For the Love of Orphans

(Warning: Cute kid photos ahead.)

These little people?







Oh. My. Heart.

They are my whole world.

There are times I look into their bright eyes and I am overcome.

It is sheer gift that I get to watch them grow, listen to them laugh, wipe their tears, know them.

It is a gift being their Mom.

"This is the way it was meant to be," my soul whispers. "This is right. This is good."

But I know this isn't the way it is for millions of children around the world today.

I know this in my head, and I know it in my heart because my husband used to be one of them.

And it shatters me.

I sometimes look at Corey when he doesn't know I'm watching and I wonder how deep the scars are. How could a boy grow up diseased, abused, neglected and forgotten and now be a man who fathers his own children with tenderness and love? How did he survive? Why is he here today to make jokes at my expense and be my partner and my friend?

The answer is multi-faceted, but it all comes down to this: Someone acted on his behalf. And that changed everything.

On Sunday, November 7, you have the same opportunity. That day, thousands of churches and individuals in America and beyond will come together to stand for the orphan. We will celebrate the love of a God who "sets the lonely in families" (a verse that makes my eyes well with tears) and calls us to do the same. Orphan Sunday seeks to make the Gospel visible as Christians explore and respond to God's heart for the orphan through adoption, foster care and global orphan ministry.

And -- here's the best part -- you have a role to play. Just take the burden God has given you for orphans and make it known. Maybe that means you'll call your church today and see how you can make Orphan Sunday a big deal for the people in your faith family. Maybe you've been impacted by the Compassion bloggers. See if you can share that during the Sunday service. Maybe you are starting down the road toward adoption. Tell others how God has carried you on that journey. See if you could put an insert in the bulletin or share a video during the service. Or make it more personal and request a copy of "Answer the Cry" DVD (hosted by Francis Chan) and show it during your small group or at a gathering of your neighborhood friends or at your Bible study. Or browse the scores of resources available at the Orphan Sunday website and brainstorm your own approach to this day of action.

In the meantime, if you are a blogger, would you add this button to your blog and spread the word about Orphan Sunday?


<center><a href="http://www.orphansunday.org/" title="Orphan Sunday"><img src="http://www.orphansunday.org/images/stories/images/webButton.jpg" border="0" height="200" width="200" /></a></center>
You can also follow the Christian Alliance for Orphans, the nonprofit behind Orphan Sunday, on Twitter and Facebook to stay up-to-date on developments. (Disclosure: My husband is one of the newest members of the CAFO board of directors, which is nothing short of God showing off his power to make beauty from ashes.)

I am so humbled by this opportunity. It is huge and it is overwhelming. But I refuse to believe the lie that my small effort won't make a difference.

Because someone threw a pebble in the pond 30 some years ago in Korea.

And I am washed by the waves of that decision every day.

Defend the cause of the fatherless....
Isaiah 1:17

I will be posting more about Orphan Sunday as November 7 draws near. Wouldn't it be amazing to have a carnival November 8 and share stories about what we did to make the cause of orphans known?

For more on Orphan Sunday, check out these post by my dear friends Jo at Mylestones and Megan at SortaCrunchy.