This article was originally published in the World Orphans Insight Magazine Spring 2021.
By: Lindsay Allen | International Church Partnership Director
As we read about the life of Jesus in the Gospels, we can observe this recurring pattern: Jesus sees, he has compassion, and he heals. Over and over, he performs miracles, curing blindness, leprosy, paralysis, and even death itself. In Matthew 14:4, Jesus not only healed the sick, but he went on to feed 5,000 people, because they were hungry. He saw the people’s sickness and their hunger (having felt those hunger pangs in his own human stomach), he had compassion for them as one who understands their suffering, and he healed them.
Jesus’ ministry shows us an unbreakable connection between physical and spiritual care. After the feeding of the 5,000, the crowd followed Jesus the next day to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Jesus told them that they did not follow him because of his teachings but because he filled their bellies! In other words, they were not seeking spiritual knowledge—just another free meal. Then he dropped an incredible, divine truth on the crowd by saying, “I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.” Sometimes, even when we are like the people in the crowd, just looking for some food or some other tangible blessing, Jesus meets us where we are and provides something even greater—himself. In him we have an everlasting hope, salvation from sin, and eternal life.
From this story, Jesus provides us with a framework for ministry:
SEE people: It is easy to stay in our comfort zones, never having to enter into the messiness and difficulty that comes with ministry work, and ignoring the problems other people are facing. However, if we really want to see people as Jesus did, that means engaging those in need, visiting their homes, and listening to their struggles.
Have COMPASSION: We cannot just stop at seeing; we have got to be willing to hurt alongside those who hurt and desire to see their circumstances improved.
Provide HEALING: Poverty is inextricably linked to illness and hunger. If we want to minister to vulnerable families, then we must care for their physical bodies by providing access to medical care and food.
Share the GOSPEL: It is true that many people only participate in ministry programs because they know it provides food, medical care, school fees, etc. Rather than write them off as “just looking for a handout,” we need to be ready to use these opportunities to share about Jesus. When the church unselfishly meets physical needs, something extraordinary happens. This type of love is magnetic, drawing in skeptics and rebels and transforming their hearts.
World Orphans follows this model in caring for the physical health of vulnerable families in the Haiti Home Based Care (HBC) program. Our staff members, church pastors, and program coordinators are regularly engaging with families, visiting their homes, and learning about their particular struggles. Thanks to the relationships developed between families, the World Orphans team, and church leaders, they know they will be met with compassion, enabling them to openly express their needs.
To help meet these needs, each family is provided with a monthly food basket, containing pasta, oil, rice, flour, and other cooking staples. Hygiene items like lotion, feminine products, and soap are also provided. In recent months, as we have taken extra precautions against COVID-19, some churches have also provided hand sanitizer.
Another way we care for families’ physical health is through the provision of medical care. Children and caregivers are able to see a doctor when needed, receive treatment and even prescription medicine — a luxury for most people in Haiti. Thanks to the availability of medical care, families have received treatments for things like typhoid, skin diseases, infections, sickle cell anemia, cholera, prenatal care, and more.
Sometimes there are emergency medical needs, and in those instances, we are grateful to have an established system for providing care quickly. Like when Abigaelle, age 8, fell from a roof and injured her back, we were prepared to act immediately to ensure her safety. Other times, we assist with long-term treatment and help develop solutions. For instance, Natalie Vilson, a World Orphans social worker, keenly noticed when 11-year-old Richard began losing weight and his hair started to thin and change color. She met with Richard and his mom, Beanne, to learn that his father had left them, and Beanne had no job to provide enough food for her family. Natalie wasted no time in taking Richard to the doctor for an exam and medicine to strengthen his malnourished body. She worked alongside their church pastor, Daniel Etienne, to figure out how to help Richard and his family. Together, they made a plan to include extra food in the monthly food basket, as well as provide a small amount of capital to invest in a small business for his mom, so she could increase her capacity to care for her kids. Today, Richard is strong and healthy, and his mom is thankful to have a job!
For the families in the Haiti HBC program, they receive this physical care in the context of their local church, from men and women proclaiming the gospel, ever drawing them toward that unconventional, countercultural, magnetic love of Jesus.
“When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.”
Matthew 14:14