What Do We Do?
I sit here on my couch enjoying the warm fireplace as the cold wind blows outside the window, thankful for the cozy, warm blanket on my lap and the piping hot coffee beside me.
Ahhh, what a peaceful moment.
Now imagine the same picture...
But instead of being the one inside, picture yourself outside the house.
It's cold and wet. The wind is brutal against your thin jacket and shoeless feet.
As you huddle against a building for warmth and protection from the elements, the owner comes out to shoo you away.
Then, walking down the street shivering, you notice a red light glowing ahead of you and there's a man standing under it. In his hands he holds a cup of steaming hot chocolate and a blanket. He has a strange smile on his face as he beckons you inside the warm building.
Relief fills you as you cautiously walk inside, only to find other girls scantly clothed and huddled in a corner. Some with bruises on their face and all with fear and shame in their eyes.
Frightened, you immediately turn to flee back to the winter elements only to find the man standing in front of the closed door, his hand raised to knock you into the corner with the other helpless children destined for a life of slavery and pain.
This is the horrible reality for so many vulnerable children around the world.
As I sit comfortable and safe in my home, I am greatly convicted of my apathy to the horrors millions of children face on a daily basis. The amount of conviction I have experienced since starting our adoption process has been overwhelming. I'm ashamed that my knowledge of vulnerable children was so greatly lacking. And the more I read and study, the more comes to light of the devastation so many children face. I think so many of us are guilty of overlooking this vast need because it is just too heart-wrenching to accept some of the horrors that occur, and we feel overwhelmed when it comes to knowing how to help and where to start.
This isn't where I shamelessly attempt to guilt everyone reading this into adopting a child.
Is adoption a good way to rescue some of these children? Of course. But it is far from the only way.
Worldwide, there are 153 million orphans. An overwhelming number, however not all of them can be adopted or even need to be. Some of the children in orphanages actually have a living parent. In some countries parents who can't provide for their children take them to an orphanage thinking that will be a better life for them until their situation improves and they can come back to get them. Many times, however, the situation never gets better.
There are also parentless children living with other family members.
In many countries they will not allow a child to be adopted if they have a living relative.
But they are still considered vulnerable children. In most cases, an orphan receives less rights than other children.
And those children who are born with a disability are often thought to be cursed and are left on a doorstep or worse.
Older children who age out of the system are put on the streets with little to no chance of finding a home or job. Most have minimal life skills and/or street smarts to depend on.
So if adoption isn't the only option, what are the others?
The most readily available option is sponsoring a child through organizations like Compassion International. These organizations are also providing job skills and opportunities for adults in the villages they serve. This is one way to help parents in impoverished areas provide for their families and avoid the pressure to place their children in an orphanage. There are also opportunities to take mission trips to orphanages to serve and love on the children, as well as the caregivers. I know our adoption agency has developed several programs to teach life skills such as cooking, sewing, and job skills to children who are aging out of the system. They are also working to educate and equip caregivers on how to provide the best care for vulnerable children in the orphanage, to prevent significant developmental delays and other hardships.
Foreign countries are not the only places where orphans and vulnerable children need help. There are 500,000 children in the US foster system. Ways to serve these children include providing grab bags filled with necessities to be used when DHR has to pick them up, as most of the time they leave their homes with only the clothes on their back. Other ways include being a foster parent and/or providing respite for foster families. Being a child advocate, or helping provide parenting classes for families who are trying to get their children back through programs such as Lifeline's, Families Count, are also wonderful ways to minister to these children and their families.
The first step to doing any of this is educating yourself. Some books I have read recently include: Orphanology by Tony Merida and Rick Morton
Know Orphans by Rick Morton
Orphan Justice by Johnny Carr
To learn more about sponsoring a child and/or to find other programs available to serve vulnerable children and their families, please visit these links: compassion.com and lifelinechild.org
There is so much to be done when you step back and look at the vast needs of 153 million orphans. But, if we work together to make small steps, those small steps collectively turn into great strides toward changing the fate and lives of so many precious children around the world.
Thank you for following our story.
