Called to Care for Orphans in China

This post is way overdue. I have been meaning to add to this blog since I found out about the next big step the Lord is taking me on in my journey of learning His heart for the orphan. In just 17 days I will be embarking on my first trip to Asia to work with a team from World Orphans at Living Hope International Orphanage in Fuzhou, China. For those of you like myself who are not familiar with the geography of China, Fuzhou is in the most southeast part of the country right across from Taiwan.

We will host an ESL/sports/music/art camp for the teenagers at the orphanage and little ones from the village who have school off for the Chinese new year (they get like a month off to celebrate!) This year the Chinese new year falls on February 9th which coincidentally is my 22nd birthday... I will be in China, on their new year, on my birthday!! Only God could write something like that into being. But even cooler was the process of joining this team and what a stretching of faith and gracious blessing it has been. The Lord has moved in such awesome ways to bring this about that I feel the need to share the story that it may encourage your hearts also (Colossians 4:7-8) as God challenges you to be available for His work.

I first learned about the trip this summer while I was in Colorado. I was looking at the upcoming trips on the Journey117 Website (branch of World Orphans that does short term trips) which I am in the habit of checking periodically. I was scrolling through like normal when the post about doing a camp in China grabbed my attention in a unique way that the other postings had not. I prayed about it, however I was pretty unsure because the dates of the trip were right in the middle of the spring semester which according to the "plan" is my last semester of my college career. 

I put off a decision, and to be honest, I doubted my place on that trip. Was it was the adventurer in me trying to find my next big journey or was it genuinely the Lord pressing it upon my heart to go? 

The summer came to an end, and I returned to A&M for fall classes and a new internship at a local magazine here in Bryan/College Station which meant that my mind was in a million places. I had almost forgotten about the China trip at that point when early one Monday morning as I was driving, I all of the sudden remembered the trip and felt led to pray about it again. That's weird. Surely I missed the deadline, but out of nowhere (aka the Holy Spirit) I had a renewed urge to pursue being a part of this team I knew minimal information about.

When I got home, I scrambled for my laptop and searched for the posting to see the deadline to apply. It had already passed but I felt such a strong sense of God pushing me forward anyways that I emailed them and explained how I felt to see if there was any possibility that they still needed to fill space on the trip. 

I got a call THAT afternoon. Turns out they still needed one or two more people for the trip, particularly with experience doing camps and with teaching ESL (English as a second language). Thankfully God has given me a ton of camp experience between attending my whole life, coaching baseball camp in Germany and being a counselor at Sky Ranch. I also have some experiences with teaching English to international students at A&M as a conversation partner and Bible study leader for them. The only thing holding me back was the fact that I would miss two solid weeks of class. The Lord told me to trust Him and move forward with the process step by step. 

So I did and was encouraged exponentially in my faith. I had not heard from my professors for two weeks after contacting them about the trip. At this point, I was signed up, committed to the team and ready to go with deposit down because the professors I had asked originally were on board but by the time registration rolled around in November, I was unable to get those classes so I had contacted all new professors. This was a scary place to be in. I was fully committed to China, no turning back, and I still did not know if my professors would cooperate with me. The Lord was seriously testing my trust in Him!

Sunday came around and my pastor, Eric Evje, had given me permission to share what God was doing in my life in regards to sending me to China in front of our church family at Living Hope Bryan. I shared about what we would be doing, God's heart for the orphan and prayer requests for favor with professors, financial provision and for our team as we prepared. Before I left the stage Eric asked the women to come forward to lay hands on me as he led the rest of the congregation in praying over my journey. I felt the Lord's peace wash over me and His spirit remind me that He was working out a plan and would make a way. 

I was humbled as people approached me after the service offering more prayers and encouragement. I cried as one of the women that I look up to immensely from our church, Judy Moss, held me and prayed for my heart to be prepared and for God to move. Two precious ladies that I had never even met approached me with hugs and money straight from their pockets.  I am so moved by these lovers of Jesus that were so willing to join with me on this mission. 

