I'm Sorry

I want to tell you a little bit about somebody who's heart is truly with this ministry. I'm certainly not going to put a man above his ministry (see 1 Corinthians 1:10-17), but I think it is important and encouraging to search the heart behind a ministry. The testimony behind doing God's work serves to "legitimize" the reasons behind what we do. The testimony behind my mission here in Zambia (see the first blog post I posted here) shows you my heart, and helps you appreciate why I am here and what I am doing here.

I would love to sit here and tell you the entire story of how Every Orphan's Hope started. I've heard this story, but my memory and story-telling skills would serve more as a disservice than a service. I will say though that the heart of the ministry was a concern for me as I was considering doing a summer mission with Every Orphan's Hope. I was able to talk to Gary (the founder) at Urbana, and specifically asked him how often he made it out to Zambia. In my mind, this was a way to quickly gauge where his heart was (not the best tool in the planet, but it worked for that time). Upon hearing his response, and seeing that his heart truly (was) is (will be) with the orphans, I was able to continue in the journey God set before me that landed me here.

Gary has been here now for about five days, and I've had a couple chances to speak with him (whether 1-on-1 or with the rest of the interns). Hearing his extended testimony about how EOH started: (to give you taste) how God specifically called him to orphans in Zambia repeatedly over the course of a long time, how God specifically gave him a Zambian widow in Virginia who would later serve as the "other half" of his vision, how God has been teaching him and testing his heart along the way, and about 1,000 things I left out -- further encourages me that the work we do here is operating under the will of God. As we've talked about in previous posts, God's heart is certainly with orphans and widows (those who can help themselves the least). Seeing how God aligned His heart with the heart of a Christian man in Virginia, and how the ministry has unfolded these last ten years, makes me sit in awe of what I get to be a part of.

It must be blisteringly hard to sit in an office in Texas pleading the cause of the orphans when you can't walk down Alick Nkhata road and visit the kids at MFH houses one and two in Lusaka, or a little longer of a walk to three and four. We are blessed to have that luxury while we are here. We serve with EOH, and get to be poured into through the kids (and Zambian staff) all the while we are pouring into them. This man (and this goes for Paul and Kim as well, the two other EOH American-side missionaries) has(ve) to sit in an office all day ten thousand miles away, pleading the same cause. I have upmost respect that for almost ten years, he has remained faithful to the calling God gave him in 2001, and it has been a blessing to spend a summer with the kids who experience the love of Christ on a daily basis because the man fulfilled that call.

I guess there are two applications to this. First of all, be thankful for what God has done through this ministry! It may have started with Gary, but how faithful has God been that he has brought in some AMAZING Zambian staff (and mamas!), AMAZING American staff, AMAZING short-term and intern missionaries, and AMAZING supporters of the ministry through these last ten years! It has truly been a "team effort." And that's not even talking 'bout them amazing kids... Secondly, it's an encouragement for those of us who are still receiving God's call (on the other hand, when aren't we). You never know what will happen when you say "yes" to God and leave the familiar mountain like Abram did when God called him to follow Him to the "place I will show you." (see Genesis 12)

The point behind me sharing these things isn't necessarily to lift up Gary. It's to express to you where the heart of this ministry is: that this ministry had it's beginnings in the direction of God's will. I've had the blessing of being a part of this ministry the last six or so weeks and I hope to get the taste of the struggles the American-side staff experiences once I leave. I pray that my current convictions remain as I go home and continue to plead the cause of the orphan. I hope to get my college ministry and church family(ies) involved in building My Father's House six in Chongwe, and maybe even sending a team of missionaries out for a Camp Hope one summer.

Regardless, I know it's awkward and unexpected to have someone compliment you in such a way.

So for that Gary, I'm Sorry.