Anthony shares his heart.....
What is it in the heart of God that cares so much for the orphan? I don’t mean to question the obvious. My plea is more of an exclamation out of sheer amazement and pure awe.
“What is man that you are mindful of him?” Psalm 8:4
And much less, what is a forgotten child that you are mindful of him? I have come to realize recently that an orphan child is not just abandoned by his family or even by her country. She is abandoned by the world. And at the risk of turning away any reader of this post, you and I are in the world.
Before I entered the world of adoption, for most of my life, I never once was “mindful” of the orphan. Any orphan. That’s what orphanages are for, right? Those kids are taken care of! They get three square meals a day, surely. They sleep on beds and not on the street. They get love and attention from the caregivers of these institutions. Surely!
But most orphans do NOT get three square meals a day. They may NOT have beds to sleep on, just mats on the floor. And if they do have beds, where are the mattresses? We’re talking wooden or metal slabs. And all too frequently, they get attention from caregivers alright. How’s this for attention—fondling, rape, beating, being thrown in cribs, neglect, being left to wade in their feces and urine all day long, being tied to wooden “toilet” chairs, being rented out for the day to beggars who need to invoke more sympathy, and even murder?
These are very real occurrences. I know. I have first-hand or second-hand experience on each of these happenings mentioned.
How many orphans worldwide experience this on a daily basis? Well, think about this: today there are 147,000 million orphans in the world. That’s five million more than the entire population of Russia! Now consider that most of these orphans live in countries that are not “mindful” of them. You can imagine.
But now imagine this, even if an orphan lived in a five-star orphanage (we are imagining, right?), is his or her life better off without a family? If you are a five-year-old child, would you rather live a lonely existence at the Ritz Carlton or in a loving, Christian family that lives just above their means?
Shame on me. I have not been mindful.
If only.
If only the world heard the stories.
If only I had time and money to travel the world to shoot video footage what we hear on a frequent basis but the world doesn’t. I WISH that me and my video camera were invisible so I could stand behind the caregiver at her desk when eight-year-old Vanya from Eastern Europe runs up every day to see if a family is coming for him yet.
Or when a friend of ours, who just arrived in a country for their second trip, gets ready to go back to her lodging after her first day back seeing their five-year-old. I want to shoot how he melts down in hysteria and tears, crying out, “Don’t let my mommy leave me! Don’t go, Mommy!”
Maybe then the world will realize why God’s heart breaks for the orphan.
Maybe then God’s people will get a fire under them to do something about it.
Maybe then the Christian who is in awe of other families who adopt many times over will kneel down at their bedside tonight and do one simple thing: ask God what HE wants THEM to do about it.
Maybe then we will finally see these millions of helpless, hopeless children find their forever families.
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24 sweet thoughts from friends:
A truly inspiring post. Thank you for writing this.
Thank you for your insight and words of challenge and encouragement. You are an inspiration, don't grow weary. I'm sure you are emotionally exhausted at times. But more of us will adopt because we are not ignorant anymore, I am not ignorant anymore.
Thank you, Anthony, for sharing your heart for the orphan. Oh how I wish all Christian men shared your passion for the least of these!!
Thank you, Anthony, for sharing your heart for the orphan. If only all Christians shared your passion for the least of these!!
I'm a new reader of your blog, a grateful reader who is so touched by all that you do. It was only a couple of days ago that I found your blog. I shared Vanya on my Facebook and Twitter pages hoping someone could help.
What an inspiring but sad post. It's an honest message though and needs to be shared. The tears it brings worthy. I was never mindful of orphans either. Until I "met" online, a single mom who adopted her daughter with Down Syndrome internationally. Even more so about a year ago when I started reading a blog of a family adopting two children with special needs also a foreign country. One of the countries who send these orphans to an institution for life at age 5 or so. Since then I've become more and more aware.
My heart breaks for these children who are rejected by their birth parents and relatives, the citizens of their country and the country all together. I've read that the countries view these children as worthless, nobody would ever want them. Their government not understanding why we would want them or that we do want them. I am so aware now.
My heart continues to break because as much as I would love to adopt, I don't feel that I can. I am in remission from cancer and that alone I'm afraid would disqualify me. Especially when I've read about health requirements, and required chest x-rays in some countries (I will never have a "normal" chest x-ray again). My small home, 2 bedrooms for 4 of us, how would I ever pass a home review to bring a new child to our small home? The financial aspect, because of permanent damage from the cancer and other treatments, I know longer am able to work. And lastly, though my family is supportive of me, they are not mindful of orphans. My husband does know how I hurt for these sweet children but he is not in a place where he wants to grow our family nor take on a child with special needs as he feels stretched already because of me. My parents who I depend on immensely would never understand. All of it, seems hopeless.