Later that afternoon, I received an email from one of the professors I had anxiously been waiting to hear from saying that she would be willing to excuse my absences. The next day I received similar replies from the remaining professors. Talk about direct answer to prayer! So exciting to see God answering the prayers of my friends, family and World Orphans staff to move the necessary obstacles. God's heart for His good news to be spread and for the orphan is so big that He does the humanly impossible to accomplish His work. 

This is but one large example among many other smaller but equally as special ways that God has provided for this trip. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of you who have given, prayed and encouraged me throughout this time. I am blessed to be surrounded by so many generous and caring hearts. My prayer is that the Lord in turn will bless you for these things, which I know He is faithful to do. 

I cannot wait to see all that God has in store. I will do my best to blog again as the days get closer.

Founder of ChinaAid Speaks Out Against Forced Abortions

I came across this article on the Baptist Press website.

It is a Q&A with Bob Fu, founder and president of ChinaAid who has broken several stories about the atrocities Chinese women have had to face living under that country's one-child policy. I encourage you to read it if you are unfamiliar with China's dark history of forced abortions, gender inequality or infanticide. This interview touches on all of these issues that are associated with the millions of children that go unborn in China each year. This is a significant part of the plight of the orphan. Despite the fact that many of these children go unborn, the one-child policy and culture of abortion contributes to the number of children that are abandoned and become social orphans due to fear from the parents of the government or false ideas that the child is worthless- satan's lies that are easy to believe if no one is speaking out otherwise or praying and advocating on these children's behalf.

If you would like to learn more about gender inequality, read an article that I wrote a while back for World Orphans that touches on the problem worldwide.. I posted it to this blog.

Helping the Fatherless in ZAMBIA

I'm finally back in Colorado after some world travels! As many of you know, the focus of this trip was to finish and dedicate a home for orphaned children in Lusaka, Zambia at Tree of Life Children's Village. Tree of Life is one of three tiers of the ministry of Family Legacy. The other two are Camp Life, where needy children from the compounds get to have a week of Christian camp lead by Zambian and American counselors, and Father's Heart which is their child sponsorship program. Please visit the Family Legacy website to learn more and see how you could possibly get involved!

Here is a little back ground for everyone... This home was extremely personal for our family. It was through the legacy of Jim McCarver (aka my PapaJim) and the amazing provision of God that this came about. Before PapaJim had passed away in January, he urged us to start a foundation that would support orphan ministries as a family. We called it Friend to the Fatherless. It has been a cool journey to go on as a family and asking for the Lord's direction in where he wants the resources from the foundation to be used. PapaJim truly had a heart for orphans. He wanted to see them clothed, feed, given a home, educated and most of all taught about Jesus. His passion has also infiltrated the rest of our family and God has made it a big part of our lives. My Aunt Melina was also excited about helping these children, however, she did not get the opportunity to see much of that through before she passed on about a year and a half ago. The deep pain of her loss has been turned to joy and gladness knowing not only that she is with the Lord now but also that her and PapaJim's legacy is now being carried on through Melina's House and the new classrooms and cafeteria at the Faith Christian Academy for the Tree of Life kids. The Father has such a way of turning ashes into beauty!

In front of Melina's House

The entrance for the village

The Melina Kelley House was not the only house to open last week. There were also three other new homes- Glory, Blessing and Luke's Lighthouse. All of the homes had their own unique story and individuals with caring hearts behind them. In total, there would now be 48 more sweet children that could move into the Tree of Life Children's Village! The village is set up to where 10-14 kids live in each home with two Zambian house mothers who care for and feed them three meals a day. Every child there also attends Faith Christian Academy on site. They go to school for three months and then take a one month break all year round. The kids are also given excellent medical care. Many of them receive ARV's for their AIDS and treatment for other sickness as well. This place represents literal rescue from the grave for these children. The Hope of Christ truly permeates through this place as the least of these who were once alone and forgotten, learn, laugh and play thriving in the new life that God has given them.

