The more I learn about orphans, widows, and the helpless, the more I cry out to God and ask him to hear their cry: their cry for someone to listen, to love, to care and to protect them. The other day Ash and I went to an adoption meeting. We heard some statistics that we have heard before but hit us both hard, leaving us wondering, “What is the best way for us to care for the orphan?”
Here are some of the stats:
There are 163 million orphans in the world.
In the country of Uganda, there are 2,500,000 orphans. 1,500,000 of those have HIV.
In Uganda, 50% of their 32 million citizens are under the age of 15 years of age. That means that 7 % of the children in Uganda are orphans. To put that into perspective, the orphan population of one country, Uganda, is close to the entire current population of the state of Kansas, or four times the population of our nation’s capitol, Washington D.C.
How are these children being cared for?
We were told of one orphanage hours outside of the country’s capitol that is currently caring for 60 orphans in two homes. Each home has one couple to care for each home. (I don’t know about you, but it seems like some days with my two children I barely get everything done that my household requires and I have modern conveniences of electricity, washing machines, refrigerators and stoves.) When these children are found adoptive homes, there are children waiting to receive care from this orphanage in the surrounding villages.
As Ash and I sat in bed that night, trying to make sense of all that we have heard, we began asking questions like, “What can we do?” “How can we best help?” My first response was to sell everything and move to care for babies and children who need love and to teach them about their heavenly Father who cares for them. We asked questions like “What does it look like to adopt a child or a sibling group with HIV?” The burden and the overwhelming weight of it all, was too much to bear. “We are only one couple.” We promised ourselves that the weight of it all would not stall us or stop us from pursuing what God would ask us to do and to obey.
This morning as I sought answers I found hope and help.
Psalm 10: 17-18 O Lord, You know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear the cries and comfort them. You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so mere people can no longer terrify them.
There are many babies and children here locally and abroad that cry. They cry for help, for love and for protection. And He hears. And He comforts them. He brings justice. I just hope He’ll allow me to help, to be His ears to hear, to be His hands and feet that go and, to be His arms that love and protect.
1 comments:
This is beautiful, Kathy. I'm so glad to worship a God who has entered in to our suffering, who cares more for orphans than we can ever imagine, and who has a plan for un-doing all the injustice. I'm so thankful to have a part in His plan.
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