Orphan love

Ever since I was young, maybe 11 or 12, I have had a heart that bleeds for orphans. I remember having dreams of children around the world in orphanages with no one to love them, and waking up realizing I was crying in my sleep. The faces in my dreams of the poor and lonely children were vivid, clear, and absolutely real to me. I have always believed that this was God's way of showing me a glimpse of the harsh realities of this world. Every child did not have parents that loved them, a roof over their head and food on their plate, let alone a cool new bike or the latest barbie doll. The children in my dreams were running around the orphanages in diapers with no shoes on, crying from hunger and sadness. It seemed so surreal, just a bad dream, but when I got older I realized just how accurate this really was.

I have been to 3 orphanages now in my 27 years of life. One was in Belize, then India, and now one in South Korea. Every one of them has it's own unique issues but some serious similarities which always make it hard to swallow. There are often stories of how the children got there; these often differentiate from the story of dead parents and no relatives to live with. Sometimes the child was born with special needs and the parents didn't want them anymore, so they sent them to the orphanage. Sometimes the parents struggled with alcoholism, abuse, or were in trouble with the law, so the child would be sent to the orphanage. Sometimes the family simply couldn't afford to pay for another child, so they would choose one of their children to live at the orphanage. I always wondered how in the world they would pick....?

The fate of these children, however they arrive at the orphanage, is always the same. They are starved for attention, love, and care. They scrape by with so little and have to learn how to defend themselves amongst an array of other children. This sometimes means learning to fight at a young age, whether its for protection or fighting for things like food and clothing. They worry where their next meal will come from, and sometimes depending on the weather, how they will get through the night without freezing. If they get sick, oh well. If they are upset, oh well. If they need something that is not already inside the 4 walls of the orphanage, oh well. These kids get the bare minimum, and somehow they are supposed to come out OK. 

I will never forget some of the moments of horror that I felt at some of these orphanages. While in Belize a child told me he slept on the hard concrete floor at night, and although he was scared there was nothing he could do. He didn't like the dark or sleeping on the floor. He then took me inside the orphanage and I saw children sprawled out on the floor with no cushion or pillow looking exhausted with mosquitoes flying around their bodies. The heat was incredible there, in the 90's with insane humidity, and the kids all looked dehydrated. It was like a sight off of the Discovery Channel; it didn't seem real. When I asked later if we could donate beds or money for the staff to buy them, I was told that the women who ran the orphanage often kept the money for themselves or would sell anything we donated to them, so there was no point. When we left the orphanage and got on the bus to go back to our hotel, I was inconsolable. I cried hard at the injustice of the lives these kids were living. They didn't even have a pillow. Their fate was bleak.

At numerous orphanages in the Ukraine the young girls have to go into prostitution if they do not find a home before they turn 18. Safety issues in numerous orphanages around the world have led to violence, rape, and death for kids who are just discovering what it's like to be a teenager. Instead of worrying about how they will deal with middle school peer pressure, or wondering who their first kiss may turn out to be, they are scared to go to sleep at night because someone may take advantage of them. No childhood, innocence is robbed, and hope is obliterated.

This is why spreading Jesus' love to these kids is so important. It is the only hope that they have. Nothing else comes through for them. No one else shows up. But praying to Jesus when you are scared in a dark room lying on the hard concrete floor one night, just might get you through it. I loved when the orphans would sing "Jesus loves me this I know", because this song used to be my favorite when I was a child. And for them, it can not only offer hope and encouragement through the infinitely difficult days ahead of them, but also a bedtime song.

"For my father and my mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me in."Psalm 27:10

I personally can't wait to welcome some of these kids into my home. Adoption will be a part of my future, and I will open my home to as many orphans as God calls me too. It is so much more than a choice for me; it is a calling. One that I have known would come to fruition since I was 12 years old. Whether they have my DNA running through their little bodies is completely irrelevant to me. We are all part of God's family, and I will love them the way that He loves me.

These children are amazing kids who need people to step up and help them. Whether that is by volunteering with them or actually inviting them into your home through adoption, it is our job to change their bleak future into a bright one. They are talented, gifted, and amazing kids that just need someone to believe in them.

I saw this deafening truth during my last visit to the orphanage here in Seoul. A sweet and beautiful little girl showed me just how special she really was. We were making t-shirts and she painted this:

I was in awe of the artistic ability of this little girl, who couldn't have been more than 8 years old. She proceeded to then play numerous songs on the piano for me while I clapped along and watched her in amazement. I thought, 'so she can paint and has music running through her veins?' Who knows how much hidden talent is in that orphanage or any orphanage around the world, if people would only take the time to find out.

There are a million reasons to do nothing when it comes to the tragedies that this world faces. But there are a million faces that plead you to reconsider.

"Learn to do good; seek justice, correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause." Isaiah 1:17  

Belize

India

Belize

India

Jesus loves me this I know,

For the Bible tells me so,

Little ones to him belong,

They are weak but he is strong.

Yes, Jesus loves me.

Yes, Jesus loves me.

Yes, Jesus loves me.

The Bible tells me so.