Orphanage

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress... James 1:27


The reality hit me I guess when we were going to the second orphanage. The first one was purely a dump. Nothing more. No toys, no play area. Just dirt and concrete walls, along with bunking quarters and shower quarters which apparently they do not use. It was sad. The kids flogged our vehicle and we could barely get out of the car without having a child attached to some part of our body. They locked on for dear life. Why? Hunger, attention, comfort, love, fear. One or all of the above. It is truly heartbreaking. Not many smiles, although we did see a few. Precious kids, some with no pants- just shirt and tennis shoes. Some with dirt everywhere on them. Some (most) smelled. Some too skinny because of hunger. Some tired. Some sad. Some with untreated sores. All needing love.

It was a few days before we saw the second orphanage. I kept wondering why on earth kids could live like this and who on earth would allow them to? Out of nowhere (I'm sure I learned this verse in Awana or something but haven't read it or studied it lately) I said to myself, "My God will meet all your needs according to his riches in Christ Jesus." I dug around in the back of my bible for the key phrases to see if this was just jumbled verses in my head or if it was actually accurate. And accurate it was. (I think I left out "glorious" somewhere). It comes from Philippians 4:19. God was telling me he was going to take care of the needs of these children as he sees fit. The second orphanage was a much different environment. Colorful buildings, a play area, devotional time at night, clean babies, clean clothes and freshly cooked food. It really made me feel the need to "help" in some way with the other orphanage.

The whole week was just planned as it was supposed to. A missionary from Lavaca First Baptist (Matt Smithson) flew in on our flight and is helping with the poor orphanage at this time. They are raising money to build a new orphanage, designed with a few children in each "home" with a "house parent" (kind of like the Children's Home in Monticello). The kids will get proper education, clean water, clothes, food and a loving environment. Go here to check out their website, and help out if you feel led. :) Matt also blogs about his trips on here so you can keep up with the latest news. I will be checking with them often to send supplies and support when they need it.