When encountered with the chance to give, have you ever been faced with a fear of not knowing where your money is truly going or if the time you spend helping someone is truly worth it? I find that I run into this battle of reasoning often. But in most cases, I know the real answer that giving in any form is the best choice. But, what might giving look like when we find ourselves in a scenario where we don’t know the person, or even their situation for that matter?
Spending the last two days in a poverty-stricken country like Peru has challenged my team and I on this very question. As we continue working in an orphanage compacted with children of all ages suffering from severe mental and physical diseases, our notions of what it means to help are being re-shaped in drastic and for some, overwhelming measures. We leave the orphanage wrestling with many “why” and “how” questions. Focusing mostly on the “how” for this blog, I hope that something you read here will encourage you to know God’s power and sovereignty, that no matter how great your spiritual gift is or how far you may have travelled, it is only God who can save and rescue the hearts of the lost.
This has never rung more true in my heart than this week. Since this is my first time working with disabled children, it’s been hard for me to avoid feeling slightly helpless. I don’t have any special skills or certifications and what is more, these children don’t understand my few words in Spanish, let alone any English. It’s because of this experience I have to trust that God is holding true to His promise that I am fully capable of representing His love to someone who doesn’t know the gospel. Sometimes all I can do is simply hold the hand of a child who might not even consciously know I’m there. But I know that God works for the good of those who love Him, and I believe anyone is capable of knowing and feeling the love from their Creator. God defends the cause of the fatherless, the widow and the marginalized, “for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:3, ESV).
Author: Kate Anderson