Why Am I Running for Children Who Have Been Orphaned?

I had the opportunity to go to the Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit in Dallax, TX this past Spring. Although the topic of the conference was about one of the most sad and painful issues facing our world today, I walked away from that conference encouraged and challenged that there is hope and that I can make a difference. Two particular points continue to burn in my mind four months later.

The first is that we do not have a choice but to reach out to help and serve widows and orphans. And specifically, the church must be involved in this issue. God makes it clear throughout scripture that we are commanded to care for orphans. James 1:27 says, "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress..." Hosea 14:3 says, "...for in you the fatherless find compassion". Deuteronomy 10:18 says, "He defends the cause of the fatherless and the widow, and loves the alien, giving him food and clothing." And this is just a sampling of the many times that Scripture speaks of our mandate for this population.

The second major idea that I walked away with is that while government programs and other non-governmental organizations are important, it is the church, with the incredible, supernatural power of Jesus Christ supporting the work, that will have true, lasting impact in meeting the physical and spiritual needs of these children and families. We, the Church, MUST be involved in caring for widows and orphans!

For those of you who have already been involved in addressing the impact of the AIDS crisis through your time, money, and prayers - Thank you! For those of you who have not yet, but feel that God is calling you to get involved, here are just two of the many ways you can get involved. One is to support me as I train for a marathon to raise money for Forgotten Voices. Forgotten Voices equips and supports local churches in Zimbabwe and Zambia to care for the children orphaned by AIDS in their communities. Check out the side bar on this blog and read previous posts to learn more about the project your prayers and donation will support. You can also go to www.ForgottenVoices.org to learn more about the organization and make a donation online. Be sure to write Katie's Run for FV in the comment box when you make your donation.

Another great way to get your church involved is to organize an Orphan Sunday event at your church. This event could be an opportunity to educate your congregation about the AIDS crisis and the plight of children and families, and share with them the work of Forgotten Voices. You could take a more domestic approach and focus on foster care and adoption in our own backyard. However you choose to approach it, we need to answer God's call to address this issue! You can learn more about this national effort at http://www.orphansunday.org/.

Thanks for reading. Thanks for praying. And thanks for joining me on this journey.