A Children's Home
"Behold, children are a gift of the Lord" (Psalm 127:3). Today was an amazing day for me. I was able to spend most of my time at A Children's Home which is an orphanage (they don't really use that term here in Nepal) that All God's Children Int. adopts from. I'm not sure what happened, but God completely changed my heart towards the orphan. My heart broke for these little faces! I had so much fun just holding the babies and feeding them. Playing and blowing bubbles with the 1-2 year olds. Their behavior was strikingly different than the babies I've watched in the nursery at Solid Rock. These babies clung to me with desperation when I picked them up. They cried just longing to be held and loved. I wanted to cry out to the Lord, begging Him to find homes and loving parents for each of these children. There were 13 babies all under 6 months staying in one room, with only 2 to 3 women caring for them. They slept 3 to a crib because so many babies have been coming in recently. There were even more between the ages of 1 and 2 years old. The total of waiting children were over 40, all staying in a home that had about 5 rooms for them all and a dozen or so workers. The women who watched the children were wonderful though, they live at the home and care for the children like they were their own. I wanted to stay all day, the rest of my time in Nepal just helping watch these babies.
It may help to give a little background about what is happening right now in Nepal. There is a Maoist that is in-charge of all adoption policy. He decided to stop the outgoing of children until they re-do the structure. With how things work in the government here, who knows how long that could take! So there has been a surplus of babies in these homes. Most all the babies are abandoned, brought to the homes by the police. A lot of babies are dying...found in dumpsters, etc. I don't know what will happen if adoptions continue to be blocked for a long time. There will be so many orphans, waiting for families to take care of them. John 14:18 says "I will not leave you as orphans." We have this promise. I met a woman who has been here 6 weeks trying to take home a baby. There is another baby who has already legally been adopted, ready to fly home to the U.S.A., but the day to go home was the day they stopped outgoing adoptions. So the grandparents have been living in Nepal with the baby, waiting to be able to take it home.
During my time in Nepal and India I've been able to do what James 1:27 declares "Pure and undefiled religion is the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress." I now understand why. There is something so pure, so rare in just visiting the orphans and the widows. There is indescribable joy felt when hope and a warm smile is offered to one of "the least of these." I have found that they have taught me more about love, sacrifice, and simplicity then anyone or anything else ever has. Proverbs 16:4 says "The Lord has made everything for its own purpose." I can easily get caught up in wanting to 'do', laboring for the Lord, getting major projects accomplished, etc. But stepping back and just visiting these children of God in their distress, in their pain and struggles, offering a smile, a hug, or bubbles...can accomplish so much more for the kingdom of God. Their purpose has been to show me humility, beauty and the pure face of God. A woman back at OC headquarters wrote me a very encouraging email about what God had shown her during her time on the field in Guatemala. She said that she went to the field expecting to do great things for God's Kingdom, but instead discovered that He just wanted her to be part of His Kingdom. I've found this to be so true. And I am rejoicing in the Father's love, so grateful that His grace has allowed me to be part of His Kingdom in all the nations. I pray that the smiles linger and the hope of Jesus sustains the weary souls. "I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord....For with the Lord there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption." (Psalm 130)
Feeding the babies.
This is Asez, he was a cuddler!
It may help to give a little background about what is happening right now in Nepal. There is a Maoist that is in-charge of all adoption policy. He decided to stop the outgoing of children until they re-do the structure. With how things work in the government here, who knows how long that could take! So there has been a surplus of babies in these homes. Most all the babies are abandoned, brought to the homes by the police. A lot of babies are dying...found in dumpsters, etc. I don't know what will happen if adoptions continue to be blocked for a long time. There will be so many orphans, waiting for families to take care of them. John 14:18 says "I will not leave you as orphans." We have this promise. I met a woman who has been here 6 weeks trying to take home a baby. There is another baby who has already legally been adopted, ready to fly home to the U.S.A., but the day to go home was the day they stopped outgoing adoptions. So the grandparents have been living in Nepal with the baby, waiting to be able to take it home.
During my time in Nepal and India I've been able to do what James 1:27 declares "Pure and undefiled religion is the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress." I now understand why. There is something so pure, so rare in just visiting the orphans and the widows. There is indescribable joy felt when hope and a warm smile is offered to one of "the least of these." I have found that they have taught me more about love, sacrifice, and simplicity then anyone or anything else ever has. Proverbs 16:4 says "The Lord has made everything for its own purpose." I can easily get caught up in wanting to 'do', laboring for the Lord, getting major projects accomplished, etc. But stepping back and just visiting these children of God in their distress, in their pain and struggles, offering a smile, a hug, or bubbles...can accomplish so much more for the kingdom of God. Their purpose has been to show me humility, beauty and the pure face of God. A woman back at OC headquarters wrote me a very encouraging email about what God had shown her during her time on the field in Guatemala. She said that she went to the field expecting to do great things for God's Kingdom, but instead discovered that He just wanted her to be part of His Kingdom. I've found this to be so true. And I am rejoicing in the Father's love, so grateful that His grace has allowed me to be part of His Kingdom in all the nations. I pray that the smiles linger and the hope of Jesus sustains the weary souls. "I wait for the Lord, my soul does wait, And in His word do I hope. My soul waits for the Lord....For with the Lord there is lovingkindness, And with Him is abundant redemption." (Psalm 130)
Feeding the babies.
This is Asez, he was a cuddler!
We had a team meeting this afternoon and the entire OC team laid hands on and prayed over me. I realized that I'm only 1/3 of the way through my journey, still ahead is the huge continent of Africa!!! I don't know what the Lord has planned, but my only prayer is that He would continue to open my eyes to His heart, that He would draw me closer into intimacy with Him, and that His Kingdom would always become more real to me. I pray that I can "delight in the nearness of God" as Isaiah declares. Pray that I have strength and zeal to "spend and be expended for their souls" in Africa. Below is a short description of my October Schedule:
-Oct. 1st- Fly to Delhi at 4pm, over night in Delhi.
-Oct. 2nd- Fly to South Africa at 10:45am, arrive at 8pm.
-Oct. 4th- AIDS visitation and prayer
-Oct. 5th- Team prayer/visitations
-Oct. 7th-14th- Pastor's conferences in Zimbabwe/ Hopefully visit Philadelphia 2 home
-Oct. 15th-18th- Ministry in Johannesburg
-Oct. 19th-25th- Swaziland (orphan feeding/orphan programs)
-Oct. 26th-27th- Kruger Game Park (safari)
-Oct. 28th- Church in Joberg
-Oct. 29th-31st- Zandspruit clinic and kids programs
-Nov. 1st- Debrief and rest
-Nov. 2nd- Fly to Uganda!!
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