I recently got the opportunity to visit an orphanage for children with special needs with team Saahas. It was probably one of my most favorite experiences and places that I have visited on the race.
The orphanage is located in one of the village at the base of acatenango volcano. It was started in 2008 by a couple from America who saw a need and met it. Since starting it, they have opened two other homes along with the original and they plan on opening more. Each one of the homes can hold between 10-15 children. They try to keep the number of kids to the homes small so they can keep it as much like a family as possible.
The kids in the homes have a large range of disabilities and the homes cater to every single one of them. From 8-5 Monday through Friday, nurses & and physical therapists are with the kids cleaning, playing, teaching and feeding them.
While I was there, I was able to hear a few of the scenarios of how the kids got there. Some were placed there through the government and others were brought to the doors by the parents and they begged the home to take the child because they didn’t want him/her or they simply could not afford the child.
There are two things I feel urged to tell the church and make them aware of after visiting this home:
- There are so many children in the world that need homes. Both children with special needs and without. One of the least adoptable groups of children are children with special needs. They aren’t easy to take care of, I know that. But these kids are precious in God’s eyes without a shadow of a doubt and they need love. I have met quiet a few adults with special needs who have never heard of Jesus. Why? Because they are in constant care of whoever they are with. They don’t have a lot of independence to go to church or meet new people outside of their small community. Unless they are raised or helped by someone who knows the Lord, they may NEVER hear of who Jesus is. You also need to understand that some of these children have a cognitive brain, but are stuck inside a body that doesn’t work.
Children and adults with special needs need to hear about Jesus.
- So many people think that God calls them to only have one, two, or even three kids. I don’t believe that’s exactly true in a sense. In the Bible God tells us to take care of the widows and orphans and He never contradicts Himself. It can look a million different ways. You could take care of the orphans through foster care, adoption, a daycare, being a spiritual mentor, or being a missionary. The ways are endless. Living inside a bubble of safety and security isn’t actually as safe as you think it is. God doesn’t call us just for this life, but for heaven. If my short life on earth is spent taking care of as many kids as possible all to bring God glory and more people into His kingdom, so be it. I’ll have an eternity to kick back with God.
If you want to get involved in someones life who has special needs, please feel free to reach out to me or click on one of the links listed below.
Hope for Home
https://hopeforhome.org/index.html
http://hopeforhome.blogspot.com
The ARC of Plymouth
