A few years ago injustice was transformed from an abstract word to a gut wrenching reality complete with faces, names and heartbreaking stories. I’ve seen a lot of pain but nothing prepared me for how children neglected by parents and an entire society would change the trajectory of my life.
Two summers ago I found myself in a camp full of teenage orphans in rural Ukraine. These orphans had been dumped in this camp by their orphan schools for the summer. They were provided with beds, some of the worst food I’ve ever tasted and a handful of university students as their camp counselors. There was no program, no activities, and no school. You can imagine the outcome.
In this camp I found children desperate for attention and love because of years of neglect and rejection. I found beautiful young women, the vast majority of which, either because of desperation or trafficking would someday find themselves enslaved in prostitution. I found rambunctious teenage boys who would most likely end up as addicts or incarcerated.
And yet, in the midst of such hopelessness, despite my best intentions I fell desperately in love with the kids I met. In the midst of overpowering darkness, love took root in my heart. Somehow, in the span of a week I bonded with the kids. And as I opened up my heart to them, I began to glimpse the incredible compassion that God feels for me.
Upon returning to the USA I fell into a deep depression. I cried constantly. I lost my motivation for my job. I had nightmares about orphan children and I could not get them out of my head.
I struggled for a year. And then I went back to Ukraine and did it all over again—the same hopelessness, the same heartbreaking emotions and the same disorienting reentry.
And so, as followers of Jesus, my wife and I decided to do something. How, after experiencing something like that could I pretend it didn’t happen? How could I pretend those kids didn’t exist? How could I go back to normal? That is the power of experiencing injustice.
While wrestling through these ideas, I heard Reggie Joiner say something like this, “Do for one what you wish you could do for many.” Obviously, we couldn’t fix the orphan problem. Nor could we change the fact that 70% of orphan girls are pulled into the sex trade. But, we could offer hope to one. What if we adopted one orphan?
And so we began praying and asking people for advice. I repeatedly asked myself this question, “Is this God’s Will?” But, in light of Bible verses like James 1:27, I already knew what God’s will is. He’s already stated it clearly throughout the Bible. “Care for orphans.” God is for adoption. He adopts people every day.
We didn’t need a sign or some sort of mystical confirmation. It’s already there in God’s Word. And so we acted. We poured our hearts and souls into adoption. We gave an astronomical amount of time, resources and determination into offering hope to one orphan girl.
Over the next few days, I’d like to tell the story of what happened—how God showed up, what we learned and how our hearts were broken.
photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ihhinsaniyardimvakfi/