We had only five days actually in Lusaka but it felt like we were there for much longer because we kept so busy. During the days leading up to the house openings on Friday, we worked hard getting the houses ready. We decorated, assembled, colored, cleaned, and organized. It was fun to get everything looking perfect for the little ones that would soon be taking the house by storm. Each child had a personalized Bible, stuffed animals and a hand written card waiting for them on their beds. The doors had colorful signs that showed who would be in each room. Toys were laid out throughout the bedrooms and in the living room to make it a fun, playful environment. We also visited the compounds of Lusaka. These are highly congested and impoverished communities that end up being breeding grounds for crime and disease. Many of the children come from these compounds and have never experienced what it means to have a real family or home of their own. It was hard to go through these communities but it provided a better perspective of the needs and where our kids used to live. I had to really rely on the Lord's strength to get through some of these visits. I felt overwhelmed and burdened and wanted to be able to help every child that came running to us for love and attention. We could not do much else besides smile and cuddle them. I rest in the fact that God is in control and He is working to change the culture of these communities and shed light in the dark places through the ministry of those who follow Him.

This trip was such a gift. I have written about, advocated and prayed for orphans but often struggled with the fact that there was some element of the crisis and Gods heart for these children that I haven't been able to fully understand having never seen their faces. It was a struggle for me when I wrote articles for World Orphans about issues associated with the orphan cycle to become bogged down with statistics and loose the humanity of each individual child. It was hard to keep myself from thinking about the issue in terms of percentages as opposed to separate and equally valuable souls that have a name and a story and need rescue. So going to Zambia meant that I would finally see for myself a glimpse of the harsh reality for the approx. 163 million orphans across the globe. I could now hold their little hands, wipe their tears and be apart of God's great redeeming plan for them. The Father opened my eyes to better understand the plight of the orphan. I can now write more vividly and accurately. Our family will be able to share from experience and encourage others to join me in caring for the fatherless with more passion than before. As I was reading in Ephesians today, I felt like the Lord made these verses stand out to me and remind me of how experiences like welcoming orphans into a home in Zambia are results of Gods INCOMPARABLE grace...

"And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with Him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of His grace, expressed to His kindness to us in Christ Jesus." -Ephesians 2:6-7 (NIV)

The riches of His love make this life worth living! I hope to write specific stories about kids that particularly touched my heart. Each one of them has an amazing testimony to share. Keep an eye on the blog, and praise God for all the orphans that now have families at Tree of Life :)

AIDS and other diseases

AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and other diseases caused more deaths worldwide in 2010 and 2011 than cancer, car accidents, and heart disease. To put this into better perspective based on percentages check out this list from the World Health Organization’s (branch of the United Nations) report.

Furthermore, what is tragic about many of these deaths is that many of the cases are largely preventable through the technology and medicine of this current day and age. However, because of the lack of awareness, resources, and distribution, particularly in poverty stricken countries, avoidable deadly diseases are contracted daily that fuel the unnecessary loss of millions of lives. The aftermath of the massacre caused by AIDS and other diseases every year creates one of the largest and most devastating spokes in the cycle of the orphan.

As the fourth leading cause for death in the world, AIDS cannot be ignored when talking about the most dangerous diseases affecting vulnerable orphaned children. There are currently 33.2 million people living with HIV with 22.5 million of those infected are located in Sub-Saharan Africa, 61% of which are female. The ONE Campaign estimates that 15.2 million children have lost one or both parents to AIDS worldwide. Many HIV positive men will prey upon orphaned children, especially girls, out of the belief that having sex with a young virgin will cure them of their illness. In some cultures, it is thought that the younger the virgin the more likely a cure will ensue. Other orphans become infected as a result of being forced to prostitute themselves after being sold by their family, abducted by pimps, or voluntarily out of not knowing of any other way to survive. While other orphans or impoverished children will enter into sexual relationships with HIV positive men in order to be provided shelter, food, clothing, and other basic needs. All of these orphans eventually contract this fatal disease from these various situations that they are manipulated or driven to out of desperation, and the cycle continues.

An incredible organization called The ONE Campaign has made great strides toward breaking this spoke of the orphan cycle particularly through bi-partisan lobbying efforts in the United States government and other awareness efforts abroad. Both republicans and democrats alike have been able to unite to make an impact that will greatly reduce the number of people suffering from AIDS and other diseases in the future. According to ONE, both Bush and Obama have continued to keep the United States committed to tackling the disease since Clinton pushed it to the forefront in the nineties. The impact has been exponential as there are now 6.6 million people receiving treatment as opposed to a much smaller 100,000 in 2002. The ONE campaign has not relented in their determination as they note that, “…despite great progress, for every person who goes on treatment, nearly two more are infected. There are an estimated nine million people still in need of treatment.”

