Last summer, I was given the incredible opportunity to travel across the world and share God’s love in China. I spent two weeks living in one of the poorest, rural areas of Luoyang, China at a special needs orphanage called Maria’s Big House of Hope.
Maria’s Big House of Hope is an amazing orphanage founded and developed by Stevin Curtis Chapman and his family. If you have never heard his story, he is an inspirational, Christian singer who tragically lost his three year old daughter, Maria, after he had recently adopted her from China. In honor of Maria, Steven and his wife founded Maria’s Big House of Hope as a safe home to make a difference for special needs orphans who would otherwise be abandoned or killed. The Chapmans had already developed their own non-profit organization called Show Hope, after their other adopted daughter, Shaohannah Hope.
I was able to join a group of twenty other young adults and spent two weeks helping the orphanage in any way we could, loving on the children, and most of all serving the Lord. We were told before we arrived not to let yourself bond too closely with a single child because it would only hurt them when we had to return home. We were not going to become their short-term parents, but 2-week long blessings in their little lives.
Think about the special connections you have with people in your life. Did you plan on connecting with that person? Did you plan on bonding so tightly with them? Probably not. Relationships are formed at random. God places each person in your life for a reason, and we can’t control it. I found myself spending an extensive amount of time in the Winnie the Pooh themed room on the third floor; a bright and cheerful 2 year old named Julia’s room. I loved sitting on the floor to cradle Julia in my arms, sing her songs, and transform into the tickle monster. I think her favorite thing to do was take silly pictures when I brought out my camera.
Julia is bright, silly, affectionate, spunky, imaginative, and adorable. She has a joyful essence all around her. Her laugh is contagious, and she lights up every room she enters. So why is she in an orphanage? She had tuberculosis. Even though she has been successfully treated for the disease, the Chinese government still declared her unadoptable. At this point, she would never have a loving, forever family unless the government redeveloped her papers. My heart broke for her. With only a week left at MBHOH, I struggled to see God’s plan. Why would he keep such a beautiful, bundle of joy from getting adopted?
Psalm 68:5, “A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.”
Even though right now, Julia is an orphan. Jesus Christ has her wrapped in his heavenly arms. She is protected, warm, and healthy because of Jesus’ love. Julia is just one of the 100+ children at MBHOH. Her story is just one of hundreds that I came across. Some of the kids are not expected to live past 5 years old because of the severe disorders they have. Despite these tragic stories, when you visit MBHOH, your heart is filled and overflowed with love and joy because of God’s children.
Saying goodbye to Julia was when God truly placed mission work on my heart. At that point, I knew God was calling me to be somehow involved with orphans and international missions in my future. China changed my life; not because of the people I met and the things I did, but because of the insight God gave me about my calling.
