Monday, January 16, 2012

Tuck-In Testimony: When Children Pray

The children of His Little Feet love to pray, and I have to allow plenty of time every night for all to pray!

They will each pray in Amharic or Spanish, and I will pray in English. Even though I can’t understand most of their prayers, they touch me because I can see their love for the Lord, their fervency, and their faith that God answers prayers.

They like to pray for all of the children and the aunties and uncles by name. A word I hear a lot in the Amharic prayers that I recognize is “amasiginhalow” (written how it sounds), which means “thank you”. They are so grateful for what the Lord has done for them, rescued them from, and given them.

They have truly experienced having nothing, and then being given everything. Therefore they can probably more easily understand that without Christ, life is hopeless, and with Jesus Christ we have everything.

from Auntie Carrie

Day 88: Mahder and Auntie Annie

Monday, January 9, 2012

I will not leave you as orphans: I will come to you!

Have you ever rocked an orphan child to sleep as they grieved the loss of their loved ones? To look into the eyes of an orphan child weeping and grieving because they miss their loved ones is unforgettable. The pain is deep and the process of healing is long.

However, this past December, as we celebrated Christmas with the 14 orphan children in the choir, we celebrated the promise that God gives in John 14:18-21:

"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.

On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

What a beautiful moment it was to see the Lord speak to the orphan children in the choir as they heard the Word spoken, “I will not leave you as orphans: I will come to you.” The magnitude of this message to the children permeated and comforted their hearts in a way that none of us can supply…only the Lord! 

This Christmas the orphan children of His Little Feet celebrated the gift of Jesus coming to them as their Savior and as their Father. The Lord’s presence and provision Christmas day filled all of our hearts with joy, peace and hope!

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:38-39