Tissue Needed

I received this story as an email from Nightlight Christian Adoptions. It is a story from one of their clients. After I read this with tearfilled eyes I passed the computer to Chris who also shed a few tears (which does not happen nearly as often as my tears). Oh how I wish I could just go love on orphans now. When I took care of abandoned babies there was one that I had had in my dorm room for a few nights before we could take the baby to New Life orphanage, he was quite sick so we were up many hours in the night and I just loved, cuddled, and sang to him. About a week passed and I traveled back to Nairobi for a get away weekend, staying with a dear family whom I grew to love and now miss. They lived within walking distance from New Life, so whenever I was "home" I would spend time visiting the babies, however, this time was like never before. When I asked for Edgar the sweet nurse named Mary took me aside and told me that he passed away that very morning. I cried and cried and cried some more! First off I have never lost anyone close to me, secondly I realized that I was probably the only person who even cared that he passed away (don't get me wrong the nurses there do care, and maybe some of them did cry, but none of them had spent as much time with him as I had). I will never forget that day.
My heart ached...


Needless to say for my ramblings... read this story and I will continue mine at the end

TWO BABES IN A MANGER

In 1994, two Americans answered an invitation from the Russian Department of Education to teach morals and ethics (based on biblical principles) in the public schools. They were invited to teach at prisons, businesses, the fire and police departments and a large orphanage. About 100 boys and girls who had been abandoned, abused, and left in the care of a government-run program were in the orphanage. They relate the following story in their own words:

It was nearing the holiday season, 1994, time for our orphans to hear, for the first time, the traditional story of Christmas. We told them about Mary and Joseph arriving in Bethlehem. Finding no room in the inn, the couple went to a stable, where the baby Jesus was born and placed in a manger.

Throughout the story, the children and orphanage staff sat in amazement as they listened. Some sat on the edges of their stools, trying to grasp every word. Completing the story, we gave the children three small pieces of cardboard to make a crude manger. Each child was given a small paper square, cut from yellow napkins I had brought with me. No colored paper was available in the city.

Following instructions, the children tore the paper and carefully laid strips in the manger for straw. Small squares of flannel, cut from a worn-out nightgown an American lady was throwing away as she left Russia, were used for the baby's blanket. A doll-like baby was cut from tan felt we had brought from the United States.

The orphans were busy assembling their manger as I walked among them to see if they needed any help. All went well until I got to one table where little Misha sat. He looked to be about 6 years old and had finished his project. As I looked at the little boy's manger, I was startled to see not one, but two babies in the manger. Quickly, I called for the translator to ask the lad why there were two babies in the manger. Crossing his arms in front of him and looking at this completed manger scene, the child began to repeat the story very seriously.

For such a young boy, who had only heard the Christmas story once, he related the happenings accurately.. .until he came to the part where Mary put the baby Jesus in the manger. Then Misha started to ad-lib. He made up his own ending to the story as he said, "And when Maria laid the baby in the manger, Jesus looked at me and asked me if I had a place to stay. I told him I have no mama and I have no papa, so I don't have any place to stay. Then Jesus told me I could stay with him. But I told him I couldn't, because I didn't have a gift to give him like everybody else did. But I wanted to stay with Jesus so much, so I thought about what I had that maybe I could use for a gift. I thought maybe if I kept him warm, that would be a good gift.

So I asked Jesus, "If I keep you warm, will that be a good enough gift?"

And Jesus told me, "If you keep me warm, that will be the best gift anybody ever gave me."

"So I got into the manger, and then Jesus looked at me and he told me I could stay with him...for always."

As little Misha finished his story, his eyes brimmed full of tears that splashed down his little cheeks. Putting his hand over his face, his head dropped to the table and his shoulders shook as he sobbed and sobbed.

The little orphan had found someone who would never abandon nor abuse him, someone who would stay with him...FOR ALWAYS.

"I've learned that it's not what you have in your life, but who you have in your life that counts."



My story continued...
my heart aches for these hundreds of millions of children who are all alone who may never hear the words I love you or further more, God loves YOU!

no matter what version you prefer... no matter what way you look at it the Bible states it pretty clear:

James 1:27

Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you. (NLT)

Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world (NIV)

Anyone who sets himself up as "religious" by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.(Message)