Inspire, Fall 2004

22 Fall 2004 “Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress ...” James 1:27a What a world of needs we live in. One great need has developed through the AIDS pandemic. Worldwide, it is estimated that there are 42 million people who are HIV-positive. Left behind are orphaned children, forced to fend for themselves. It is estimated that by 2010 there will be 30 million orphans in Africa alone. We as Christians weep over this number and cry out to the Father as to what we can do to meet the needs of so many orphans. As wonderful as adoption is, it is simply impossible to adopt more then 30 million orphans. So what would the Father have us as Christians do? I believe the Father would want us to be involved. Child sponsorship, much like adoption, helps children physically, emotionally, and spiritually. At little cost, sponsorship agencies can provide clean water, food, and an education for these orphans. Older children can be trained in a trade and can have a safe home to live in. Even adult visits (very important to these families headed by children) are being coordinated by the agencies. Child sponsorship can give an orphan hope. In November 2002 our family decided we wanted to reach out to help an orphan as the Bible commands in James 1:27. We called World Vision and said we wanted to sponsor an orphan. We soon received a picture of Wakuma Anissa, an Ethiopian boy who turned 10 this past May. He and his younger sister live with their aunt, since both of their parents are deceased. We can see through letters that Wakuma greatly treasures our sponsorship of him. He freely expresses his gratitude and care for us. Our family sends him letters regularly and small gifts two times a year. In our letters we simply encourage him and tell him about Jesus’ love for him. From our experience we see that something small to us can give great hope to these children. Below are some comments from Wakuma’s letters: “The gift objects will be of best use to me. They also remind me of your love for me.” “I am so ecstatic I don’t know how to thank you ... I feel much richer now and so do my family. What a generous and loving sponsors I have! All these just before Christmas. This year’s Christmas is our happiest ever, thanks to you. My family are so eager to express their gratitude to you. We enjoyed the candies and gums for Christmas day.” “I feel so encouraged that you care for me as my mother and father would do.” “What a joy you brought us! May God richly bless you for being so kind as to send us such a flood of lovely and wonderful gifts of love. I am having such a good time with your gifts which are more lovely than I can think of.” These gifts that Wakuma is referring to were nothing that valuable or special. They were things like pencils, paper, toys, toothbrushes, and candy. These things are common to us, but life-changing to him. We also have been able to give Wakuma a special financial gift once a year as a birthday gift. After receiving his birthday gift last year, he wrote, “My family and I are so thrilled that we are at a loss of words to express our thanks to you for sending us a gift money of 75 US Dollars with which World Vision men have bought us two heifers. May God richly bless you for your kindness to us. This is an unforgettable gift.” It’s hard to imagine that $75 can buy so much in a foreign land. Through this gift God has allowed us to be part of improving Wakuma’s well-being. With these cows, they can produce income and also feed their own family. Although it seems like we are the ones blessing Wakuma, in reality he is blessing us far more. It has changed our lives to see how truly blessed we are in this country. It warms our heart to have been given the privilege of helping another child created in the image of God and for whom Jesus shed His blood. It is also comforting to know that we are doing what God has commanded in caring for orphans, as well as helping those affected by AIDS. God’s command is clear about caring for the orphans, and the need is enormous. It will take an enormous response to meet this need. If you would like to learn more about World Vision and their Hope Initiative, which focuses on children affected by AIDS, visit www.worldvision.org or call 1-800-952-4453. Amanda and her husband, Aaron ’99, live in Ashland, Ohio with their children, Daniel (4), Anna (3), and Charity (9 months). Amanda is a stay-at-home mom, while Aaron is an electrical engineer at Chandler Systems, Inc. They may be contacted at awolfie1@earthlink.net . An Adoptive Alternative b y A m a n d a J . R i n g l e r W o l f e ’ 9 9