Have You Read HUGG's Series on How to Help Orphans without Hurting Them
Posted by Natul Middlebrook on
“It isn’t just about mercy and compassion for the poor, it is also about faithfulness and obedience to God.” Craig Greenfield, The Urban Halo
The last couple of weeks I’ve focused on how to approach cross-cultural orphan care in a way that doesn’t hurt the children we are trying to help.
I wanted to end with this one question:
What would it look like if we took all of our mercy and compassion and laid it before God to be bathed in wisdom, knowledge and truth?
Imagine? I believe serving humbly before the Lord produces long-lasting effects--on earth and in heaven. It’s about taking two steps forward, one step back and allowing God to sift our work to make sure we are being obedient to Him first and foremost.
I am guilty of getting lost in the “cause”. I’ve allowed myself to be swallowed up by the long to-do lists, trying to convince others that our non-profit is worth the investment. And I’ve lost sight of people.
Orphan care work is steeped in brokenness, tragedy, mistakes and confusion. Throw in another language and culture and it’s no wonder why overall we’ve made so little progress towards creating sustainable models that work.
That is why the people we serve MUST COME FIRST. Not because they are our target group, but because they are our friends. Because they are the “least of these” which Jesus called His brothers and sisters (Matthew 25:40). They are OUR brothers and sisters and daughters and sons. How would you want them to be treated?
If you are ready to say “yes” to approaching God’s orphan care work with the utmost compassion and discernment, then I encourage you to read through our Helping Orphans Without Hurting posts, listed below.
Also listed below are great resources for those of you who are ready to dive in and learn more.
When Helping Hurts; How to Help the Poor Without the Poor and Yourself
Slow Kingdom Coming; Practices for Doing Justice, Loving Mercy and Walking Humbly in the World