Called to Love the Fatherless

This past Sunday kicked of Missions Week at my church. Man, was I totally unprepared to be completely blown away!

Let me begin by explaining how our church views missions. In short, that it is the single most important thing that we do as a church. The leadership is fully committed to being outwardly focused. That is evident in all aspects of the church: from where the money is spent, to what is taught on Sunday mornings, to the sheer number of mission trips are taken each year. I have never been involved in a church that is so committed to bringing the gospel to the world. In addition, the church is involved in only a few areas of the world in order to build lasting relationships with the people that we are called to serve. Those areas are Mexico, Southeast Asia, and Central Europe. By viewing missions this way, the church is able to send numerous teams to each of these locations each year and minister to the same people. It is such a cool way to look at missions!

So, back to Sunday morning. The service did not involve a traditional sermon, but rather we got to hear from some people we partner with in these areas. This year's theme for Missions Week is "loving and serving the orphan." Nothing, and I truly mean nothing, can stir my soul more than hearing about the plight of the orphan throughout the world. As I sat and listened to stories about these kids, my heart broke. I was shocked, appalled, and humbled. It is my prayer that my world will not go back to the way it was before church on Sunday morning. I have to care. There are 144 million orphans in the world, and it's time for the church to step up and care for them. I am part of the church, so that means me.

James 1:27, “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress.”

I am graduating in August. I have no idea what I'm going to do after that. I have thought since this summer that the Lord may be calling me to go oversees for a little while. I don't know where, I don't know when, I don't know how. I know one thing: orphans touch my heart. Wherever I go, they will be a part of my mission field. I can't wait to know where I'll be next year.