This article was originally published in the World Orphans Insight Magazine Spring 2021.
By: Scott Vair | President/CEO
If ever there was a time when it would be easy to focus our attention on ourselves, on the challenges we face, the troubles we have, whether they be COVID-19 related or something else, it is in the pandemic-filled world of today. How easy it would be to put our hope in financial security, or safety, or a vaccine, or any number of other things. It has been a tough season to be sure, but we have found people to be more generous, churches to be more hopeful, compassion to be more present, and love for others to be at the forefront. In short, you, me, and those around us, both near and far, have resisted the temptation to be inwardly focused, and, instead, have set our eyes on Jesus, the rightful one on whom our hope rests. And as we have, amazing things have happened.
God is in the business of making all things new. Since the fall of man, God has been about renewing, restoring, and redeeming all of creation. He is doing it now, in front of our very eyes. One day we will see it in its fullness; until then, we get the privilege of joining him in ushering in his kingdom. Until Jesus establishes a new heaven and a new earth, we get to participate with him in bringing about the Kingdom. Our hope for today and tomorrow is rooted in Christ; he is an anchor for our souls.
When we act in kindness and mercy, when we extend grace and forgiveness, when we put the needs of others ahead of our own, we participate in bringing about the Kingdom. When we love like Jesus loves, when we care about the things he cares about, namely the orphan, the widow, and the refugee, we join him in doing some amazing things, and the Kingdom grows a little bit more.
As you read this edition of World Orphans Insight, you will learn how our staff members, church pastors, and program coordinators in Haiti are seeing needs, offering compassion, engaging with vulnerable families, and loving like Jesus. You will read about how the power of a small investment, the gift of a simple sewing machine, changed the story of a young family in Ethiopia. You will take a walk down memory lane with us as we remember our long journey in Iraq to care for refugees. You will be inspired by the work of the local church in Guatemala and how their faith and hope in the gospel sustains them and propels them to serve in the hardest places in their communities. You will learn about the role of our social workers and psychologists who are doing the hard work of helping families in tough circumstances see the love of Jesus.
These are stories of hope, stories of what is possible when we put our hope in Jesus and not in the things of this world. They are stories rooted and anchored in the fact that God is making all things new … one act of kindness, one act of compassion, one act of loving mercy at a time.
Your Kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Matthew 6:10