Christmas Orphan

It was Christmas and I wanted more than anything to adopt this little boy I met at an orphanage in South Korea. 

When I first met him, it was as if I knew immediately there was something special about him. He stole my heart because he was so precious and God stirred something in me to recognize something in his spirit- He is one of God's children, present or future, it doesn't matter, He is God's. And he needs to be loved! We only got to spend a short time with the children, passing out gifts and taking pictures, as we were visiting multiple orphanages that day. But there was just something about this little boy, 8 years old, that really made me ache for him to have a family to be there for him in the ways he needed. 

The next day, I went back with my friends to give him gloves and a hat that I had bought for him to keep him warm in the winter. He may have thanked me; it didn't really matter at the time, but I could tell he was so excited to get the gift, it made him light up!

 In the gift, he may have seen acceptance or love or someone who believed in him. It may have just been cool to get an extra Christmas gift to show off to his friends! But I held onto the memory of his sweet spirit and I still pray for him when I think of him. His mom is still in the picture, from what I had heard when I had visited the next day after our Christmas visit. But she is unable to take care of him. I would have loved to adopt him if I were able. But I know that through my prayers, I can make a difference in his life. Through God working in his life, he will see that people believe in him. That people care about him and love him. He will feel God's arms around him. He will stand strong and tall one day as a man of God. 

Please say a pray for him today as Christmas is nearing again, 3 years later. Pray that God strengthens him and warms his heart and provides for all his needs, that he recognizes God's love for him and comes to know him. That God raises up a family to be there for him and love him always. 

God promises us, "I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you." John 14:18

This promise can apply to you as well. If you ever felt abandoned, remember that God will never leave you, He will come to you and rescue you and comfort you! For all the ways people fail us or fall short or disappoint or hurt, there is a reason. People were not made to fully meet all our needs! We cannot always love each other perfectly. Only with God is there perfect love. Still, God calls us to love others even in the pain, even when they disappoint us. Even when we fail. 

God desires you and loves you just as if you were an orphan who needed someone to be there for them! His heart melts for orphans and praying for them can help us to draw nearer to God as we learn more about His heart for His people. And His heart for us. God loves you more than you could imagine. Stop. For a moment. And think about it. God promises He will never let you go. Even if you run away uninterested or deny Him. His heart breaks, but He loves you and our God is a God who pursues and fights for the ones He loves, which is really an amazing thing that I am super thankful for!

 When has God come through for you and rescued you in a powerful or surprising way? Please comment below. I would love to hear your stories about orphans or anything related! 

 (These pictures are of other precious children we visited. I did not get a copy of the picture with the little boy I so wanted to adopt! However, the little one not pictured could also be "your" little one that you spiritually adopt and commit to pray for- check out this awesome site that allows you the privilege of praying for an orphan- one who is on God's heart! Or pray for these cherished children waiting to be adopted today. It's as easy as asking God if He would have you pray for a certain child and printing out their picture to share with your family and friends to pray for!) 

Deut. 31:6 I thought all three of these versions spoke out strong truths! What parts of these verses- what words stand out to you or touch you the most?

New International Version
Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the LORD your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."
New Living Translation
So be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid and do not panic before them. For the LORD your God will personally go ahead of you. He will neither fail you nor abandon you."
English Standard Version
Be strong and courageous. Do not fear or be in dread of them, for it is the LORD your God who goes with you. He will not leave you or forsake you.”

I am going on The World Race! I will be joining a team through Adventures in Missions, going to 11 countries in 11 months to share God's love with the least of these: orphans, widows, the poor, and human trafficking victims.  Learn more on my World Race blog here.

God's Heart for the least of these- Compassion for Kids: Spolight

Have you ever prayed that God would give you His heart for His people? 

Well, I must say that he has answered this prayer. In quite an unexpected and big way.

Matthew 25:40: “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

It is not just a wandering ache or emotional fluff that I'm talking about.  I find myself praying for the lost kids, the broken kids, the kids living in poverty- the kids that Compassion International helps (an organization that  helps children in the darkest situations come to know they are loved and supported) and builds into their lives with God's love.  Their goal is to reach the whole child with food, shelter, education and health care, as well as Christian training. They focus on building  a personal relationship with the child and research has proven this has a huge impact on their life and future. 

