I wasn't partying because I was hung up on finding my orphans. Where
were they, God? All I wanted was to hold your precious children here in
Tanzania, to show them love and tell them about your love.
Then yesterday, after we had our last church service, and were saying
good-bye to our friends and the kids who had used us as jungle gyms, I realized
something.
We are all orphans without Jesus. Yes, we may have earthly mothers
and fathers, who may have been amazing or abusive or anywhere in between, but
without Jesus, we do not have our perfect heavenly Father who loves us dearly.
So I had been asking God for the orphans, when in reality, they were
all around me all month. All the little children whose parents are caught up in
animism or Islam-they were orphans. The sick inmates at the hospital who didn't
have a relationship with the Lord-they were orphans. The people at the crusade
suffering with demons were orphans, in desperate need of their Father.
Each day when we preached and prayed and people chose whether or not
to accept Christ, they were choosing whether or not to be adopted. Each day
when someone did take a step of faith and choose a relationship with Christ,
they were being adopted in the family of God. They were shedding their orphaned
state and being swept up in their Father's arms.
In Africa, children who were orphans on the street are no longer
orphans when they come into a Christian children's home. They believe in Jesus,
and so are no longer orphans, separated from their Father, but adopted,
beloved, and chosen. They don't even call them orphanages, because there are no
orphans there, just children who have been adopted by their heavenly Father.
This month, I realized we all need saving. We all need to be adopted
into the family of God. Orphans were all around me, and God finally released
this understanding to me. The orphans I had been praying for surrounded me, and
God had given me an opportunity to share His love, and pray that they would be
adopted too.
Romans 8:15-16 states, that upon believing the Gospel, "You
did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received
the Spirit of sonship. And by him, we cry, 'Abba, Father.' The Spirit himself
testifies with our spirit that we are God's children."
We are God's children. The Almighty creator of the universe CHOSE us, ADOPTED us, and NAMED us as his children, as co-heirs with Christ,
as the most precious commodity in the world, worth
dying for.
That is good news! And the orphans in the world need to hear it.
This video features friends from this month, some of whom are adopted
and others whom I hope will join the family. We all need saving and we all need
to be adopted into the family of God.
Once again you hit the mark precisely. You expressed it well. We all need Jesus as that song goes.We are the family of God, as another song states. One at a time, and sometimes in droves, we will recognize that Jesus is Lord and God is our Father. Thank you God for Glenalyn's awareness that she is yours.
2Posted by Tiffany on 7/29/2010 12:05:06 PM
Wow Glenalyn! Two very incredible lessons I learned this summer too. Although, I learned the orphan one the opposite way. I stayed at an orphanage, and all that did was make me even more aware of how loving on orphans meant nothing if these kids didn't know their Daddy in Heaven. There was nothing I could do or give or be that could change their lives eternally.
As for the spiritual attack, I was raised Catholic, so the "spiritual realm" was really undiscussed. And in America, the spiritual attack is so subtle--our apathy and self-sufficiency is satan's greatest tool. But in other nations, it's an entirely different world, and just like with the orphans, the most important thing any of us can do is pray and know that our Father who raised Jesus from the dead, who casted out demons, who healed the sick--hears our prayers and is still working in the same way.
Love you girl.
Love reading your blogs.
You're such a great encouragement to me, and such a great preparation for my next year!
3Posted by Roger aka the squadfather on 7/30/2010 12:45:44 PM
Welcome to the family my new brothers and sister in Tanzania.
4Posted by Chelsie on 8/13/2010 1:35:15 PM
Beautiful pics!!!! Miss you!
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As for the spiritual attack, I was raised Catholic, so the "spiritual realm" was really undiscussed. And in America, the spiritual attack is so subtle--our apathy and self-sufficiency is satan's greatest tool. But in other nations, it's an entirely different world, and just like with the orphans, the most important thing any of us can do is pray and know that our Father who raised Jesus from the dead, who casted out demons, who healed the sick--hears our prayers and is still working in the same way.
Love you girl.
Love reading your blogs.
You're such a great encouragement to me, and such a great preparation for my next year!
Add Your comments:
Use this form only to comment on the article that you just read.
If you have a question, please click here to use the Contact form instead. Thanks!