We've Got to Do Something!

OK. Today was a great day but it was also the hardest day. We went to the orphanage and spent about 7 hrs with all of the kids living there. There were 42 children. These kids were so beautiful. They were so loving. They just craved affection from everyone on the team. Everywhere you looked kids were running, jumping, riding on the shoulders of the guys on the team, laughing, playing frisbee, hugging, sleeping in the arms of some of the girls on the team, coloring... just having a good time. It was an amazing day. We gave a simple Gospel presentation with jelly beans and Portuguese coloring books that we made (each color jelly bean represented something of significance). One child gave her life to Christ and was so excited about it. That was all the great stuff. The hard parts of the day was when I saw Stephanie, Chiago, Lucas and Gabriel. These kids were here when we adopted our kids over 2 years ago. This was my 3rd time seeing these children since MJ and I adopted and each time I've had to look them in the eyes as I've driven away. I'm tired of crying and being sad for these children. I really want to help them. MJ and I have discussed it and I don't think there's any way we can adopt any of these children. (Because I don't think the government would allow us to adopt since we already have 8 kids.) But there's got to be something we can do. I want to find homes for these children. These kids didn't ask to be abused and abandoned. They didn't ask to 'not' have parents to love and protect them. It's not fair. Now, I realize that there are over 145 million orphans in the world (these are UNICEF's 2010 numbers) and I can't save all of them. But I don't know the other 144, 999,996 of them. I know these orphans. They know me. I've held them and I've hugged them. I've seen their smiles and I've seen their tears. I know them. As Christians I believe that God allows us to see things... not just so we'll feel pity, not so we'll just pray... but so we'll do something! We've got to do something! We can't just sit by while there's a world of hurting people out there who need us. People who need somebody to care that their orphaned, or poor, or destitute. Someone who will be Christ's hands extended to them... not just to pray but to act. Will it be us?

Pray for us as we go back to the camp tomorrow. We're going to visit people on the mountain, give candy to the children and meet the people who live there.

Good Night!

Jim