Monday, April 16, 2012

Repairing Walls and Restoring Broken Lives

I thank God for placing me in the right place, with the right people, in His divine, appointed time. It has been a great blessing to my life to be in His Little Feet this year. Whenever I think of His Little Feet, I think of the people who came from Judah to tell the affliction of God’s people to Nehemiah. When Nehemiah heard the condition of God’s people, he wept and mourned, fasted, and prayed to God. This continued for “many days,” not just a few minutes. His fasting was an expression of his sorrow and grief, associated with prayer to God.

In our tour, I see many people concerned and troubled when they see and hear about the condition of 163,000,000 of God’s children. There are many humanitarian organizations that are doing amazing work, but what makes His Little Feet different is that it is Christ-centered. When we help orphans, we not only provide for their needs, but we give them Christ. This is true with our partner organizations as well. For example, when you sponsor a child through Compassion, you are giving them a chance to know Christ. When I have visited several Compassion centers in Ethiopia, I have seen first-hand that the children are taught regularly about Jesus Christ and what He wants to do with their lives.

As a child, two American couples from Ohio personally sponsored me. I am a living testimony of the impact that this kind of investment can have in the life of a child. There was a time in my life when I was like one of the children in those Compassion packets, but the change began when someone took action to help me. I am here because God moved and used those two couples to say, “Yes” to Him in obedience.

I see God’s mercy and loving-kindness toward His children. He cares what happens to each child all over the world. His Little Feet is doing the same thing as those individuals who told of the needs of God’s people to Nehemiah…and like Nehemiah who stood in the gap, His Little Feet is raising awareness of what is going on in the lives of many children in the world today.

Nehemiah prayed on behalf of God’s servants, the children of Israel. He prayed not for something he wanted for himself - he prayed for others, built the walls, and restored the nation. I witness many broken lives being restored, rebuilt, and given new hope as God is using the ministry of His Little Feet. 

-Uncle Belay, His Little Feet staff from Ethiopia