Another thing I am passionate about it adoption. (Do you see a theme here?) It breaks my heart to see children in orphanages, even when it is a brand spankin' new, well-staffed orphanage. Kids needs forever families. They just do.
So because I care about these things, I also care about the causes of abandonment of children. In a perfect world, kids would get to stay with loving birth parents who have the means to care for their children. But unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world. We live in a world where poverty and inability to feed a child can force a loving mother to leave her child with strangers. Where HIV/AIDS can ravage a father's health, leaving him unable to work and provide for his children. Where parents have to choose which child can go to school, get medicine, or eat... or maybe they don't have this choice at all, because they can't afford these things for any of their children.
This is why my family and I support organizations like World Vision and Compassion International. Specifically, we sponsor a child through World Vision. He is a little boy in Ethiopia named Melake with the exact same birthday as Will. (We asked for that. We used to sponsor a boy with Ben's birthday.) Our monthly sponsorship allows him to get food, medical care, and many other things. We just began sponsoring him recently, so I am not completely up to speed about his family's situation, but I know that he lives in a community that is being ravaged by HIV. I am thankful that he lives with his parents and brother. (Both organizations have orphan sponsorships also, but I will talk about orphan care in another post.)
Here is the thing. I am not trying to brag. Promise. In fact, I rarely mention my sponsored child unless someone asks me who the kid on my fridge is. But because I care about orphans, I want to help make sure that kids are able to stay with their families. I don't want Melake's parents to have to leave him at an orphanage because they can't feed him. I pray that they will never have to face that day.
World Vision recently released their Christmas Catalog. No, it is not filled with toys and games and stockings that you can order for your family. It is filled with things like goats, chickens, and cows. You can order seeds and fruit trees to be planted in communities supported by World Vision. You can send a girl to school. You could even supply a health clinic. I love this project because it doesn't just throw money at a problem. It gives parents tools for supporting themselves and making life better for their families. It keeps families together.
So this year for Christmas, could I use a new sweater? Or some pretty earrings? Sure. But what I really want is clean water for children. Small business loans for mothers. Plumpy'nut (It's like peanut butter on steroids) for malnourished toddlers. Children who don't have to leave their families. I want the Church to be the hands and feet of Jesus. That's what I really want.
What do you want?
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