the gospel message

We all live in our own insular communities.  We tend to surround ourselves with like minded individuals, hopefully a well chosen group that we have selected because we respect their values.  When we find more and more people who are like us, I think it becomes easy to believe that everyone shares your point of view....however this is just not true.

Tonight we heard a message about the gospel being the good news of Jesus not the bad news of sinning.  The point was that we are supposed to be sharing Jesus with other people and then allowing the truth of who he is and the power of God's spirit to change their life.  However some where along the way the message has turned into, you are a sinner, you deserve hell but Jesus can save you from it.  Yet this isn't really the way the gospel was preached in the bible.

Now the word gospel itself means good news.  I wish there was a word for bad news.  I feel like in the past few months I have been spreading the bad news of the plight of orphans.  I've brought all types of people to tears with the truth of the orphanage I have visited.  I have converted friends into Reece's rainbow junkies; they have have taken on the sorrowful habit of scrolling through Reece's rainbow to look at the kids.  (if you would like to start go here, http://reecesrainbow.org/ and click on waiting children, you might like to start with newly listed, you get a wide variety that way)  I wasn't so easily converted, it really took me agreeing to go there with Grace when my heart began to change.  Up until then I really didn't want to hear about Pleven, I thought Grace must be exaggerating, even while I was there, there were times I doubted.  But I have since seen the light, I have been converted to know the truth, the truth that there are children who have been neglected, left alone in their cribs, rejected by their mothers, silenced because the deaf world wouldn't hear them and killed because they couldn't swallow their sludge fast enough. 

Newly converted Christians often go about sharing the good news of their faith to everyone they meet.  They don't care if people think they are crazy because the love of God is so good and so important that they must share it with the world.  Nothing else really matters, everything ties back to it and therefore Christ is all they talk about.  Loving orphans can be like that.

When we were first going on our trip and people would hear my words and then ask what can we do?  I had something to give them at that point.  you can give us money for food and diapers.  I had a tangible real think that could be done to help the children.  But then we were there and while diapers and food is what they physically need, they need so much more.  I left Pleven heartbroken.  I listened to patty Griffin"s song forgiveness.  I imagined the kids saying these words,

"And the planes keep flying right over our heads
No matter how loud we shout
"Hey, hey, hey !"
And we keep waving and waving
Our arms in the air
But we're all tired out"

It was so hard leaving them behind.  I felt really helpless, what could I do for them??  So there was a relief that came after Jon and I talked a lot and decided we were being called to adopt.  There was now something tangible we could do.  There was something we could give our life to that would make a difference, at least for 1 child. Or perhaps more???  I have heard that there are others like me that are adopting because of Grace's life and story.

So now we are on the adoption journey as converted orphan lovers living in a community of orphan junkies.  We can all cry together and support each other and thinking and praying about the children.  However, when we step outside our community sometimes it becomes harder.  At times I feel like I am wading through sludge.  When asked how I am doing, do I lie?  Because I am tired of talking to those who have not yet seen the light?  Because often those people feed into the fears of adoption.  They have good intentions but like the many Christians that have begun preaching only of heaven and hell and not jesus and resurrection, our adoption turns inwardly focused.  The bad news of the orphan is seemingly forgotten in all of the questions, is this good for your family?  Is this good for your son?  Can you handle this disability?

But my question is what about the child?

Penny is 11 years old and weighs just 21 pounds. She’s been confined to a bed her entire life in an orphanage where she received little interaction or care. She is still fed from a bottle and cared for very much like a baby. She has never had the opportunity to reach her full potential.

 Payton is currently almost 8 years old and weighs just 17 pounds. 
I can't show you a more current picture.  But please know that his arms and legs look like sticks. And he looks so, so very sad.   And why wouldn't he?

They are shouting, they are reaching out for families...but they are all tired out.  What is more important my family's comfort or this child's life?  The truth of the orphans is some bad news...let's stay focused on it and get one of them home!