National Orphan Sunday

I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. John 14:18

Today is a special day. A day that is recognized for the hundreds of thousands of orphans in the United States alone. A day that brings awareness to a BIG problem and hope to children in need.

November 4: Today I am thankful for the orphans in my life. These people, of all ages, have rocked my world in the past year and I am ever grateful for the way it has changed me. As many of you know, my parents took their first foster can placement on November 3, 2011. These 5 children were sent to us by the sweet hand of God. They brought our family to our knees and God showed us his hand of strength to get us through the next 7 months. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to live with these precious siblings and will continue to miss them forever. Our next placement was only a few months ago and those 2 girls were very special to me as well. Although our relationship was much different, God used these girls to show me what an incredible thing it is that we are adopted by Christ. With no one to call their own, these precious souls grasped to my mom with all that they could, looking for security, love and comfort. They found all of these things and more in her open arms. 

 I have not only had the opportunity to love on orphans in my own home but also around the world. God has taken me to visit children in need in Guatemala, Haiti and the Philippines. I am humbled that God would allow me to be the one that gets to show them his love in this world; He can use you too! 

Recently, the country of Zambia has come onto my radar. This country is home to millions of orphans. MILLIONS. How heartbreaking that is for us to hear. We need to act with one voice and one purpose. 

Isaiah 1:17 tells us to "Defend the cause of the fatherless."

 Be obedient and advocate for those that have no voice.
 Accept the challenge, it will change your life. 

Check out this video! It is a great representation of what this day is all about.