Our job was done. We obeyed God, adopted, had no regrets and thought we could simply return home to our children, and resume our normal, everyday life. Oh, how we were wrong! We found ourselves left with a hole, in the shape of Africa, in our hearts. God, in his awesome power and glory, kept placing before us the images of lonely and vulnerable orphans and street children.
Yes, we were sent to Africa to bring home an orphan, teach her about Jesus and provide a loving environment for her to blossom. But, we were also sent to be made aware. We needed to see poverty and devastation, sickness and loneliness. These images are forever etched in our minds and in our hearts.
Adoption is not enough for us. The longing for Africa continues in our hearts. We have seen and we have heard suffering at its greatest level. We are left with a burning question, consuming us night and day. What are you going to do? What are YOU going to do?
We find ourselves, once again, at the beginning of a faith journey. We are stepping out in blind obedience, without a single regret, to partner with charitable organizations {established NGO's} which serve underprivileged youth in Ethiopia. Our prayer is that God will stretch us, mold us, even make us a little uncomfortable, if necessary. We have so little to offer, but we present it to the Lord and ask that He use our words and actions as a tool to touch the lonely and suffering for his glory.
Once our eyes are opened, we can't pretend we don't know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows what we know, and holds us responsible to act.
Proverbs 24:12
Proverbs 24:12
What an amazing venture you've started. It's nice to hear of a family that not only adopts from Africa, but truly cares about the people they leave behind. We are currently in the process of bringing home a child from Ethiopia and I keep telling my husband, the hardest part is not the wait, for me the hardest part will be leaving all the other children behind. Best wishes on this endeavor, if I can help in any way, donations, books, clothing etc. please let me know.
ReplyDeleteI feel the need to post again and let you know everything I just read above is exactly how I feel (even though I haven't been to Africa yet) and like you don't feel it is enough to just adopt but feel we have so much here that we take for granted and could stand to give up some to allow for innocent children to have just some basic needs. You guys are awesome and it is so nice to read this and know there are people like you out there that have a similar mission as my family. If we all work together we can make a big impact so I would love to help in any way I can.
ReplyDelete~Joely O'Neal
http://expecting-from-ethiopia.blogspot.com/