him for what we did or didn't do for His children.  What we do to the least of these, we do to HIM.  That's quite sobering if you truly believe He means what He says.

** If you want to read more about Oleg or other orphans who are still awaiting forever families, visit the New Horizon site.

Meet sweet Oleg

Of all the orphans I've introduced on this blog, this is the one that has most moved me.  WHY?  Because I've met him.  I've had dinner with him.  I've laughed with him.  I've cried for him.  In other words, to some degree, I've entered into his life.  It is one thing to read the statistics and to see the photos, but it is another thing to actually meet an orphan face-to-face and know that they are soon returning to orphanage life.  

Some of our friends are hosting Oleg through the New Horizons program this summer.  If you'd like to read more about New Horizons, please visit THEIR SITE.  

Some of the orphans who have been hosted are going to be adopted by their host families or by friends of the host families.  Others, like Oleg, have not yet had someone step forward to adopt them for a variety of different reasons.  These particular orphans are now on a list, and YOU can consider them for adoption.  Even if you feel you cannot adopt, please PRAY for them by name.  A photo listing can be found at THIS LINK.

And because Sir Oleg is so special to my heart, I'm highlighting him here on my blog and will advocate for him until his forever family steps up to adopt him.  So, as I wrote in my last post, we commit this to God.

1) PRAY that God, who is Father to the fatherless, will place Oleg into his forever family.

2) TRUST that it is God alone who can place the lonely in families.

3) BE WILLING AND AVAILABLE to be the human hands and feet of Jesus for Oleg.  Be willing to be used by Him as the family where He places Oleg.  We are His Body.  He uses US to set the lonely into families.

"Lord, we bring precious Oleg to You.  You, God, are Father to the fatherless.  You know this child inside and out.  You created his life and have good plans for him.  We ask you to be faithful to Your Word to place the lonely into families.  We trust You alone to do this.  And if You want to use OUR hands and feet and home, please show us.  We are willing to do whatever You ask us to do.  We pray all this in Jesus' Name, trusting fully that You will answer in Your absolutely perfect time."

The following is Oleg's photo and short bio.  If you are interested in adopting Oleg, please contact New Horizons.

Oleg: 11 years old, loves both outside and inside play. He is good at puzzles, legos, games, drawing, crafts, and foosball. He also loves outside play such as soccer, swimming, Frisbee, and he just learned how to ride a bike. He is a very persistent boy when it comes to learning new things. While learning to ride a bike, he was not reckless, but certainly not afraid. It seemed he was aware that there might be pain involved but that was what it would take to learn this new skill. He is very helpful and does things without being asked such as bringing in groceries, getting little children in and out of their car seats and opening doors. He enjoys playing with children of all ages and gets along well with our children from two up to twelve. He has a very good appetite and has never refused any food we've served him, and likes to help cook. We do not have any pets currently, but he seems very comfortable around the dogs that belong to our various friends. He has really bonded with our 9 year old son (they seem almost like twins) and just like all boys, they can get excited and a little loud, however Oleg is usually easily redirected when we request they settle down. He does not talk a lot, but is beginning to open up more and talk some, however I am fairly certain he understands a good deal of English. We have had no problems communicating with him. He seems interested in the bible, both audio and print. He seemed shy at first, but after that he has had lots of smiles, and enjoys trying to new things.




And, while we have a particular child in mind, I ask you to watch this video again.  We simply cannot afford depraved indifference a day longer.

What Can We DO?

I've been away from my blog for a bit, spending some weeks in another state taking care of my mom after back surgery.  I'm thinking that every person should sometimes get out of their normal routines, familiar surroundings, comfortable ruts.  There's much to be said about the perspective it somehow brings...the new lens it sometimes slips over dull eyes.  Ahh...I see it now....as if somehow being away from the familiar allows you to crest a mountain and see a view you couldn't see before.

One of many things that I encountered during my time away was a clarity about orphan ministry.  While I was out of town, some orphans from Ukraine came to spend a month in our little town.  Some of the children went to the homes of some of our friends.  I found myself away for this big "homecoming," and all I could think was, "What can I DO?"  I wanted to be there, to hug the children, to take meals to the families.  But I was many hundreds of miles away, so DOING something wasn't possible.

Seems I've found myself in that boat lately more often than I can say.  And in the what-can-I-do desperation that my busy heart can sink into all too easily, a still quiet voice reminds me that it is not me but HE who is in control.  Yes, Lord, but aren't I Your hands and feet??  I've always found this to be a fine line.  But clarity was given to me in the peaceful pools of thought that I waded in while away from my usual surroundings.

