First he shoved me from the back and then decided he wanted to be my friend.
About a week ago my team had the opportunity to spend a few hours at an orphanage that housed over 350 children.
I do not know the story behind every child; but what I do know is that the majority of these children are a product of abandonment. In Vietnam, if you already have a girl or boy, you can choose to leave your child at the hospital after giving birth. As the mother and father walk away from their child so does the ability of the child to have a secure future.
These children are left in the hospital and then given to orphanages where they live until they are 18 years old. With no birth certificate or idea of what the world looks like outside of their center, these children aren’t set up for a bright future.
Adoption is off the table for these children because either they don’t have birth certificates due to their parents leaving them at the hospital or the strict policies that came about after children were being adopted by pimps and being sex trafficked. People can sponsor the children, but they can’t physically adopt them and take them home.
Learning all of this and then seeing the children at the center broke every part of my heart. As I stood in this center with hundreds of children around me, I couldn’t even begin to picture myself in their position. Growing up with 350 siblings, living in a huge compound, and never experiencing the love of a mother and father.
Never getting to have your dad teach you how to use a hammer, ride a bike, or put up Christmas lights once a year. Never having your mom write “I love you” on a napkin and hiding it in your lunchbox, or getting to hug your parent’s good night each night. These are some of the sweetest memories I have with my parents as a child.
So where’s the hope? For the next few days I struggled to comprehend this brokenness. I couldn’t understand where hope would come from for these children. What was to be their outcome, what kind of future did they have? What would they face once they turned 18?
As I struggled to bring this to God and give this heartbreak to Him, He met me in the midst of the brokenness. Here are a few verses that came to mind:
“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” Hebrews 11:1
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?” The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.” 1 Corinthians 15:55-58
“Lord, you know the hopes of the helpless. Surely you will hear their cries and comfort them. You will bring justice to the orphans and the oppressed, so mere people can no longer terrify them” Psalm 10:17-18
Hope is found when we trust that God knows these orphans and knows each one of their stories. He is the creator of all and sees each one of these precious children. His heart breaks for the brokenness placed upon them. Hope is found when we give our deepest heartaches to God.
I found hope in the fact that God WILL reveal himself to each one of these kids and they will have an opportunity to trade their brokenness forced upon them in for a sweeter future that is filled with hope. A future with Jesus in paradise.
I have hope in the fact that the church we are partnering with this month sends their congregation out to play with these sweet kids once a month. Seeds are being planted for the kingdom in these children’s lives regularly. I am grateful for all they are doing to bring hope and love to these sweet children. I have hope in Jesus giving them a future and a hope. There is endless hope when you trust in the Creator of the world, sometimes we just need to remind ourselves of this.
I may never go back to this orphanage, but I do know that I left a piece of my heart with those children. In particular, the little boy who shoved me and then decided he wanted to be my friend and clung to me for the next few hours.
Thank you for helping make it possible for me to be in Vietnam and have the opportunity to love on these children!! The Lord is using both you and I to bring the kingdom, one encounter at a time. Below, is a video from our time at the orphanage.
Love,
Michelle
PC: Mikayla, Casey, Leah, Rachel
