This video was created from footage captured on Carolina Hope Christian Adoption Agency’s recent trip to Ethiopia with one of Desiring God’s cameramen. Every shot of this particular video was taken at one of orphanages with which we work, an orphanage that is located in a village with 20,000+ known cases of AIDS. It is a profoundly needy area. The video is interspersed with quotations from John Piper’s book Don’t Waste Your Life.
Marty McAlpine, Media Engineer at Desiring God, accompanied us on our trip to Ethiopia to video capture much of what we did while there. The director of the orphanage where the picture below was taken told us that many professional cameramen come through their particular village (a village with 20,000+ known cases of AIDS) to capture footage, but he had never seen any of them sit on the floor to film. They always film while standing in order to protect their health. The orphanage director then went on to say that he was deeply moved that Marty did not hesitate to sit on the floor to film these beautiful children. He saw Jesus in this action. Marty spent most of his time on the floor at this orphanage. I, for one, am very thankful to God for Marty’s service on this trip. My time with him was very edifying.
This picture, as well as the last, was taken in the neediest orphanage of the three with which we are working. These children have great food support needs, space needs, and clothing needs. Yet look at this little girl’s smile. This is a smile that is blossoming in the midst of profoundly difficult life circumstances. As you take a few minutes to look at her face, pray for her. Pray that God will supply all the food she needs each day. Pray that the orphanage will obtain more room so that 2-3 children do not have to sleep in the same small bed as they now do. Pray for her clothing needs. And most of all, pray that she will be adopted by a strong Christian family. (Donations can be made here.)
I’ve dreamed about Ethiopia every night since my return from that amazing country. One thing I am learning is that you really don’t visit Ethiopia when you cross its borders. It visits you. Ethiopia—its people, its cultures, and especially its orphans—presses itself in upon your heart with great weight. I’m still trying to prayerfully process everything I witnessed and experienced there. There were several occasions while in Ethiopia when I sat in complete silence—not because there was nothing in my heart worth saying, but because I could not put what was in my heart into words. I’m still finding appropriate words difficult to come by.
So, what I thought I would do is blog a series of posts that contain pictures taken during our time there. After all, they say that “a picture’s worth…” I took this first picture at one of the orphanages with which our agency is now working. We had just handed out colored pencils and paper to the children. They were all very quick to sit down to start drawing.
“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans…in their affliction” (James 1:27).
A very good friend sent me this Spurgeon quotation tonight to encourage and help center my heart as I prepare to leave for Ethiopia tomorrow. I thank God for this very good friend.
“I am the One who helps you, Declares the Lord.”
-Isaiah 41:14
“This morning let us hear the Lord Jesus speak to each one of us: “I will help you.” “It is but a small thing for Me, your God, to help you. Consider what I have done already. What! Not help you? Why, I bought you with My blood. What! Not help you? I have died for you; and if I have done the greater, will I not do the less? Help you! It is the least thing I will ever do for you; I have done more, and will do more. Before the world began I chose you. I made the covenant for you. I laid aside My glory and became a man for you; I gave up My life for you; and if I did all this, I will surely help you now. In helping you, I am giving you what I have bought for you already. If you had need of a thousand times as much help, I would give it to you; you require little compared with what I am ready to give. It is much for you to need, but it is nothing for me to bestow. Help you? Fear not! If there were an ant at the door of your granary asking for help, it would not ruin you to give him a handful of your wheat; and you are nothing but a tiny insect at the door of My all-sufficiency. I will help you.
O my soul, is this not enough? Do you need more strength than the omnipotence of the united Trinity? Do you want more wisdom than exists in the Father, more love than displays itself in the Son, or more power than is manifest in the influences of the Spirit? Bring here your empty pitcher! Surely this well will fill it. Hurry, gather up your wants, and bring them here- your emptiness, your woes, your needs. Behold, this river of God is full for your supply; what else can you desire? Go forth, my soul, in this your might. The Eternal God is your helper!”
