Fact: Did you know that there are over 143 MILLION orphans in the world? If put together, they make up half the size of the U.S. and would be the 8th largest country in the world. On Monday night, I attended a civil forum on Orphans & Adoptions. Although the meeting was held at my church, it was actually broadcast live via web cast, from Saddleback Church & Pastor Rick Warren. Here are some heartbreaking stats...-12,000-15,000 children a day are being orphaned.
-kids don't need money or a larger orphanage, they need the love of a permanent family.
-in the U.S. there are 500,000 children in foster care.
-90-100,000 of those kids live here in CA.
-in Rwanda, there are 10 Million people total. 1 Million or 10% of those people are orphans.
-in Rwanda, children as young as 9 are often the head of household, caring for their younger siblings.
I believe as Christians, we are called to help those that cannot help themselves. The voice of the orphan is rarely heard. However, when you have a crisis of this magnitude, we all need to take notice and ask God to show us how we can help. James 1:27 says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." Pastor Rick encouraged us to view this scripture as a mandate to believers. Notice that orphans are mentioned first in this scripture?
Every believer is called to do something. What is that something you ask?
Here are some suggestions...
-Pray
-Help orphans in my community
-Help orphans globally
-Adoption or foster care
-Help a family who is adopting (meals, finances, babysitting, cleaning, etc.)
When you figure out the why, God will show you the how.
Obviously, I am passionate about adoption. Why? Because for me, it has been the greatest, most unexpected gift. If I had never opened my heart to adoption, I may have never fully understood or realized how I myself, have been adopted into God's family. If all my plans had worked out exactly as I thought they would, I would have probably stayed on my self-righteous and self-absorbed path, never to have truly been blessed by the plan that God had for me. The process of adoption for us was definitely a God thing. As He began to place it on our hearts, I studied His word and knew without a doubt, that this is what He wanted us to do. We trusted every aspect of our journey to Him and in the end, He delivered double the blessing, double the joy, and double the lifetime of love and lessons. I am quite certain that obedience plus doing the will of God, produces nothing but great delight in the heart of our Father.
Morgan and I are thrilled to know that our church is taking some initiative by starting an orphan and adoptions ministry. We are excited to help in any way we can. One of the reasons why I love to talk about our adoption experience is because it has become our testimony of God's goodness. Lately, as the girls play pretend mommy (with a baby in their stomach), I've been asking them the question, "And how many children do you think you'll adopt?" They always tell me a number and I smile. :) Wouldn't be wonderful to live in a world where 1 out of 10 families have adopted?
My challenge to you today, as a believer, is to pray. Pray for God's wisdom, His desire for you and your family, and for the 143 million orphans whose voices cannot be heard, yet their faces can no longer be ignored. Would you be bold enough to ask God what His plans are for you? More importantly, would you be willing to do it when you hear His answer? If not the church family, then who? The body of Christ, with it's global reach and impact can make a significant difference. Here's your opportunity to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute." ~ Proverbs 31:8-9
Good summary! I loved when they said that 'Orphan care is something that we are all commanded by God to do, adoption is something few are called to do.'
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