While it can be somewhat common to hear about the AIDS epidemic, there are other deadly diseases that are wrongly overlooked. One such disease is mosquito-borne malaria that runs rampant particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and the Americas. About one million deaths occur every year due to malaria. In Africa, it kills more children than any other disease. If the mosquitoes themselves do not get under your skin, this will- malaria is completely preventable. Bed nets and insect repellent alone would greatly reduce the risk of obtaining this sickness. Other control measures include spraying insecticides or draining the still water in which the mosquitoes breed. It can be extremely complex for impoverished peoples whom lack necessary resources or education needed to gain access to these simple protective devices. Children often become orphaned by loosing their parents to this illness and are more susceptible to also becoming infected because they no longer have someone to look after them or teach them how to protect themselves from it. Thankfully, many organizations are working to provide treated mosquito nets to needy families. One such organization is Nothing But Nets, who have been able to provide over four million life-saving nets to at risk families. Other organizations effectively meeting this need for many individuals are Netting Nations, Compassion International, and Nets for Life Africa.

Among other purely preventable killers are food-borne and water-borne diseases, which combined cause the death of 3.6 million people each year. About 2 million sweet babies under the age of five are taken all too soon because of acute respiratory infections and another 1.5 million to diarrhea-related illnesses. To a typical American mind, this magnitude of death due to food and water alone seems unfathomable. But the natural disasters, inadequate health care, wars and poverty that many other countries face all contribute to these devastating numbers becoming a reality. These are not just numbers. These millions are all God’s children that may be missing the knowledge of their Savior and a chance at an abundant life that God desires for each one of them.

Gender Inequality's Effect on the Orphan

Many people seem to be aware of gender inequality that exists Asian cultures. After all, it is common to hear of a little girl being adopted from China because male children are deemed more valuable than females as they are the ones to carry on the family name. But female discrimination is not solely an Asian culture cue. It is a worldwide issue that significantly contributes to the cycle of an orphan. Being treated as less than their brothers can be a minor problem in comparison to the challenges that arise from the devaluing attitudes that countless young women face in their daily lives.

One of the most devastating consequences of a patriarchal culture is that women do not receive priority for education like men do. An educated female is quite taboo in some cultures, which is not surprising when you look at the staggering 62 million girls who are being denied education worldwide. Out of the more fortunate girls who are able to receive some form of schooling in the underdeveloped world, only 43% will be able to attend secondary school. Expectations for a woman in many cultures tend to be limited to marriage, bearing children, and maintaining a household starting at very young age. Over a third of women between the ages of 20 and 24 in underdeveloped countries were married before their eighteenth birthday. While raising a family is an honorable endeavor, the issue lies in the attitude behind it- that raising families are all that women are capable of and therefore there is no point in investing in their education or in allowing them to be exposed to the world outside of their home.

This absence of information and education leaves women unaware and more susceptible to exploitation.
While the sex trade proves to be the biggest predator to vulnerable women and girls, and it is not the only threat to their well-being. As a result of the low regard to women in their society, over 39 million women in India are “missing” due to infanticide, the practice of killing unwanted children within the first year after their birth, and sex-selective abortions. Globally, over 130 million women have suffered horrendous acts involving female genital mutilation- most of them at an average age of seven. Every year, a further 2 million girls are at risk. The reasons that different cultures participate in FGM vary, however it can often be associated with power inequality of men over women and compliance of women to the customs of their community. Religion, preservation of virginity, increased fertility, family honor, and acceptance for marriage are among the justifications that societies make for this practice that puts women at risk for many short and long term health complications of which the lists are extensive. Another common fate for young girls in patriarchal societies is a life of a child domestic worker. More valuable and held in higher regard to carry on a family name, boys are less likely to be sold as domestic workers. In fact, the tendency to keep the boys and sell the girls is so significant that 90% of all child domestic workers are females between the ages twelve and seventeen.

