A Day Very Few Know Of

Today is Orphan Sunday.  

When you hear those words what comes to mind? While the majority of us will go about our normal Sunday routines which for many will include church services and Sunday lunch with either family or friends, millions of orphans around the world (over 100 million to give you an idea) will go through a day that will look much different. Some may not be fed, some will cry and their cries will go unanswered, some may watch parents arrive to adopt their best friend, but wonder when "their family" is going to come, or maybe there is a child who has already aged out of the system and can no longer be adopted. Our minds could wander a million directions with this thought and what the life of an orphan could look like from day to day; however, we will never fully know the thoughts that these children may have each day as they live the only life that some of them may ever know.

However, today will be a different day for these children as thousands will gather in  churches all around the globe to set aside time for cooperate prayer and to bring awareness to God's mandate for orphans. Churches will engage individuals to step out of their comfort zones to serve orphans, serve in the foster care system in the U.S., consider adopting, or initiate projects to care for orphans. National Orphan Sunday is a designated day set aside each year to pause and reflect on the orphan crisis around the world, pray for orphans and those adopting, and to seek to make a difference. It is a day not only focused on by churches here in the United States, but by churches in over 50 countries around the world. Christian Alliance for Orphans (CAFO) has a number of amazing resources and video clips that will give you a glimpse into this amazing day and how you can learn more about what God is doing globally. Though not every church can schedule Orphan Sunday on the first Sunday of November, God is still using Orphan Sunday in a big way on other days of the year in churches around the globe.

What an amazing thought that while you or I may pause today to pray for orphans, families adopting or that have adopted, and those children who are still desiring a forever family, thousands of believers and churches around the globe will also be lifting up their voices in prayer, time zones away, to pray for those whose voices have been silenced and who cannot speak for themselves. 

I have been blessed to work for an amazing non-profit that not only works alongside CAFO and several other amazing organizations who are serving orphans, but promotes and prays passionately for orphans around the world and provides tangible ways for families and individuals to be the hands and feet of Christ by taking mission trips to serve orphans around the world or through various orphan care projects.  I can say personally a trip to India many years ago to work with over 600 orphans was life-changing for me personally.

I've seen the same thing occur time and again the lives of people who have answered the call to "Go". Over the years, it has been incredible to be a part of adoption processes and see thousands of orphans being placed into loving Christian families- being transformed from an orphan into a son or daughter.

There are numerous ways to get involved in orphan care and I'd encourage you to take the time to learn more and get involved. There are numerous organizations you will find by searching the internet, but here are a few of the many that I wanted to highlight who are answering God's call to care for orphans. Even if God has not called you to adopt, there are still many ways you can be a part of what God is doing around the world. You can be a voice for important adoption legislation here in the U.S. that affects millions of lives, you can support local foster families, or maybe God is calling you to "GO" and be his hands and feet in a tangible way or even calling you to adopt. 

What is HE asking YOU to do?

Orphan Sunday

Christian Alliance for Orphans

Show Hope

National Council for Adoption

Lifesong for Orphans

Project Hopeful

ACT

Thoughts on Black Friday

On the day after Thanksgiving, there might be a few words that immediately come to your mind…

Black Friday (which this year we actually chose to avoid)

Crazy Shoppers
"I ate too much"

Lack of Sleep because you stayed up all night to get that “that amazing deal”

Thanksgiving Day Leftovers
"I ate too much"

 The Start of Christmas Movies on TV

Getting out the Christmas Decorations

Listening to the First Songs of the Christmas Season
Did I mention eating too much?

 For me, personally, Thanksgiving leftovers might be one of the first things that comes to my mind the day after Thanksgiving.  I must say I am a very big fan of Thanksgiving leftovers (well, quite honestly I enjoy leftovers any time really) However, in enjoying “my Thanksgiving” for a few more days, I know that what is on my table is not the same in other parts of the world. We so quickly hurry Thanksgiving day along and can so easily get caught up in the hustle and bustle of Black Friday and the commercialism of Christmas that we fail to spend time to truly reflect on the things for which we truly should be thankful for- one of which can simply be the food we put on our table.