More and more and my thoughts often go to how I can help them, how I can do more. I find myself hurting for them and wishing, aching desperately that I could do more. That I could reach more, love more.

I recognize, too,  where I have failed or sinned the "sin of omission"- not doing something you are called to do. This is not to say I feel guilty, as much as hurt, devastated, that I have not used what I have already received from God to do more to help His children. Because that's who they are- His beloved children who are laying in the dirt, dying of hunger or thirst or any number of preventable diseases. Or in danger of abuse or being preyed upon because WE their family, are not doing enough. 

(This is not to blame or point fingers, so please keep reading, to see what can be done! There is hope!)

They are our sisters, our brothers our daughters, our sons, our mothers, our fathers. (STOP. There. for a minute. Go back. Read that sentence again slowly. They are our sisters, our brothers, our daughters, our sons, our mothers, our fathers. Let that sink in. Imagine the consequences of a daring and loving thought like this...)

Matthew 12:48-50
He replied to him, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” ⁴⁹ Pointing to his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. ⁵⁰ For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”

We might turn away. We might really want to help. But we might be scared of not being able to do enough. We might not want to start, for fear we won't truly be able to help. We might think this is not the best way to help. But we have to start somewhere.

Once you learn more about Compassion's program, you will see how much of a difference it is really making. And how much of a difference you can make, today. For eternity. With just one child. One life. That child will feel your love. That child will see God's love. And this will have effects that ripple through time and place to reach more and more of God's children that desperately are waiting for their sister or brother's touch today. 


A young boy says Thank you from his heart- must see!  

 Today's Spotlight 

In honor of God touching my heart to hurt for His children (and wishing I could, quite literally sponsor ONE more and one MORE and TWO more and THREE more after that...) I thought I would share with you the children I saw that are waiting anxiously for a sign, a sliver of hope, a warm embrace. No matter what country you are in or how far away you are, or whatever might be stopping you, or giving you doubt, when it comes to family bonds and love, that breaks through all barriers. 

And so, without further ado, I am going to use my corner of the world (or Internet....or both...? ;) to put the spotlight on different children and you can click on the names of the children to learn more.

Just ONE click, ONE child,  ONE choice, ONE hope, ONE prayer is all it takes to impact a life forever.  

To reach out in love to someone who desperately needs it.  

To reach out in love to your sister, your mother, your daughter, your brother, your son, your father.  

To LOVE with actions and in truth.


 

Please pray for adorable Dagan who is a 5 year old girl from the country of Togo (a small country located in Western Africa) who has been waiting for 250 days for a sponsor!

 That's a long time especially if you are 5 years old and hoping for someone to say- Yes- you matter! I care! I will sponsor you!

Dagan lives in the community of Assiko with 600 people. A common health problem in this area is malaria.  

(This can be life threatening if not treated- but wait, there's hope! It's very preventable!)   

Learn the truth about malaria here. 

Please pray for Dagan to come to know Christ!

Limon* needs a sponsor- and soon! He is only 6 years old.

He is from Bangladesh and lives in an area with a higher risk of exploitation and abuse. 

Praise God for protecting Him and providing for him and pouring down his love on this precious boy- He is so faithful!

There are still many more young children (and older precious ones too!) who need your love and protection today!

