By Nicole Leeper | Office Manager
Reaching out to the little two-year-old girl to touch her arm as she lay in the crib, she began to make a high pitched squeal, and terror came over her face. She’s falling through the cracks…
I had the privilege to visit Haiti twice last year. On my first trip we visited a church near the epicenter of the earthquake. Even though the building was just a concrete slab and a tin roof, with benches made of pieces of wood that were falling apart, this was still one of the most amazing churches I’ve ever seen. Not because of how it looked, but because of how it felt. The pastor loved his people, and with them, they cared for the orphans in their community. It’s our model, it’s how we do ministry. It’s effective, and when you visit, you see why it works.
On my second trip, we visited another church where we use that same model of working through the church to care for orphans. But on this trip we also spent time visiting other orphanages and institutions that care for orphans.
One of these visits is where I met the little girl I mentioned above. This precious little one that wouldn’t let me even look at her without making one of the most shrill sounds I have ever heard. I realized that at such a young age, she had been abused so badly that she feared any human contact. I couldn’t even try to show her love, because it only created fear.
These are the stories that keep me going. We have a lot of positive stories and we reach a lot of children. The work that Christ is doing through us is wonderful, but those aren’t the only stories. There are still millions that need our help…the work is not done.
Jesus said, in Matthew 18:10-14:
“See that you do not disdain one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven. What do you think? If someone owns a hundred sheep and one of them goes astray, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go look for the one that went astray? And if he finds it, I tell you the truth, he will rejoice more over it than over the ninety-nine that did not go astray. In the same way, your Father in heaven is not willing that one of these little ones be lost.”
Our Father in heaven is not willing that one of these little ones be lost…so we have to go after them. We have to keep their stories in the forefront of our minds, and we have to work to change their story with the hope of Christ.
World Orphans is here to equip the church (you) to change the story for these children through the love of Christ. Don’t just read this today and think, “that’s a good story,” or “that’s a good point.” Take action. Start an Orphan Advocacy Team, become a Rescue Partner, go on a trip with World Orphans through Journey 117, become an advocate, become a missionary. Let’s all work to be like Jesus and go after the ones who are falling through the cracks. That not one of these little ones be lost…