If one were to speed read the Bible from start to finish, one of the major themes that would surface is that its really important to God that His children trust Him. It was a huge issue with the children of Israel. It was a problem with the disciples... "O ye of little faith". Romans 1:17 says the righteous shall LIVE by faith. Hebrews 11:6 says, "Without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." Faith is simply very important to God. And it's not just that we trust Him for our salvation, but that we LIVE on faith. We trust Him for everything. I've seen this in missionaries who live on faith on so many levels, and through the journey of Orbie for Orphans, we are learning it everyday. The righteous will live by faith. Here's a cool quote I found today written in 1664.
"I find that while faith is steady nothing can disquiet me, and when faith totters nothing can establish me. If I ramble out among means and creatures, I am presently lost, and can come to no end. But if I stay myself on God, and leave Him to work in His own way and time, I am at rest, and can lie down and sleep in a promise, though a thousand rise up against me. Therefore my way is not to cast beforehand, but to walk with God by the day. Keep close to God, and then you need fear nothing." Jospeh Elliot, 1664
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
The words coming out of her mouth sent shivers up my spine. Collins and I were standing at the front desk of Estes Elementary, registering her for kindergarten. She was unusually agitated and nervous. As I was trying to finish up, my confident and bubbly little girl blurted out something along the lines that she wasn’t worth anything. I was dumbfounded! Not worth anything? This child has been loved and praised continually since we adopted her one year ago. I quickly said, “Collins, you are precious! You are special!” She kept shaking her head saying, “No, I not.” When we got outside she yelled out, “You not come back for me!” She thought that once school started, I was going to bring her to this new place never to return again. Pain started pouring out of her. Tears and mean words flowed. Over and over we went in circles, with many assurances that I would never leave her like that. In the midst of her tears, she kept saying she just wanted to play with Jesus, not me. She wanted to go away with Jesus, not me. I was astonished that 1)she already grasped the truth that Jesus was the one security she had, but also that 2) she thought our 11 months together as a family was just a lie. After all we had been through, how could she possibly think I would stop being faithful to her now? Driving home the thought hit me that if she was experiencing this much pain, how much more those who will never get a family?
Edith Schaeffer once said that a family is a “perpetual relay of truth”. A family provides not only protection and provision, but constant messages of truth. Every single person needs these core messages to survive: You are loved, you are valuable, your needs matter, you can trust others, you can trust God. For orphans and foster children, the baton of truth has dropped, and so they believe lies.
The kindergarten experience with Collins was a good reminder that the wounds of these children are very deep, and it confirmed once again the urgency of the vision God has called us to.
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Finally....
The Orbie for Orphans website is practically DONE!! Thank you, Troy Norton, for using your amazing talent to create this tool to get help to hurting, fatherless children. Thank you to our donors who have sacrificed so that our vision and mission can be seen and understood through this website. Join us on this incredible journey! www.orbiefororphans.org
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