The specific larger dilemma that raked my very soul was this:  There are some children who are hosted for the summer orphan hosting program who are then adopted by the hosting family.  There are some children who are adopted by another family other than the hosting family.  But then there are those who return to the orphanage and are not adopted.  They get to experience a family but then have to leave it behind and go back to the grim reality of life without a loving family.  And this thing hit me smack in the face (again).  I began to dip my toes ever so fearfully into their shoes for just a tiny second.  Not wanting the full onslaught of pain, I only allowed one foot to cautiously press into the orphan's shoe for a moment.  And I didn't like how it felt...I pulled back and wanted to run the other direction.  Lord, I cannot DO anything!  This hurts too much to try to put myself in their shoes if I then cannot DO anything to help!!

As if He finally had me exactly where He wanted me (hurting for the orphan but completely helpless at what to do), He then began to pour His light into my soul.  While cleaning out one of my mom's rooms at her house, I ran across a book about the power of proclaiming God's Word out loud.  The Holy Spirit sunk this deep into my spirit.  His Word is powerful, and it cannot return to Him without accomplishing what it says it will do.  Like a floodlight, this flowed over me until I was beside myself with HOPE.  If I proclaim His Word, He will do what His Word says.

Immediately I thought of the orphans.  And I remembered Psalm 68:5-6.  His Word says that it is HE who is a Father to the fatherless.  It is HE who places the lonely in families.  Suddenly, the weight of this burden lifted off my shoulders.  There in my hand I held the key.  HIS WORD is powerful and cannot return to Him without accomplishing what it says.  I began to proclaim Psalm 68:5-6, with the specific names of orphans.  "It is YOU, Lord, Who is _______'s father.  It is you who places _________ into his forever family!"  As I began to proclaim this, the weight was no longer on my shoulders but rather in HIS HANDS.  I was resting in Him to be faithful to His Word.  My job was to pray fervently and with full faith for Him to place these specific children into forever families.  It was HE who would accomplish this, not me.

And the fine line?  Well, we can go too far with this.  We can slip into "praying" about everything but never stepping up to let Him use our own hands and feet.  After all, HOW does He place the lonely in families?  He uses human families!  He knows what family is best and right for each child...HE ALONE KNOWS.  And it is our place to be open...to be willing...for Him to use our hands and feet and home if He so chooses.

So, the lens focused clearly, and I could see what I hadn't seen as clearly before...  I believe we have a 3-fold job here:
1) PRAY His Word back to Him, asking Him to place the lonely in families (praying specifically for each child you hear about).
2) TRUST that He alone can place these children in their forever families.  If we truly believe that He is capable of doing this, we won't be wringing our hands in oh-man-what-in-the-world-is-going-to-happen.  We simply take Him at His Word and rest in HIM to do it.  He alone knows His Will for each child.
3) BE AVAILABLE AND WILLING to be the human hands and feet He wants to use to care for these children.



And I always love what Mary Beth Chapman once said: "Be willing to go beyond easy."

Both Hands

"Pure and lasting religion in the sight of God our Father means that we must care for orphans and widows in their troubles, and refuse to let the world corrupt us."  --James 1:27

We've been working at getting the word out about orphans.  But what about widows?

I recently was introduced to an organization called BOTH HANDS.  Here is their mission statement (copied from their site):  Both Hands is a non-profit organization with a two-fold mission. We serve widows in a very practical way in our communities, while raising funds to help willing families adopt

To see this in action, please visit the video at the top of this blog: "Getting Liam and Keane."  This is a family who is in the process of adopting 2 boys from China.  One of the fundraisers they had was a Both Hands project, where they and their friends were sponsored by other people to  work for a day on a widow's home.  All the raised funds went to their adoption, and the sweet widow lady was blessed with many people who worked on her home (cleaned, painted, etc).  The video will touch your heart.

What a WONDERFUL way to bless both orphans and widows at the same time!  If you know of anyone who is trying to raise funds for their adoption, please pass along this information.  

On a Mission to Unite Twins!

A friend of mine passed this information along to me...  It's an amazing true story of a family who adopted a little girl from China.  Their daughter mourned significantly, and they soon discovered that she had left her twin sister in China.  The adoptive family had no idea that she had a twin.  For several reasons, they are unable to adopt their daughter's twin, but we are all in prayer that someone will adopt her and will allow the girls to maintain contact as they grow through the years.  The adoptive family lives in Wisconsin, so it would be extra wonderful if a Wisconsin family could adopt the sister.  I ask you to pass along this information to your circle of friends.  Perhaps someone reading this will be the bridge between these 2 precious sisters.  PLEASE FOLLOW THIS LINK to read the story.  The blog post is titled "Left Behind."