Whats127

A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah unknowingly supports the World Orphans model of orphan care.

This is a lecture by a former child soldier who has the wonderful ability of story telling. During his account of the events he chronicled in his book, he tells the stories of his life before, during and after the war. His story is remarkable, and the time it takes to hear the entire lecture is well worth it. He makes several points about the orphan cycle of child soldiers.

Ishmael credits his recovery to the passion of people that wanted him to recover. Ishmael placed great importance on two things: The fact that the people who worked at the recovery center were from Sierra Leon, and the sports they used to help them make break throughs in their recovery. He said:

“Thank God that the people who worked at the center were Sierra Leonians, who were deeply interested in helping us. It makes a tremendous difference  when people who are from your country, help you to recover. Somebody who is from the outside can easily  forgive you, who have not been there during the war. But when somebody, perhaps some of the peoples whose family you had actually you had destroyed, will want to come to take care of you, it makes a tremendous difference.

Another way they did this was sports, football, soccer.”

Without knowing it, Ishmael gave a great testimony for two parts of our strategy. The importance that the work is carried out by the indigenous church. Not only it is important for the community to identify the work being done by the church, but it matters to the children as well. The second part being, our strategy to use sports in the process of growth and healing.

I hope that someday the result of the work of World Orphans means that there are thousands of kids like Ishmael, who are able to tell how the members of their church helped them recover from the cycle that caused them to be an orphan. And that their story does not end there, but it goes on to tell how they also lead them to eternal life.

Listen to his story then leave a comment about what impressed you.

The numbers from Haiti can be staggering

Some of the numbers of orphans in Haiti are beginning to be reported in articles like this one from the AP,
"Haiti's children on their own on shattered streets". This article estimates there are now 1 million orphans in Haiti; children that have either lost one or both of their parents.

I'm not going to get into the debate concerning single or double orphans. I think it is fair to say that the orphan population will have at least doubled, if not tripled since the quake.

The AP article points out how the response is falling short when it comes to the needs of children. UNICEF, the Red Cross and Save the Children are all doing the best they can under the circumstances. Save the Children has set up 13 "Child Spaces" zones in the settlements. These zones are not meant to provide the care needed by 600,000 new orphans. The Red Cross has begun to search for parents and next of kin for children, and the effort will go on for months if not years. The task is bigger than relief agencies alone can provide. A larger network is needed.

Using the numbers available from one of the networks, the Florida SBC, the estimate of the number of Protestant churches in Haiti could be extrapolated to be 1600. Is this network big enough to care for 600,000 new orphans? The answer is: with a strategy, Yes.

If each church cared for 20 to 40 children in family style homes on church property they could care for 32,000 to 64,000 children. Which leaves 536,000 children to care for.

So some of the 'experts' will use this staggering number as justification to set up large institutional orphanages. The rationale being that the warehouses are better than the streets. But there is a better strategy, the Continuum of Care. Residential care is one point on the continuum, but another point is community based foster care.

Churches will be able to facilitate and support the care of hundreds of children in foster homes in the surrounding community. If only the 1600 evangelical churches are involved, it would mean that each church would only need to facilitate the care to 335 children their surrounding community through foster and kinship based care.

Another sad fact is that the earth quake that produces orphans also produces widows. The widows are also in need of support and resources. Eighty-four (84) widows in a community surrounding a church could care for 335 children, with a ratio of 1 care-giver to 4 children.

So the numbers may be staggering, but this shows that a church based network response is feasible. Yes, many other factors come into play. Will the number of orphans needing care be 600,000? Probably not, it could more, it could be less. Will all 1600 churches get involved? Probably not, but other faith based organizations will most likely also respond. A big factor that I have not covered yet is that the scripture is clear that it is totally possible since it's what the Father wants, Eph. 3:10, James 1:27.  That trumps all the other strategies of the world.

Churches wanting to get involved in a strategy to partner with Haitian churches can contact World Orphans by emailing me, or info.worldorphans.org, or calling 720-386-4881. World Orphans is working with several network partners and agencies to formulate a strategy to tackle this issue. Contact us now to get on the distribution list for the strategy when it is completed. Churches that begin to participate now by giving to World Orphans Haiti Response Fund on our giving page will be the first to be partnered with churches, and the first to go on trips when the time is right.