Devaluing positions towards women negatively affect the men in a community as well. Young boys are taught that manliness is obtained through dominance over women, setting them up to have belittling and abusive mindsets towards the other gender for the rest of their lives. The cycle continues from generation to generation as the numbers of abused girls grows. One out of every three women in the world have been victimized by some form of abuse. Many of these girls believe that this is the way that things work and often do not cry out for help which is reflected by the statistic that between 55% and 95% of women who had been physically abused by their partners chose to never contact NGOs, shelters or the police for aid. How tragic that so many girls do not feel enough worth to even reach for a lifeline out. If only they could be taught how incredibly much their heavenly Father loves them and desires more for their lives. What a difference that could make. What a difference it does make as God’s people work to bring these truths to broken women.

After all, God himself made both men and women in His image (Genesis 1:26-27) and deems them both worthy of His approval at their creation. Just the fact that women are referenced and play significant roles in many stories of the Bible reveal his value for them in a time that it was considered disgraceful for a woman to even be mentioned in historical writing. Jesus often took time to sit and talk with women and show his appreciation for them. The woman at the well who was an adulterer (John 4), Mary and Martha who were considered Jesus’ friends (Luke 10), and the prostitute Mary Magdelene (John 11-12) deemed as the scum of the earth by the rest of society were all clearly precious to our Savior. As we strive to let Christ within us shine through, we must not forget that the way in which we view women does have a greater impact than what we often realize. Uplifting and rescuing downtrodden women will leave more mothers available to care for their children and young girls with a brighter future for educating themselves and others and paving the way for a break in the cycle of abuse and neglect for abandoned and orphaned girls.

Videos Worth Checking Out

Hey everyone!

I have been so caught up in a semester of school that I have neglected to post in FOREVER. I thought it may be cool to provide ya'll with a few links to different videos that help give a better perspective on the issue of sex trafficking for children. here are a few good ones that I have come across that I thought I would share.

Overall perspective, four minutes, by Love146
http://vimeo.com/11013582

Story of Cambodian woman forced into slavery, five minutes, by Love146
http://vimeo.com/11013582

Great analogy about our role in the fight, four minutes, by Love146
http://vimeo.com/11013582

What is human trafficking?, five minutes, by Texas A&M F.R.E.E., (I'm in this one :) tee hee)
http://vimeo.com/27104797

Very Young Girls (2007), Documentary about trafficked girls in the Bronx, about 1 hr and 20 min, watch the trailer on YouTube:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=myzVv2rsY-o

Just how big of a problem is child soldiering?

Throughout the world’s history politicians, diplomats, artists, athletes, musicians, pastors, scholars and people of all walks of life have all reinforced that children are perhaps the most valuable investments for a brighter future. Indian political leader Mohandes Ghandi once articulated his belief in the younger generation in this way, “If we are to teach real peace in this world, and if we are to carry on a real war against war, we shall have to begin with the children.” Children represent hope, life, and potential, making them instruments of peace worth defending. As former president of Standford University, Ray L. Wilbur puts it, “The potential possibilities of any child are the most intriguing and stimulating in all creation.” They have significant purpose in creation as a whole and as individuals. Pablo Casals, the cellist and conductor, views children as unique miracles, “The child must know that he is a miracle, that since the beginning of the world there hasn't been, and until the end of the world there will not be, another child like him.” But more than any other human being on the earth, Jesus demonstrated in actions and not solely through words that He loves and values children more than the world ever could. Even when Jesus’ own disciples felt that Jesus was too important to spend time with the little ones He replied, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” (Matthew 19:14 NIV) Jesus demonstrates that children are worth taking His time with when He was amongst hundreds vying for His attention.

