If I gave you a list of statistics such as this:
“There are children all over the world sick, starving,
dying, unloved, and uncared for. The truth is that the 143 million orphaned
children and the 11 million, who starve to death or die from preventable diseases,
and the 8.6 million who work as child sales, prostitutes, or under other
horrific conditions, and the 2.3 million who live with HIV add up to 164.8
million children.”
It would seem overwhelming. Helping them would seem like an
impossible task. But there’s a way to change that mindset. First of all,
realize that you cannot save the world on your own-for it will be Jesus who
does that. Second, realize that these are not
just statistics and numbers. They are young children and babies with their
own backgrounds, testimonies, and lives. I've had the privilege of getting to
know some of these “statistics.” They happen to love being held, rocked, and
talked to. Each has a personality that is so different from the rest. Please
don’t think of “orphans” as a whole, but realize that every single “number” is
a unique gift from God who is worth every oz. of love you can give them.
In Haiti, I have already fallen in love with all the
children. I can't wait to come home and tell everyone all about them. One of the preemies that I had the chance to cuddle often was healthy
enough to go home with his papa. I love playing with the toddlers, making the
babies smile, and being covered with the young children who climb up my legs
for me to tickle them. In just a week and a half I seen the joy of watching
babies go home with their families and have felt sorrow for the ones still
waiting for a forever family. I do know this though; “God is a Father to the
fatherless and a defender of widows…God sets the lonely in families” (Psalm
68:5-6).
“Though at first glance 164.8 million children look like a
big number, 2.1 billion people on this earth proclaim to be Christians. The
truth is that if only 8% of the Christians would care for just one more child,
there would not be any statistic left. This is the truth and I have the freedom
to believe it. The freedom, the opportunity to do something about it. The truth
is that He loves these children just as much as He loves me and now that I
know, I am responsible.”
So, how do you reach a world with 143 million orphans?
One at a time.
