Orphan Crisis

Last month, I had the honor of being invited to a Women's Leadership Conference to share at a workshop on adoption. I was asked to share "however the Lord leads".  So, after much praying, it was clear that I was suppose to share about the current global orphan crisis.

It was an incredible time of sharing about this crisis...about how the Lord had as ALREADY told us what to do about the crisis...about how to practically impact this crisis...

Crisis: dangerous or worrying time: a situation or period  in which things are very uncertain, difficult, or painful, especially a time when action must be taken to avoid complete disaster or breakdown.

Seriously you guys...I still can't read that definition without crying!  Does this not perfectly describe what EVERY orphan is experiencing?!  I want to scream it from the mountain tops...these children are headed for DISASTER and we are clearly called to DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT!

I shared the overwhelming statistic of over 163 MILLION orphans worldwide...that # is equivalent to the 7th largest nation in the world...that is a population of MORE than the entire country of Russia...

My first response to those statistics are shock, frustration, anger...then it's grief, brokenness, helplessness...then it's motivation, empowerment, determination!

James 1:27 - Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to care for the orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.


Isaiah 1:17 - Learn to do good; Seek justice, Rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.


Psalm 146:9 - The Lord watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.


Job 29:12 - Because I delivered the poor who cried out, the fatherless and the one who had no helper.


Psalm 68:5-6 - A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation. God sets the solitary in families; He brings out those who are bound into prosperity;  But the rebellious dwell in a dry land.

The scriptures are clear...we are to care for the orphan, defend her, relieve her, deliver her, embrace her as our own.  How do we do that?  How do we repair the brokenness? How to we help these precious ones avoid disaster?

Adoption...fostering...respite care...advocating...ministering...sending humanitarian needs...medical care...nutritional care...educational care...mission trips...donating...orphan ministry...meals for newly home families...sewing...running...the list is endless.

Let's get out there and do something...God has called us to act NOW...the need is URGENT!!