The Orphan & Beyond. Step Four.

We are almost done!  We've gone over Step 1, Step 2, Step 3 & here we are at step FOUR!

What you will need: Willingness to accept

 

That's right....Now that you know what the Bible says about the poor & oppressed (step 1), now that you've prayed for a change of heart regarding the poor (step 2) and now that you understand how the orphan, widow, HIV/AIDS positive & trafficked are all tangled up together (step 3)...there is no going back...and you are now accountable for what you do with this information. 

Here is an excerpt from an amazingly good book I've read this past week called AWAKE by Noel Brewer Yeatts: 

I ask God every day to show me who He is.  It's a dangerous request if you aren't ready for it.  Because God is joy & love and all those good things, but to really know God is to know Him in His pain too.  Good loses a child every day.  He sees things we don't see.  You can change the channel when you see a starving child commercial...but God knows that child intimately...they are His.  A father who, every day, has to watch his children die all alone...with no one to even cry over them......When we stand before God one day, will we really say that we didn't know?  Will we really say that we didn't see the needs of our world - that we chose to look away?  What will our excuse be for not getting involved?

I'm gonna let that sink in....

The Orphan & Beyond. Step Three.

 

So far we have gone through two of the five steps in the "Orphan & Beyond" series.

Quick Review!

1. Know what the Bible says about the poor (read here)

2.  Pray for a change of hear about the poor (read here)

and now I am both excited to share what I've learned & sad that what you are about to learn as well is true....So here it is: Step three.

You will need: An open mind

Many 3rd world nations repeat this cycle:

The father (or man of the house) dies of AIDS.  The widow, left to support her family, has only one thing to sell: her body.  If she does not get & die of AIDS herself, or become a sex slave, there is still a high chance some or all of her children will become orphans as well.  In fact, many well meaning parents bring their children to an orphanage in hopes of a better life for them.  If these children are not taken in by a family member or adopted, at the age of 16 or 18 they are turned out onto the streets with only $30 and a bus ticket back to their hometown.  Some orphanages may even tip off a trafficker when a child is released for their own profit.  If then the child does manage to make it back to their home, most don't have a skill set, education or a family & have only one thing to sell: their body.

It may seem a bit dramatic...yes...but in many cases this is the reality that both boys & girls face.  If you doubt anything I say, GOOD!  Question it!  Go do your own research & find the facts.  I think you'll be sad to find out that this is the truth.  I found many of my facts regarding this specific topic from reading the book Orphan Justice.  I not only recommend it...but I dare you to read it & not be changed.

But also, realize that America & other 1st world countries are also home to orphans, sex slaves & human traffickers.  The only difference?  We hide it much better here.  Don't believe that?  Then check this book out...it is on my "Must Read" list.

John & the Pacific

 ...It was a beautiful day.  Seriously it was one of those days that just had GOD written all over it.  I was grateful.  The sand was warm, the water was cool and the breeze was light.  I was a little nervous thinking that John would hate the beach (since he isn't such a fan of bath time) and our family fun day would turn into a family fright day!  But mister john john did not disappoint.  He was curious about the crashing waves & kept trying to get in the water with daddy, he loved the sand & didn't seem to mind the discomfort that sand in your pants brings & he LOVED his special family time.  So did we.  So...enough about the perfection of the day...I'll just let the pictures proof it!