Regretfully there are those in the world who hold the opposite view. Instead of loving children and training them in the way they should go, children are treated as mere devices that are less than human in a world of corruption and violence. Thus is the story of a child soldier. They are not looked upon as God’s treasures but as combatants for wars lead by dark hearts seeking power. Children are abducted and brainwashed to be militant forces purposed by nothing more than stealing, killing and destroying whatever and whoever they are commanded to- even if that means their own family members. Corrupt leaders manipulate young minds that have not developed enough to understand fully what they are being asked to do. Many are not yet teenagers as children at a tender age of just seven years old have been taken as soldiers. Not every child soldier is forcibly recruited, as some will volunteer themselves when they see their peers receiving food and protection. Why would anyone much less a child subject himself or herself to this kind of life? When you take a step back to assess the types of situations that these children are coming from you can see why it easy for them to be convinced. Many of the children that fall prey to a life of soldiering are extremely poor, without family, live in areas of conflict, have limited access to education, or a combination of these factors. According to the Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers there are up to 86 countries and territories that participate in recruiting more than 500,000 children under the age of 18 for hostile purposes. And of the 9 countries that are most known for child soldiering, 8 of them are receiving military assistance from the United States. These countries include Burundi, Chad, Colombia, Cote d’Ivorie, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sri Lanka, Sudan, and Uganda.

Girls are not exempt from the horrors of child soldiering, as the heads of these armies do not see gender lines as a limitation in their quest for control. Boys and girls alike will serve not only as front-line combatants but also as cooks, guards, sex slaves, spies, suicide bombers, and mine sweepers. Girls make up a larger percentage of child soldiers than one might expect. About a third of the child soldiers in countries like Nepal, Uganda, and Sri Lanka are in fact females. In some circumstances the young girls are given to military commanders as “wives.”

Terrorized and trained to follow orders, the child soldiers murder many and jeopardize their own life in the process. In the last decade, 2 million children have been killed, and 6 million are seriously injured or disabled because of war and conflict. Beyond the physical detriments, the children suffer from severe emotional and psychological damage. From brutal initiation and punishments to harsh training and torturous practices you can imagine the toll that takes on any individual’s heart and mind, much less a child’s. It is not outside of the commanders’ methods to also give the children drugs and alcohol in order to break down their mental barriers to the atrocities they are made to take part in. Some of the affects from the trauma that they experience usually include but are not limited to night terrors, excessive aggression and substance abuse. Below is one girls’s testimony of the scarring memories she has of another boy when they were child soldiers in the Lord’s Resistance Army in Uganda.

“One boy tried to escape but he was caught. His hands were tied and then they made us, the other new captives, kill him with a stick. I felt sick. I knew this boy from before; we were from the same village. I refused to do it and they told me they would shoot me. They pointed a gun at me, so I had to do it… I see him in my dreams and he is saying I killed him for nothing, and I am crying.”

Accounts like this are all too common, and the reintegration of child soldiers back into society, given they are ever able to escape or be rescued, is a whole other battle in itself. Therefore, it is necessary that rehabilitation programs include psychosocial care and recovery in order for the process to be successful.
One of the longest wars involving child soldiering has been taking place in Uganda over the last 23 years. Millions of innocent citizens are caught in the middle as the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) and the Government of Uganda (GoU) fail to ever make peace or come to a resolution. The origins of the war date back to the 1980’s when a woman named Alice Lakwena claimed that the Holy Spirit had instructed her to overthrow the Ugandan government because of injustice towards the Acholi people. After she was exiled, a man named Joseph Kony took over claiming to be her cousin and transformed her rebel army into the LRA. He did not receive the same amount of support that Alice had which lead him to abducting and indoctrinating children to become troops in his army. About 90% of the LRA consists of children as soldiers. In recent years, the conflict has finally been brought into the limelight through an organization called The Invisible Children after a long period of being overlooked by most of the world. Governments began to take notice and in 2001 the US Patriot Act declared the LRA a terrorist group. The first American legislation passed regarding the conflict was the Northern Uganda Crisis Response Act in 2004. International pressure has instigated negotiation between the LRA and the GoU on multiple occasions, and while some progress has been made, movement is too slow for lasting resolution and thousands of children remain imprisoned to a life of fighting and fear.

Let us not settle for such a fate for thousands of God’s children and instead take a stand for their finding liberty, hope and a new life in their ultimate advocate- Christ Jesus our Lord. Join in with those already fighting so that these young soldiers no longer have to.


Organizations fighting for the Child Soldier:
♥ Invisible Children
♥ Amnesty International
♥ World Vision
♥ Coalition to Stop the Use of Child Soldiers