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In Nepal, the Lord began speaking to me about orphans.
 
For as long as I can remember, I have wanted to be a mom.  I just love kids and I always have.   So, while thinking about being a mom all these years, I was never opposed to the idea of adopting children, but like most people I just assumed I would have my own children and maybe adopt or not adopt, It didn’t really matter either way.
 

In Nepal (month 2 on my race), I asked the Lord to break my heart for what breaks His.  At first I didn't see what the Lord was doing but over the last 6 months I have seen Him do exactly that. 

He began to give me a heart for orphans that month.  He gave me a desire to adopt all of my children… not just one or two but all of them.  Maybe the Lord will still choose to bless me with children of my own, but He has brought me to a place where I am perfectly content without it.  I just want to be a mom. I have learned that a mothers calling is to nurture, to love, and to encourage others to pursue the Lord, to be confident in their identity in Christ and to grow into their calling.  I don't have to share their DNA to do that!
 

 
I know God’s heart is for orphans, and not just because of the straightforward verses on the topic.  I know because of the fact that He has adopted us in.  In our sin we were spiritual orphans with no father and no inheritance, but in His great love for us He adopts us in and calls us His own.  He says we are joint heirs with His only Son… the Son that gave His very life so that we could be adopted in.  That blows me away.   God’s heart is for orphans… and I am so thankful for that. 
 
Last month in Tanzania He gave me a broader definition of orphans and showed what it looks like to care for them.  I have always thought of orphans as children with no mother or father, and while that is a true definition, it is not a full definition.



 
Two things have extended my definition…

 
The first thing was a visit to a nearby village. We went to do some research on the orphan situation there.  Me, Catherine, Hope, Sidney and the pastor walked door to door meeting these families and just asking them questions about their life.  After 8 month on the race this was the first time I had been able to do something like that.  It was so eye opening for me.


 
 
The second house we went to, we met a mom and her youngest daughter (about 9 years old).  The pastor informed us that she was an orphan.  But how?  She is standing right next to her mom.  He told me that her father had died several years ago, and because of that this family didn’t have any means of income.  He said that most all children that have lost their father are considered orphans because there mom’s don’t have any way to provide for them.

 
It’s different here.  This woman lives in a remote village, in a small mud hut that they share with their 2 cows.  They are miles from any town. 

The mom asks us to pray for her to find a job, so we do, but even if she does who will be home to take care of her children?  Who will cook their meals, wash their clothes, or be at home to love and care for them?  Where will she even find a job, miles from the nearest town and no car or public transportation to get her there?  


 
 

I trust that the Lord will provide for them….  His heart is for orphans and widows.  But I left her house with a new understanding, and an enlarged mission. 

 

The second thing was a visit to an orphanage about 1 hour from where we were living.  What we found there gave me a completely new understanding of how I can take care of orphans.  We met a sweet "mama" and the 15 orphans that she has taken in. They came running to us as we walked down the street, and jumped in our arms with broad smiles across their face!  


 
The Lord gave this mama this calling 10 years ago and her eyes still well up with tears each time she talks about it.  This woman doesn't have anyone who regularly funds her.  She depends on the Lord for all the money they need to run this place.  They go without electricity, and the kind of roof that would sufficiently keep out the African heat.  The children sleep 2 to each twin bed.  But despite what many of us would see as really hard conditions, these children are clothed, fed, loved and full of joy!  The Lord is providing everything they need exactly when they need it.  
 

 
That day i realized that I can be a part of that.  I don't have to adopt children before I can start caring for orphans!  I sat and talked to this mama for a long time that day learning how I can partner with her to help take care of all the children the Lord has given her.  An excitement and joy grew in me as we conversed.

I still believe that the Lord wants me to adopt children, but there is more than that I can do.  I can ask the Lord to show me ways that I can help to enable these mothers to provide for their children.  This is a new reality, and one that I wasn’t aware of before this month, but one that is an important part of the Father’s heart.