So most of you are aware that my team and I have been fundraising for the orphanage we worked at in Phnom Penh. We opened a donation page online and spread the word to all of our friends and family members – and we ended up raising nearly $5,000! Crazy. But we knew that that $5,000 wouldn’t sustain them; only help then through the next month or so, but then they would be right back where they started – fundless. My team prayed and prayed that something would happen. That long-term funding would come in.
Then, one day, Sarah, Meg and I were at the grocery store when we ran into Carl, a former World Race contact from Thailand. He and his family run twenty-one homes for children who have been rescued from the sex industry. They have three homes in Cambodia. The next day we had lunch with Carl and asked for his advice regarding the orphanage and their financial woes. His reply was, “Can I meet with the orphanage director?” “Well, sure!” we replied. So the next day Carl met with Ritay, the orphanage director, and the day after that, they had a more formal meeting.
During that formal meeting, Carl told Ritay that he wanted to provide sponsors for each and every kid (40 total) at the orphanage. He said the money would start coming in April 1. “WHAT?!” I almost started crying. Here we were, in panic, struggling to come up with a financial solution for them, and God said, “Oh, no no, I got this.” Within 30 minutes of the meetings, Carl knew he wanted to partner. He knew he had sponsors that would be interested in these kids. Can you say answer to prayer??
The thought of leaving these kids with only a weeks’ worth of secured meals was heart-wrenching. But now we leave them with security and hope. We leave them knowing that their daily needs will be kept. That they will continue to go to school. That they will eat nourishing food – not just rice. And God had this plan formed the entire time. He meant for us to run into Carl that day at the grocery store. He had already prepared Carl’s heart for taking in yet another children’s home. Everything lined up because it ordained.
I’ve never seen God move in this kind of way. I’ve never seen God answer prayers so quickly and so directly. We asked for funding… a few days later we got long-term funding for every child.
A few days later, my team and I were studying the book of Matthew. Matthew 4:19 reads, ““Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him.”” When I think about how quickly Carl agreed to support the orphanage because of the calling God gave him, I can’t help but think about this passage, and how quickly Peter and Andrew dropped what they were doing and obeyed Christ. They didn’t have to think about it. They didn’t weigh out the pros and cons. They just did it. How often do we do that in our lives? How often does God tell us to do something and we hesitate and ignore the calling all together? I know I do it. But obedience in Christ doesn’t have to be scary. Because by being obedient, we are promised much grace and peace. (1 Peter 1:2) So I challenge you all (and myself) to sit and listen to what the Lord has for you that day. And then obey it. No matter how extreme or insignificant it may seem at the time. Just do it.
Right now, they have support coming in from Carl as he solidifies individual sponsors for each. But he hopes to have the orphanage running on almost all sponsor support by the end of August. Sponsoring a child is only $60/month. And it’s more than sending in a check – it’s a relationship. You get to communicate and interact with your child throughout their life. You can sponsor them all the way through college, if you’d like! I know God place one child on my heart to sponsor, and I feel so honored to be able to love and support him, and walk through life with him. And I can’t wait till 10 years down the road, when he sends me his college graduation pictures! SOOO, if you’re interested in sponsoring, shoot me an email at [email protected].
Thank you again. Love you all!
PS – we are now in Kenya and it's BEAUTIFUL! blog post coming soon. 🙂
