Orphans

Somewhere in China, in a sickly, underfunded and overflowing orphanage, an infant is locked in a room, waiting. She can't be more than a year old, just a tiny thing. Her mother left her on the orphanage's doorstep that afternoon, their second baby of the day. But there's a problem - every creaky, old bed in that building is already crammed full of children. They have absolutely no room for her. They could feed her a little, but that would mean leaving other children more malnourished than they already are. No, they simply cannot keep her. So into the room she goes, where the last human face she will ever see is the one closing and locking the door. She may cry the first few days, perhaps fit her tiny hand between the door and the cement floor when she hears people walk by, but soon she will be too hungry to reach out, too hungry to cry... and the room will fall silent.

On Saturday I attended a seminar led by David, the founder of International China Concern. I was blown away by the contrast between this gentleman's soft-spoken demeanor and his sharp, uncompromising challenge to each person in the room: The statistics in China are beyond staggering. Children are sick, starving, and dying daily. Be the hands and the feet of Jesus, and bless the orphans, the hungry, the sick, the lonely. "I wonder what your occupation is?" he asked. "I could find a place for each and every one of you in China to minister to others, to start changing lives. If you're a builder, a computer technician, a social worker, a therapist, a project manager, and engineer, there is a place for you." The depth of his compassion was evident. And I don't blame him - he's seen children die of causes that we, the privileged, can so easily change.

I always leave these kinds of seminars with a heart that's both heavy and optimistically determined to bring change to the world. I know there are many little ways I can contribute, even today...

Above: Chinese orphans that Dave's organization, International China Concern, has rescued.