Friday, July 9, 2010

The Home of Hope

I am nearly at a loss for words as I submit this next post. Last night my wife forwarded me a link to a blog posting by an American lawyer who now makes her living doing humanitarian work in Rwanda. I am compelled to share it with you now as she vividly describes her visit to the Home of Hope Orphanage where, God willing, we will be adopting our son. Perhaps it is because we are on this journey, that I felt and still feel so absolutely gutted at the story of these tiny little souls in need of a simple touch. I would like to think that it’s much more than that. Perhaps in reading this, we would be moved beyond mere sentiment or emotion to cry out to God in submission to Him and whatever he might have us to do for His kingdom in response.

Though this singular story is about Rwanda, I know that scenes like this are being played out this very hour in places like Tanzania, India, Ethiopia, Guatemala, and just about every other corner of the Third World that we can imagine…anywhere else but here.

Here we fret over shrinking 401k’s, growing deficits, border security, the redistribution of wealth, and the great mirage that our fortunes will rise or fall depending upon the outcome of a November election. Here we worship at the throne of the 24-hour news channels and then tune in by the millions to watch a paper “king” tell the free world where he plans to bounce a basketball next season.

It seems embarrassingly understated to simply call this an outrage, but I suppose that’s the best description I’ve got. Outrage only goes so far, and trying to grasp the scope of this ongoing tragedy only reveals how small and helpless we actually are.

Maybe that’s right where we need to begin, weeping in repentance and submission at the feet of Jesus. As you read this it is my hope that you will pray with me, not only for these little ones in Rwanda and the babies we are seeking to save in Tanzania, but that you will join with me in prayer as we submit ourselves to the Lord’s call as Jesus commanded in Luke Chapter 2 when he said, "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves.”

What is God calling you to do? This is a question I am asking Him myself. May we seek this answer with all of our hearts and may we then have the courage to do it without looking back. Not even once.

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