THE MIRACLE OF ANSWERED PRAYER

“Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed. Rescue the weak and needy…”  Psalm 82:3-4 

Meet baby Grace.  This summer in a Ugandan orphanage we held her. We snuggled her. And we fell in love with her.  Daily, we’ve been specifically praying for her.  This fall our missionary friend  wrote us.

“Please pray for beautiful baby Grace.  Her needs are deep and have gone unmet for too long. Lately there are tears streaming down her face all day long.   Her cry is gentle, it doesn't demand comfort.  She is just quietly begging for it.  But she gets overlooked, forgotten.  Amongst the many strong personalities at the orphanage, Grace is often left in the background. When she sees me, her eyes follow me. It's like she is asking me "do you see me, I know you do, please help me."  I pick her up, determined to focus on her and only her. But by this point, five other children are crawling all over my legs. Three others are now also crying...

But today I knew where I need to focus my attention. I put on worship music and I begin to slowly pray over baby Grace. She falls asleep almost immediately. I turn her so I can see her sweet face. I feel a mothers love come over me.  I sense she has never been held like this. I feel her pain. I see into her soul. I pray the comfort of the Fathers love for her. She is frail, sensitive, and deserves all the love she needs. 

There are 50+ children under age five in this orphanage. So the focus has to be on taking care of the physical needs.  Often the overwhelmed hired staff only have the time and energy to feed, diaper and bathe.  And then it’s off to a crib the kids go… and stay. Grace needs a family. However international adoption is illegal. And Ugandan families hardly ever adopt.”

But our God is a God of miracles.  We are SO EXCITED to share that on 11.10.17 we received word.  A local Ugandan family is adopting baby Grace!  May we never underestimate the power of prayer! This is truly a miracle as the concept of adoption is foreign to most Ugandans. 

“The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.”

James 5:16

JONATHON’S STORY

“Good night mummy. I have now reached home safely. Thank you for your care and being concerned, no one has ever been so I am really grateful.” This phone text spoke to my heart, as I felt I had given very little. Jonathon grew up in an orphanage and at age seventeen, he “aged out.”

“It was so hard when I had to leave the orphanage. I didn’t know where to go. I found a friend who had already moved out from the orphanage. He let me stay on his floor in his one room. It was bad. It was hard. I was hungry. I couldn’t find a job. I couldn’t afford more education or training.”

Today, Jonathon would say his church is his family. He has found a part time job, although it only pays $28 monthly. But in many ways Jonathon has already beaten the odds. For youth who “age out” of care, statistics predict a heart-breaking road ahead. Their likelihood of experiencing virtually any ill known to humanity is dramatically higher than for their peers who have families. This includes everything from homelessness, human trafficking, unemployment, prostitution, crime, incarceration, physical illness, etc.

We are so thankful for the opportunity to minister to young people like Jonathon all around the world. Join us in praying that Christ would encourage Jonathon, and meet his needs.