Children Calling.
Calling for attention. Calling for affection. Calling for affirmation. Calling for affiliation. Calling for acceptance. Calling for advice. Calling for amusement.
Calling for parents to love and teach them.
The list above could be extended indefinitely but it consists of only a few needs that children require as they progress through life. When thinking back to when we visited an orphanage in Myanmar to teach English and spend time witnessing the reality these orphans were subject to; I unashamedly, ached for them. As you might already know, I have an agonizing hole in my heart for kids who aren’t fortunate enough to start with all the opportunities many of us in the western world have. Not only are they orphans; they are orphans in an impoverished country. Every day the self-sacrificial people who live with them have to simply pray for protein to feed and sufficiently nourish the 50 plus children. Dwell on that for a minute…. They are praying that their sustainable living projects will provide enough food for the kids. Can you imagine what that must feel like to be at the will of the weather, natural elements, and God’s provision to have enough sustenance to merely consume food? This life giving substance that these kids require to physically as well as mentally develop properly is the same gluttonous substance we gorge ourselves on regularly. The entire time with them I was on the verge of breaking into tears because I wanted nothing more than to help them and be there to assist each child in growing up into people who feel empowered to live rather than survive.
“My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style” ― Maya Angelou
You may be wondering what I’m doing right now to fulfill this internal yearning and the answer is honestly nothing. Pathetic right? Other than dearly loving the kids I’ve interacted with I see it as almost useless to invest short amounts of time towards this problem since it will only increase that feeling of abandonment they have. You might be thinking I could sponsor a child. Sure that would make a difference and I might do exactly that this summer but I think what my fiancée and I have concluded is that it’s not a matter of if we will adopt, it’s a matter of how many will we be able to provide for. God willing, we will be able to give our love generously to as many kids as possible. I’m aware that it’s a bold proclamation but out of all the atrocities I’ve witnessed throughout my travels it’s this one where I feel my soul is called to be part of the change.
Some of the images below are quite contrary to the stark writing I’ve presented but after being with them you feel more than what you see in their smiles. Even with their heavy past they worshiped God with a passion that brought me to tears. I envied their ability to unapologetically worship their omnipresent Father.
