I just read that weird little poem yesterday – Monday’s child is fair of face, Tuesday’s child is full of grace. Today I find myself hoping for so much grace for so many children who are on my heart. My five kids, yes…but also OUR 143 million kids. They belong to all of us. God promises to be a father to the fatherless and He desires to use us to do that…I’m absolutely convinced of it. It is nearly impossible to deny that the Bible gives ownership of the parentless children of the world to…us. The church. You and me. Even if you have no kids of your own, you are a mom or a dad. But it’s easy to forget about our kids around the world.
So Tuesdays are going to be dedicated to reminding those who stumble upon my blog that these kids exist by sharing, not the emotion of the issue, but the facts of the issue.
- There are 143,000,000 orphans in the world. This number includes those in the foster
care system in America. - Every 15 seconds, another child becomes an AIDS orphan – in Africa alone (the greatest number of orphans, however, is actually in Asia.)
- Every year, over 14 million orphans age out of the system – that’s one every 2.2 seconds – with no place to call home, no education or job in sight and never having had a real home.
Overwhelming? Yep. But please direct your attention to the beautiful gal to your right. She is the newest arrival at Kings Kids Village in Nairobi where she will find love, hope, Jesus, good food, an education and rest. The 143 million number is overwhelming to me, but you know what? So is this picture.
Psalm 10:14,
Bo
Bo, I can barely stand it, the sorrow and desperation inside me is painful. How can I possibly house the 143 million? I can barely get my own kids to eat enough fruits and vegetables but at least we have the fruits and vegetables to argue about. I know my FATHERS house is large enough but I really want to take them all into my own. Tears overflow, thank you for giving time and light to this!
Tracy
I’m so thankful for this “Tuesday’s Child” idea. And you know what, something my dad always told me is that “A little bit of something is better than a whole lot of nothing.” Sometimes, we “wish” we could do more and we feel overwhelmed by all the needs . . . so we maybe ignore the situation, or don’t do anything.
We all need to look into the faces of these 143 million orphans . . . or into the eyes of ONE . . . more often.
Love you Bo!
Ann
I beheard such amazing things on your blog today… Dear vs. Durango is much appreciated. And I’m encouraged to hear that the Stern Fam is actively helping the little ones. If you guys need my help with anything as you plot and plan, let me know. I’ll give you an 8% discount on my services. Because I care about the fatherless. But really, if you want to borrow my artistic skillz they’re all yours. (skillz with a “z” so you know I mean it.)
Tracy – maybe you could start by housing half…and work your way up to the 143 million.
And I can totally see you making them all a perfectly foamed cappuccino in the morning…I think maybe I want to move in too. Seriously, though, there’s much to be done – let’s talk soon!
Ann – I LOVE your dad’s quote. It really is perfect.
Jess – Yes! We of course want to usz your skillz (the z’s will authenticate my sincerity as well). I’ll have my people call your agent.
I LOVE THE ORPHANS. I’m so excited to go see them for real and hold them and hear their crazy accents and love, love, love them.