Let me explain what I mean and expound on a thought that most likely many of us have rarely considered when we sit down to enjoy our leftovers after Thanksgiving Day.

Consider this- the orphan’s table.

Now, you are probably wondering what exactly I mean by this, but let me take a moment to expound and give you a wonderful resource for your children, youth groups, small groups, and families- one that will help to teach a simple truth of gratefulness and will impact you and your family far greater than “just words”. 

I’m sure that many of us have never paused to think about what an “Orphan’s Table” looks like the day of Thanksgiving, the day after Thanksgiving, or in general every day.  For most of us, we have an abundance of food, but for street children or orphans, many have little more than a simple meal of porridge or rice in many cases. My first observation of this came when I traveled to work in India. The photo below will be forever etched in my mind as staff at this orphanage, home to more than 600 children, took out large metal buckets of food to dish out to the children. Each child sat on the concrete floor and ate their meal out of a metal pan while flies flew all around. This is basically what they ate every day with very little deviation.

Oh the days before digital photos were the norm - :)

I think about our table yesterday during Thanksgiving (minus food, of course, as you can see below)

and I think what a great contrast the above photo taken in India looks like in comparison to what our Thanksgiving table looked like yesterday. Yet, this is the reality of what life is like for many children and adults around the world from day to day both in our own country and around the world.

It has been said:

Experiences Impact us far Greater than Words.

I can honestly say that these seven words hold an incredible amount of truth. You can certainly hear someone talk about any topic they choose, but until you experience it yourself they are but "words" to most of us. I would encourage you to check out the incredible resource and link below that comes from Christian Alliance for Orphans (which the organization I work for is a part of)  as it explains how you can have an “Orphan’s Table” event or host one with your family, children, or church.

An Orphan's Table

Orphan's Table Prayer & Discussion Guide

It’s quite a simple idea, but one that can be so impactful. Here’s how it works:

In order to focus on what a meal might look like in other parts of the world, gather your family, children, friends, or small group and create a very sparse setting where your entire group will eat a very minimal meal together (one that would be commonly shared by orphans around the world- i.e.- rice or Gruel ) and during the meal discuss the issue of orphans around the world, and center on Scripture and a time of prayer for orphans.  It will certainly stir up thoughts and spur conversation towards the things that we take for granted and for which we should be thankful. We hope you will find these resources to be helpful to your family or to your church.

For those of you who are curious, here are a few testimonies from other churches, youth groups, and families who have participated together in “An Orphan’s Table” on Orphan Sunday and throughout the month of November:

“The best part of our experience was hearing the children praying for orphans.  Praying that they will get a hug before bed, praying they might get to eat some watermelon or pizza and listening to them talk about how good their lives are and wanting the same for children without families. Hopefully we planted seeds for a lifetime.”

“We had the most incredible orphan’s table experience with our own children.  They were so worried about being hungry, as we fasted before we ate the lunch, and did not eat again until later that night.  We were really able to see the light bulb come on in their hearts and minds as they put themselves in the place of children all around the world who are hungry.  The verses and questions that went along with our evening were amazing."

“We hosted 'The Orphan’s Table' for 30 teens.  We started by talking about inconveniences they may have experienced this past week.  They shared experiences such as the pencil sharpener at school being full, the pizza being cold at lunch, people driving too slowly on the road, etc.  We then talked about the inconveniences that orphans face and that we were going to partake in a typical orphan meal.  They were asked to line up and walk through the kitchen to get their meal, and then take it to the garage to eat.  They sat on flattened cardboard boxes, with plastic bowls and drank water out of “dirty” cups.  It was silent as the girls looked at the food and it dawned on them what real inconveniences might truly look like.”

If you’ve ever hosted or participated in a similar event, we’d love to hear from you!