A Letter for the Orphan

I have had a soft spot for adoption for a few years now.  In the winter of 2012 I was asked to help lead worship at a high school retreat.  The theme of the retreat was "Adopted."  We read through Romans 8 that weekend.  Though none of us were actually adopted by our parents, we learned about how God specifically picked us up out of our personal filthy orphanages of sin. In that moment, He called us His son; His daughter.  After years of searching, we found our "Abba," our Daddy (Romans 8:15).  We had absolutely nothing to offer him as orphans.  Our clothes were tattered, our spirits were shattered, our strength was gone.  It was in our most vulnerable of moments that He said, "I want him; I want her."   

I find it incredible that God takes those most vulnerable moments - when we are lost, broken, desperate, and completely incapable of doing anything good for ourselves - and He makes them beautiful.  

When we were in CAR I got to witness and videotape the moment when Matthew and Tina Farrell told three orphaned boys that they were going to be adopted.  As the boys took in this news that they were going to have a family, we could all tell that they were overwhelmed.  They had done nothing to deserve this gift.  They had been scared and desperate and broken for their whole lives.  

So it is with us.  We may not feel like we deserve this gift that is being given to us.  Yet God is looking at us now and is calling us to be His.  I pray that all the orphans of the world may one day know that they never have to lose hope.  They are held by the Creator of the universe. 

So here is a letter to the orphan: 

To the one who wanders the streets in desperation, to the one who searches but never finds, to the fatherless, to the motherless, to the helpless, to the hopeless: YOU ARE NOT ALONE.  You are seen.  You are known.  You are loved.  You are worth dying for.  

So... What now?

Our team before we headed off to church.

Our time at Jonathan's House for Orphans was life-changing.

Each of our teammates got to stand up and speak at church.

This is Modeste. He has cerebral palsy and has lost all function of both of his legs. He crawls on his hands and knees to get around. When he has to travel long distances, he uses a bike with hand pedals. He travels several kilometers to work at a bicycle repair shop every day. Our team was able to support him in his bicycle repair business by purchasing tools that will help him to repair motorcycles as well as regular bicycles. He amazed us because even though he has a disability he continues to work hard to support himself and his family.

So... What now?

As most of you know, I recently returned from an amazing trip to Central African Republic. I could go on for years about how much this trip has impacted me and the team that I went with! But now that we have returned, many people are asking a good question... "What now?"

So I thought it would be a good idea to give a quick update of what my life looks like now and what it might look like in the near future.  

Role with Jonathan's House

Since returning from CAR, I have had this amazing burden to do something to stay in touch with the staff and the children at the orphanage that we stayed at.  I have been given the opportunity to become the Sponsorship Coordinator for Jonathan's House for Orphans in CAR! This basically means that if anyone wants to sponsor one of the children at the orphanage, they come to me so I can give them directions on how to donate.  I also will be responsible for updating sponsors about their sponsor children!  This is such a cool opportunity and I can't wait to get started.  If you or someone you know is interested in sponsoring a child through Jonathan's House, please contact me!! My e-mail address is fan4tennis92@yahoo.com and my phone number is 515-783-4056.

Future in Missions

Some of you know that I have felt God pushing me toward full-time missions for some time now. I have recently been able to take some tangible steps to make full-time missions a reality! I have begun to partner with a missions organization called Converge. If everything works out with them, they will be sending me out into the mission field soon (I do not have a specific timeline yet). Though I don't know exactly what lies ahead, I am in constant search of the LORD's direction to lead me along the right path. 

Prayer Requests

-Please pray that every child at Jonathan's House would receive a sponsor and eventually a forever family.
-Also be praying for the Farrell family. They were on my team to CAR and are in the process of adopting three boys from the orphanage. Pray for everything to go smoothly in CAR and in the US as they complete this process. They want their boys to come home ASAP!
-Pray for me as I continue to navigate through this process to become a missionary.

Your love and support is much appreciated. Thank you for taking the time to read this and to pray.