Did you know that today is Orphan Sunday? No? If not, you are not the only one.
Until we adopted Zhen and Theo, I had never, ever heard of Orphan Sunday. I wasn't aware of the mandate for the church to care for the fatherless. It just wasn't on my radar. I had a depraved indifference. I know I was not the only one.
I was so radically changed by our adoption trip to Ukraine. I was really hoping to inspire some families from my church to adopt as well. I'll never forget the first Sunday we took Zhen to church! He was so overstimulated and freaked out by the crowd of people in the foyer that he started to slap me and claw my face. Arrggh.
Great. Who would want to deal with a child like that? Some beautiful adoption testimony, right?
Today I read this from my friend and fellow adoptive mom, Amy:
Today, Orphan Sunday, I am thankful that my Vera is an orphan no more. After church today she bit me, hit me, pulled my hair, screamed and fought as I wrestled her to the van. I chuckled inside as I thought about saying to each person that we passed, "Don't you want to adopt a child too?" :) The scene did not exactly exude warm fuzzies about adoption. Rather, the scene shouted ORPHAN CRISIS! May I suggest, the orphan crisis is not just the millions and millions and MILLIONS of orphaned children around the world. It's not just the number. The orphan crisis lives inside each of them. They carry their trauma, neglect, abuse, etc. with them. Their trauma will not be healed overnight (or 16 months). It runs deep, friends. Whenever Vera begins to feel love from Jon or I, she does whatever she has to do to fight it. She doesn't understand unconditional love. She doesn't know how to respond to it. She has asked us why we don't leave her when she screams and hurts us. This is the orphan crisis. It's in my home and the homes of some of my dearest, most courageous friends. Would any of you tell my precious Vera that she doesn't deserve a family because of her negative behaviors? I didn't think so. So, what is stopping you?
PLEASE consider what you can do for an orphan. Foster. Adopt. Pray. Donate. Advocate. Spread awareness and be willing to step out of your comfort zone. We solve the orphan problem one child at a time.
Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little.
What can YOU do? What WILL you do?
She's so right. If we all catch the vision, and do a little bit, we can make a dent in this crisis.
I hope that you will catch the vision.
2 comments:
"Nobody made a greater mistake than he who did nothing because he could only do a little" (Edmund Burke).
Perfect!
While I certainly agree that there is a mandate for the church, I don't think that goes far enough. Do you cherish being acknowledged by other people? Do you value warmth, prompt medical treatment, and being well-fed?
If a person, religious or otherwise, answers "yes" to either of those questions, then that person should step forward to serve orphans. This is a human rights crisis that concerns everyone with a conscience.
Saying "that's not my problem" or "I can't make much of a difference" undermines the very basis of ethics.
Wow I watched that video and I it makes me want to adopt when im older. I don't know you or your family but I found your blog and it is so inspiring and now I will pray for you~karlie Pickens
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