In our previous blog, we pictured 28 year old Charles M. from Tanzania with orphans he found sleeping in an empty building. Charles is our staff representative in a remote area where the Gospel sound is faint. He is loudly blowing the trumpet. While in his travels, he found the 25 or so orphaned children living together with no adult care. They are abandoned and on their own. Charles wrote asking me to help these orphans of HIV.
At first I resisted. Like many of you, I have enough responsibility on my plate right now. Orphans are vital, living, eating, obligations! When you care for them, they are YOURS!
Let me explain how this works in God’s economy. There are millions of needs, problems, orphans, and starving people in this sin crazed, suffering world. If you and I took them all in, we would be among the suffering, starving needy. We cannot meet every need. God does not ask us to or expect us to.
Years ago, I learned wisdom in this arena of suffering. I was a young man, a missionary volunteer in Kenya. It was my first mission safari to AFRICA. I was overwhelmed by the poverty I saw all around me.
One day, after preaching in a village crusade to a crowd of several hundred, my Kenyan translator and I went to our vehicle and were beginning to slowly drive through the crowd, making our exit. My passenger side window was down and children were running alongside, wanting to touch my Mzungu (white man) skin. Suddenly a mama pushed past the children and reaching through the window she extended a bundle into my lap. In Kiswahili she was crying out,
“Your baby, your baby, please help my baby!”
Not knowing what she was saying or what was in the bundle I was both surprised and amazed. My driver immediately opened the bundle in my lap and we saw an infant child, obviously very sick, covered in sores. With great presence of mind he picked up the infant and thrust it back into the arms of the pleading mama.
As we drove away, windows rolled up, she was standing there in tears with arms stretched out offering her child to us. I was stunned! To this very day that image is burned into my soul. That day, at that moment in time, I did not help that baby. I wanted to. My driver and preaching companion wisely told me we cannot heal all the wounds of Africa. There are too many, too often, too much.
However, that was a God moment in my life. As I returned home to my abundance in Texas, God continued to keep that image in front of my mind. Over the months and years that followed God began to show me that Africa IS MY BABY! That sick infant so touched me, that I have given much of my life, time, wealth, and energy to bless the poor of Africa.
We have learned to be discerning, wise and selective. We cannot save them all, feed them all, nor rescue them all. What we can do is help those God puts into our lap! What I am saying is that Barry Wood Ministries is not an orphaned based ministry, nor is it a feeding program to the starving millions. However, we do feed those God tells us to feed. We do clothe those He puts in our lap. We do give medical care where the Great Physician asks us to do a clinic.
So, the Father has used Charles M. to show us these disparate 25! These children caring for children. We will help them. How much help and for how long I do not know. I just know God has put them in my lap and I will not roll up the window and drive away again! Not this time! Not now!
One last thought….God is using me to put these kids in your lap. We can make a difference together. Join Gail & me as we do what is necessary to feed, house, clothe and even sustain these kids until God tells us not to. Go right now to the Support Us link on this web site and make a generous donation in Special Projects, typing in “Charles’ orphans”.
Roll down your window, reach out and embrace this baby. Make it your own, feed it, clothe it, and God only knows the benefits that will come from it! Every donation adds to the sum of the help we can give Charles in caring for those whom God has placed in our lap.