Words From Haiti.

'Disaster and chaos' in Haiti after major earthquake 1/12/2010

These are the words taken from an Associated Press headline after the earthquake struck Haiti. The article went on to quote people that were on the ground and their descriptions of the events there. Unless you have been away from the media over the past few days you have seen your share of the words in headlines, and are probably close to being overwhelmed by the news. Words like disaster and chaos are catchy, I’ve even used them here. Words like providence or provision don’t seem to go with disaster and chaos. Yet, they can be found in Haiti.

If there is one thing that I am learning in my new role at World Orphans, it is that there are no coincidences in God’s plan. In his blog, Paul Myhill gives an account of a group arriving in Haiti just moments before the earthquake with supplies and provisions to help a church-base home for orphans there. I’m limited to the information that Paul has given us, and I doubt that this story will ever end up in an article by the Associated Press. But I think it is a great example of God’s providence. A group of people made plans to go and help, well in advance of the earthquake. They gathered provisions and went. Then in God’s timing, they were on the ground just as this event was unfolding. That is more than just a matter of timing.

Still, some will say this is just a coincidence.  I am convinced it is more than that, it is the providence of God at work in the midst of what the world calls chaos. From this tidbit of a bigger story we can see how the church really is the best instrument for long term response and change. This church-based home is not a current World Orphans partner but it is at the center of this story. The help this group will be able to give the people of Haiti is in part possible because the church is there, and the church is responding to the community by caring for orphaned and abandoned children.

In the coming days I hope we get to hear more about the story of Jodi’s friends and the response they were able to help the church make in Haiti. I’m sure the story will be ripe with words that describe God’s grace and mercy, His providence and provision more than disaster and chaos.

Would you like to help the children of Haiti, by helping the churches that are already there to rescue them? You can contribute to the World Orphans relief efforts online at our giving page. Simply make a”miscellaneous” gift and type “Haiti” in the memo box. Or you can send a check to:
    World Orphans
    P.O. Box 1840
    Castle Rock, CO 80104

Thank you in advance for being part of what God is doing through the church and for the orphan.

Keith

Psalm 145

Ps 145 reveals a thread in the overall tapestry of the scripture, God intends for the testimony of His grace and mercy to be passed down from generation to generation, from father to son.

 

 “One “generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts.” Psalm 145:4.

 

“Descendants will serve Him; the next generation will be told about the Lord. They will come and tell a people yet to be born about His righteousness— what He has done Psalms 22:30-31 (HCSB)

 

“…a father will make Your faithfulness known to children.” Isaiah 38:19 (HCSB)

 

(How will this declaration of God’s goodness happen for the fatherless?)

 

When God rescues a child, his testimony will have an impact on those who know the story.

 

“On the glorious splendor of Your majesty
And on Your wonderful works, I will meditate.” Psalms 145:5 (NASB)

 

(How will the story of the “wonderful work” of the rescue of that child be told and remembered if the rescued child is removed from that community?)

 

When that rescued child grows up in a church, that community will remember the events of his/her rescue. The child and all those involved will tell others about the story of God’s goodness.

 

“Men shall speak of the power of Your awesome acts,
And I will tell of Your greatness. They shall eagerly utter the memory of Your abundant goodness

And will shout joyfully of Your righteousness.” Psalms 145:6-7 (NASB)

 

“The LORD is good to all,
And His mercies are over all His works.” Psalms 145:9 (NASB)

 

“Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom,
And Your dominion endures throughout all generations.” Psalms 145:13 (NASB)

 

(How will they know of the mercies and grace of God without the church?)

 

The rescued child needs the church, but the church also needs the child. God has knitted the two together. Each is dependent on the other.

 

“Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world.” James 1:27 (NASB)

 

“The LORD sustains all who fall
And raises up all who are bowed down. The eyes of all look to You,
And You give them their food in due time. You open Your hand
And satisfy the desire of every living thing.
The LORD is righteous in all His ways
And kind in all His deeds. The LORD is near to all who call upon Him,
To all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him;
He will also hear their cry and will save them. The LORD keeps all who love Him,
But all the wicked He will destroy. My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD,
And all flesh will bless His holy name forever and ever.”

Psalms 145:14-21 (NASB)

 

(What is your “desire” for the child and the church?)