Pray for these children who need your help!

~~~

*Benewende is one of 6 children living on the plains of one of the poorest countries in the world- Burkina Faso. (A landlocked country in Western Africa that's a little bigger than the state of Colorado).

*Praise God that He has provided! It was just her birthday on April 22, a few days ago from the date of this post, and she turned 8.God has given her an amazing gift in the form of a loving person to sponsor her, love her and build her up!

As you can see from her picture, she is one of God's precious children and you can see the hurt but also the hope in her shining eyes. Please continue to pray that God protects her and rains down his love on her life and shows her his power and grace and for the other children who need a sponsor as well!  Click here to see the other children who, like her,  need a sponsor  to show them God's grace and love.  Please continue to pray for all these kids for God's love to be poured out in their lives!

 Angeline

* Update: Thank God Angeline has been sponsored a day after this post! Please say a prayer for her today! There are quite a few more orphans that are also waiting for a sponsor. You can search on the site to see if you are being called to support and love an orphan who needs God's hand in their life.

Angeline is a 3 year old orphan from the country of Burkina Faso. She is living with her uncle and her sister. Because of the area she is living in, she is at a greater risk for exploitation and abuse. She is also living in an area that is affected by AIDS, so your support is especially vital to her life. As God's beloved daughter and a little girl who has lost 1 or both parents, she needs your prayers and your love. She is so young and needs to know that there is hope ahead.Thanks to God that He has proven faithful to her! Please pray she continues to see this and that God provides more loving sponsors for the other orphans in need to give them the full life in Christ as He has intended.

~~~

*Pray for Sié- he is a young boy who is now an orphan, having lost one or both of his parents.*SO overjoyed to report that God is faithful and He has provided for Sié! :) There are many other kids that also still need your help- and there are quite a lot of new orphaned children as well that need your love and support!

Please continue to pray- that he feels God's love for Him and comes to know Him.  He is 5 years old from Burkina Faso and lives in an area that is dangerous for his safety. The area he calls home is also affected by AIDS.  Pray that God protects Him, keeps him healthy, and surrounds him with his love and hope.

Let's go to Mexico. *Update on Daysi:Praise God He has given her sponsor! Praise that this adorable 5 year old little girl who had been waiting 235 days for a sponsor has now received one! She lives in the state of Chiapas, if you can see it on the map below, near Guatemala. Pray that she comes to know Christ and grows close to Him and that her sponsor is a stable and consistent giver of God's love.
 

Nirmala is a 5 year old from India. *Thanks be to God for providing for her- his precious daughter and our sister and daughter in Christ- please continue to pray for her!

She lives in an area where it is very dangerous, especially now in light of the recent news to be a young girl there. There is a higher risk of exploitation and abuse. Please stand up in her defense and pray God protects her with His mighty power. Pray God send supernatural defense and protection to His daughters at this time.Please pray Nirwala gets a sponsor soon to support her and build her up in God's love. She has been waiting 235 days for a sponsor, as of the date of this post.

You prayed for Prinsca- now let's say Praise! Continue to pray that she comes to know Christ and grow close to Him, that He defends her and shines through her with His love!

Prinsca is 7 years old and lives with her aunt in the country of Ghana and truly needs encouragement and love. This is especially vital to her life, as she lives in an area affected by AIDS. Being an orphan, she is in more danger and needs more protection. Praise God for His providence and protections! Pray that her sponsor stays strong and safe and encourages her and pours God's love on her! <3

Watch this video to learn what it's like for a child at risk of child-exploitation, but under the protection of Compassion.

 More to come soon! Stay tuned- please sign up to follow my blog on Google Connect or by email at the top right hand side of the page to hear the latest on how you can help and please pray these precious kids of the King will get a sponsor soon to support them and love them and build them up and help them to live the lives God intended for them in Christ!

Please share your thoughts- who has God given you a burden for? Have you sponsored a child in the past? I would love to hear from you!

Take Action! Please sign up above to follow me and comment below! Please check out the Compassion site and pray for these kids! 

Do you feel drawn to a certain country or group of children? I challenge you to search for the child that you feel is right for you to sponsor and support! You can search by country, age, special needs, children at high risk of exploitation and abuse, or children living in an AIDS affected area. This is a great way to reach out and touch a life- for eternity!

I understand that not everyone is able to make this financial commitment of $38 a month, but please pray for these kids- if everyone committed to prayer for these children, more of them would find a loving sponsor!  Search here for a child who needs support and commit to pray for them!

Have you decided to sponsor a child? Please share with me- I would love to hear this great news and pray for you and your child! Send me an email at jsilverman286 at gmail dot com.