I'm praying that as you read this post the Holy Spirit will make it clear to you how you can make an impact, one child at a time.
Ahhh, what a peaceful moment.
Now imagine the same picture...
But instead of being the one inside, picture yourself outside the house.
It's cold and wet. The wind is brutal against your thin jacket and shoeless feet.
As you huddle against a building for warmth and protection from the elements, the owner comes out to shoo you away.
Then, walking down the street shivering, you notice a red light glowing ahead of you and there's a man standing under it. In his hands he holds a cup of steaming hot chocolate and a blanket. He has a strange smile on his face as he beckons you inside the warm building.
Relief fills you as you cautiously walk inside, only to find other girls scantly clothed and huddled in a corner. Some with bruises on their face and all with fear and shame in their eyes.
Frightened, you immediately turn to flee back to the winter elements only to find the man standing in front of the closed door, his hand raised to knock you into the corner with the other helpless children destined for a life of slavery and pain.
This is the horrible reality for so many vulnerable children around the world.
As I sit comfortable and safe in my home, I am greatly convicted of my apathy to the horrors millions of children face on a daily basis. The amount of conviction I have experienced since starting our adoption process has been overwhelming. I'm ashamed that my knowledge of vulnerable children was so greatly lacking. And the more I read and study, the more comes to light of the devastation so many children face. I think so many of us are guilty of overlooking this vast need because it is just too heart-wrenching to accept some of the horrors that occur, and we feel overwhelmed when it comes to knowing how to help and where to start.
This isn't where I shamelessly attempt to guilt everyone reading this into adopting a child.
Is adoption a good way to rescue some of these children? Of course. But it is far from the only way.
Worldwide, there are 153 million orphans. An overwhelming number, however not all of them can be adopted or even need to be. Some of the children in orphanages actually have a living parent. In some countries parents who can't provide for their children take them to an orphanage thinking that will be a better life for them until their situation improves and they can come back to get them. Many times, however, the situation never gets better.
There are also parentless children living with other family members.
In many countries they will not allow a child to be adopted if they have a living relative.
But they are still considered vulnerable children. In most cases, an orphan receives less rights than other children.
And those children who are born with a disability are often thought to be cursed and are left on a doorstep or worse.
Older children who age out of the system are put on the streets with little to no chance of finding a home or job. Most have minimal life skills and/or street smarts to depend on.
So if adoption isn't the only option, what are the others?
The most readily available option is sponsoring a child through organizations like Compassion International. These organizations are also providing job skills and opportunities for adults in the villages they serve. This is one way to help parents in impoverished areas provide for their families and avoid the pressure to place their children in an orphanage. There are also opportunities to take mission trips to orphanages to serve and love on the children, as well as the caregivers. I know our adoption agency has developed several programs to teach life skills such as cooking, sewing, and job skills to children who are aging out of the system. They are also working to educate and equip caregivers on how to provide the best care for vulnerable children in the orphanage, to prevent significant developmental delays and other hardships.
Foreign countries are not the only places where orphans and vulnerable children need help. There are 500,000 children in the US foster system. Ways to serve these children include providing grab bags filled with necessities to be used when DHR has to pick them up, as most of the time they leave their homes with only the clothes on their back. Other ways include being a foster parent and/or providing respite for foster families. Being a child advocate, or helping provide parenting classes for families who are trying to get their children back through programs such as Lifeline's, Families Count, are also wonderful ways to minister to these children and their families.
The first step to doing any of this is educating yourself. Some books I have read recently include: Orphanology by Tony Merida and Rick Morton
Know Orphans by Rick Morton
Orphan Justice by Johnny Carr
To learn more about sponsoring a child and/or to find other programs available to serve vulnerable children and their families, please visit these links: compassion.com and lifelinechild.org
There is so much to be done when you step back and look at the vast needs of 153 million orphans. But, if we work together to make small steps, those small steps collectively turn into great strides toward changing the fate and lives of so many precious children around the world.
Thank you for following our story.
I'm praying that as you read this post the Holy Spirit will make it clear to you how you can make an impact, one child at a time.
I will not leave you as orphans;
I will come to you.
-John 14:18
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