I have prayed to our Lord and Savior asking them why my mind and heart have been opened to these children, when it seems an impossible feat to bring even one child home into a loving family. And there are so many who need loving homes. The answer has not been revealed to me. Unless it is for me to bring awareness to these children in need. To contribute what seems to be only the smallest amounts to others who can. And lastly to just pray for them all.
Thank you for being mindful or orphans. Thank you for giving your sweet girls a loving home with their brothers. Thank you for helping other children in need. Thank you for opening our minds and hearts to orphans.
great post! It´s tough to read but a forceful reminder that we need to do something about orphans.
Amen!!!!
Love his words on your already inspiring blog!
Anthony, Beautifully written!
Thank you for continuing to boldly shine His light on this crisis. We are ALL called to help. I pray that everyone who reads your words will stop and ask God what He is asking of them. Because, in part, of the testimony of your family, my own family can no longer sit by and be content to write checks to our church. We have a home, we have love, and we know the Lord will provide the rest. Please pray for us as we move forward to answer His call.
Praise God that in His love and mercy He rescues us all!
Great couple updates - love seeing all the kids - love seeing life being lived...which gets back to Anthony's thoughts....
Having seen - in real life - many of these things...that brings home the tragedy of it all...
kids that will never have a chance to live life - just exist in it...
Thanks for brining witness to it.
hugs - aus and co.
Many tears over this one...
More men need to RISE UP, for orphans.
Thank you, Anthony.
And thank you to Heather, a commenter, for your honesty. God IS using you.
One heart at a time...if even one child is rescued because of your words, Anthony, all of Heaven will be cheering. Glorious day, wonderful post. Thank you so very, very much.
Love wins,
Renee Tam
we are beginning the adoption process and i am so excited but oh how i wish that once i empty a baby bed it would never be filled again. what can be done, what can i do to help the parents of these children realize they can take care of "special needs" kids? why do they feel they can't keep a child with something as functional as downs syndrome? i don't understand the hearts of some parents. my child could have three heads and i could still never abandon him.
Typing through the tears. Thanks so much, Anthony, for writing this. So many think that caring for and rescuing orphans is a woman's work because of the nurturing involved. Truly we need the men to use their knightly traits as well: courage, valour, protection, strength. Amen!
Weeping. Absolutely weeping.
In every orphanage my husband and I have been in we have had children ask us to be their moms. To be their Dads..never once did they ask us for material things or to help preserve their culture.
Thank you for sharing your heart and may God break our hearts for what breaks His.
Amazing post! I wish there were more Godly men in this world like you! I have always wanted to adopt a child, not always for the right reasons (mostly to get out of childbirth). This all changed when I met my husband and we got married. AWe attend a church that really promotes adoption and last year I began to have the thought that I would also want to adopt children, not just have my own.
After reading the book "A Hole in Our Gospel" I began to pray a prayer mentioned in that book: "Let my heart be broken for what breaks the heart of God" and He has done this.
When I read the first post about Vanya I got my prayer journal and tried to write through tears- I cried for over an hour-so upset that we could not adopt him! I have been so convicted by your blog and know now that although we hope to have children of our own soon, we also want to adopt! - For the right reasons: to bring an orphan home and raise them in a Christian home, so we can save a child's life and so that child may change ours!
God Bless you and your family!
I love when your husband shares his heart. So eye opening from a man's perspecitve. I pray my husband reads his posts!
blessings,
Suzanne
I came across this post from Suzanne's (comment above) post. This put into words what I am feeling these days as we wait for our referral for our 5th child. There are times that my heart and head just ache over the sobering truth about the orphan and adoption. You have bodily put into words many of my thoughts.
Thank you Anthony. It sad that their are not many male voice crying out for the orphans. Thank you for breaking the silence.
Just wanted to let you know that I blogged about this and linked back to your blog. It's wonderful when a man speaks up for the orphans, we need to hear more of it:)
Thank you. I am that Christian kneeling by my bedside tonight, asking the Lord to show me the way. There is a little girl with DS in the Ukraine that has pulled on my heart strings since January - night and day - and my husband's, too. And yet... the mountains seem so high. Impossible even. Thank you for reminding me where my help comes from, why we should go, and who I need to ask for the means to get there.
Oh how we covet your prayers.
we visited our son 3 times in our 4 year wait to bring him home plus talked to him on skype as often as possible. i even spent a month with him during that time. how well i remember the heartache and desperate pleas to take him with us and for us to please come and get him. he spent a year asking the orphanage director if she had found a mom and dad for him yet b4 we decided to adopt him. so glad he's finally here.
Thank you for writing and sharing these thoughts you and your family are an inspiration.
What a great resource!
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