Guest Blog: 5 Ways to Show Christ’s Love to Orphans
Think about this number: 132 million.
That’s how many orphans there are in the world, according to UNICEF.
It’s hard to wrap your mind around a number that huge. But for many families, the number that matters is one or two. They are in the process of adopting one or two of these orphans (or in some cases, three or more children). God transformed our lives by bringing three precious children into our family through adoption:
- Zeke is 5 years old and came home from Vietnam at 11 months old
- Three-year-old Quilla arrived from Ethiopia at 7 months old
- And Zeb came home from China in December at 16 months old
Caring for orphans is one way we can live the words of James 1:27, which says, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress…” (NIV).
Now, think about another number: Five.
Here are five ways you can show Christ’s love to babies, boys, girls, and teens who are waiting for a mom and dad.
1. Pray for orphans, their caregivers, and adoptive families. Lift up the children who wait, whether they are in orphanages, foster homes, transition facilities, or hospitals. Ask God to give their caregivers wisdom and patience. Call on God to stir the hearts of families who are considering adoption. Pray for endurance for families who are in process to adopt as they wait for paperwork and the process to play out.
2. Turn an orphan into a son or daughter. Perhaps God has directed your heart and mind to adoption. How are you responding? After praying about whether God is calling you to adopt, it’s a good idea to seek out adoptive families who can share their experiences. Meeting these families may help you discern God’s plan for your life.
3. Support a family that’s adopting. If God isn’t calling on you to adopt, you can support families who are waiting to adopt or who have already brought home a child. Waiting families may need help with donations and organizing fundraisers. Praying with prospective adoptive parents and just being a good listener is a tremendous gift you can give. Families just arriving home with a child may need some time alone to bond with their new son or daughter, so you can show love by dropping meals off at their home or giving them a gift certificate for a meal.
4. Seek and support organizations that care for orphans or work toward preventing children from becoming orphans. There are many agencies in second and third world countries that work toward making single parents self-sufficient or help them access medical care they need so that a child doesn’t lose their remaining parent. Groups such as Half the Sky and Love Without Boundaries use donations to provide life-saving medical care to orphans.
5. Travel overseas to show love to orphans. Short-term mission trips focused on orphan care offer the opportunity to be Christ’s hands and feet in a very personal way. Often, participants will take donations or medical supplies to the orphanages. Once in country, you may help paint bedrooms or play areas, build playground equipment, feed babies, or play with older children.
Orphans have no money or political influence. Their advocates are few. So, how will you answer the call of James 1:27 to care for orphans? What response can you give to a child who wonders why there is no mom or dad to tuck them into a bed of their own each night?
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Missy Shelton Belote’s news stories and feature reports have aired on National Public Radio programs such as Morning Edition, All Things Considered, and Weekend Edition. She spent more than 13 years as the news director of the NPR affiliate in Springfield, MO. During that time, she also produced and hosted the statewide program “Jeff City Journal” for Missouri Public Television stations. Now, Missy lives in Tennessee and spends most of her time playing with her beautiful children, all of whom are miracles of adoption. She still freelances for NPR, and helps overseas mission groups develop online content. You can follow Missy’s family and adoption journeys at http://ourjourneytake2.blogspot.com.
