Blessed is he who has regard for the weak; the Lord delivers him in times of trouble. The Lord will protect him and preserve his life; he will bless him in the land and not surrender him to the desire of his foes. (Psalm 41:1-2)

As Christians we are taught to honor the “least of these.” The reality is that only a small percentage of Christians are extending themselves for the orphan. With 163 million orphans and counting, the statistics show us that if only 7% of the over two billion Christians in the world would adopt, the orphan crisis would be eliminated. As it stands, in Ethiopia alone only one one-hundredth of one percent of the 4.6 million orphans are adopted. Four of my six children are “unorphaned” now but were at one time very much alone in that sea of 163 million drops of orphans. Three are from Ethiopia.

It is easy, however, to get caught up in our reality in America and forget that in most places in the world, running water, a soft clean bed and plumbing is a luxury. So how do we teach our children to become a fraction of that 7% to be the hands and feet of Jesus and save the orphan? All six of our children tell us that they will be adopting. We haven’t pushed them but they are determined to adopt and care for the orphan.

Still being charitable in their day-to-day lives is a struggle. We tend to be selfish by nature. We argue about sharing. They beg for disposable items. They try to steal things from their siblings or “borrow” without their permission. It is a battle but we are determined never to back down from the lesson of caring for the “least of these.”

We watched as 25 Ugandan orphans got off the bus in the U.S. after their very first plane ride from Kampala. They arrived at the home that would house them for a summer of touring with a choir. We watched as the children coveted their own toothbrush. We watched as they thought it extravagant to place a perfectly good but only slightly used paper cup, plastic spoon and thick paper plate into the garbage. The children were elated to have their own bed to sleep in and they watched in awe as the water flowed out of the faucet.

On the way home in our van, our children complained about our not buying them a home gaming unit to add to the already two other gaming units in our family room. We explained to them the importance of having a spirit of gratitude like the children they just saw and that we should never forget how fortunate we are. We told them that we have a responsibility to take action to care for the orphan. We also explained that our lives are not about the things we get that will end up in a garbage dump one day but instead are about changing lives by showing love and compassion to others.

How do we teach charity? I think we need to expose our children to orphans and the homeless, and they need to gently see the truth to be able to look at their lives with a new set of eyes. We believe we also have to constantly remind them to prioritize the needs of those who are struggling, poor and sick.

He who is kind to the poor lends to the Lord, and he will reward him for what he has done. (Proverbs 19:17)

We are celebrating with our children how far they have come out of poverty and out of their vulnerability but reminding them that children and families still reside in desperation. Charities are struggling because people are protecting what little resources they have but the Bible tells us that the best bank we can give to is the bank of God. In lending to the poor we lend to the Lord himself. Charity leads to security in eternal favor with God. As far as I am concerned, this is the best lesson we can teach them!

© 2011 – 2012, Deanna Jones. All rights reserved.

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1. Peter Yelchuri   |  Monday, 21 March 2011 at 10:03 pm

   Honorable Sir.
   Greetings to you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. First of all I praise God for this wonderful opportunity to share my ministry activities with you.
   My name is Peter Yelchuri and I am the President of Holy Land Ministries – India.
   As you know, India does not have the social services, medical and Food, care or help. There are many of widows, lepers and handicapped people and street orphans are living, they are really in need of Food, clothes, education and medical help certainly they are in need of love from some one.
   We are taking care of 40 orphan children and others with families who are too poor to be able to attend school or even enjoy regular meals.
   Every orphan child has a heart breaking history. We find them in miserable conditions, having lost their parents in cyclones, floods, fire, accidents etc.Then they slowly become accustomed to our love and care.
   Unfortunately our resources are very limited and so we are not able to feed them regularly even two times a day. For lack of funds we are not able to give them sufficient food. At such times they get up from their plates with half-filled bellies. We not only have to feed them, but also provide them with shelter, clothes and bedding. But it is very difficult for us to look after all these needs in these days of famine and soaring costs.
   Please uphold our Ministry in your regular prayers. However, we do take to the streets with food and utensils so these people won’t die of starvation. It costs very little to feed many people.
   Please stretch out your hand of compassion to fill their bellies and wipe the tears from their cheeks. I await your reply with hope and faith
   Thanking you
   Sincerely.
   Peter Yelchuri

   Web Site; http://www.hlmindia.org
   E Mail; holylandorphanage@yahoo.com