Adoption: The Young Family
Four years ago, our lives were very different. My husband and I had two little ones—a 1 and 2 year old. If you would have asked me then, I would have quickly and happily told you we were done. I remember feeling like our plates were full—and we had little time or resources to invest in anything outside of our family. And that is when God really rocked our worlds, opened our eyes and showed us that really—we were just getting started.
That same year, we met Kevin Jones—a dear friend who attends our church here in Roswell, Georgia. He shared with us a God story…one where he had connected with an African pastor who years after they met died of tuberculosis. Kevin started sending his widow money so she and her children could survive; only later, Kevin learned the widow, Kunda, was doing much more with the money he was sending over. Little did he know how the little thing God laid on his heart to do was impacting an entire village…
Kunda was taking the money she was receiving and with it renting out mud church buildings and paying teachers to teach the orphans in the compound. After becoming a widow herself, God gave her a vision to build a school where orphans could come for free and widows could come to learn a skill to help them provide for their families. When Kevin heard about this, he bought a ticket—jumped on a plane—and headed to Ndola, Zambia to see for himself what was happening.
Not just a handful of orphans were showing up every day—but HUNDREDS. Their needs were great as they were starving, on their own and sickness was rampant from malnourishment and malaria. Compelled to tell their story and do more, we met Kevin during that year where we felt our plates were full—but when we heard about hundreds of orphans that needed others to join them, our problems and full plate seemed to quickly fade away. Our hearts were broken and we joined Wiphan Care Ministries before we had visited ourselves—it was obvious that we were in the midst of a miraculous work and this—we could make room for. Our hearts had no other choice!
Four months later, we boarded a plane and fell in love with 450 orphans who were showing up every day for a free education. We came home with hearts consumed with helping meet their needs and letting our voice speak for them. One by one—God raised up other family’s to join us…each probably feeling at first much like we did in the beginning…like their plates were full…but little did they know that their hearts were about to be fuller.
Almost 4 years later, Wiphan Care Ministries now has two schools. The children now meet in buildings built and refinished by Wiphan Care. 450 children are still in the program and 150 widows attend the two year program for skills training. On top of a Christian education, the children receive a meal a day, care from our school nurse, a uniform and shoes. Mission Trips go over about four times a year, and we are following James 1:27 in visiting and serving both orphans and widows.
And almost 4 years later for our family…our plate is still full—but most importantly our hearts are fuller than they have ever been. We have four children—one whom we recently brought home from Ethiopia—and 450 precious children across the world. How thankful I am that we slowed down that Sunday to hear Kevin’s story, that we were open to leaving our comfort zones and that through our love of orphans God has now even grown our family. Our lives have been changed and so have our hearts—and there’s plenty of room for other families to join us.
You can begin to join us by simply making a comment under this article!--SixSeeds wants to partner with Wiphan and with every comment Wiphan Care will receive a $2 donation! Please share this with your friends and family and join us in making a different in the lives of our orphans and widows. This money will be used to help us buy a kitchen to feed the widows and orphans during rainy season.
For more on Wiphan, visit their website.
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love to you and all of your precious little nuggets
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have so enjoyed their family :)
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May God get much glory from this kitchen and the multitudes of women and children it will feed.
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You and your family are an inspiration to so many of us who know you through April. What a beautiful example of stepping out of your comfort zone into a great work of God!
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is in simpliest form. It is beautiful God thing, I
am in awe. In the waiting room for our ministry!
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Blessings!
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love to all.
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You know, every $2 helps! :)
Scott
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I love how you followed the Lord, even though it's not what you had planned!!! God's blessings on your family and on Wiphan.
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selflessness. God Bless Them.
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Blessings to you, your family and the WIPHAN families in Zambia
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~Angie D.
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SEND MORE COMMENTS TO MAKE MONEY FOR WIPHIN!!!!!!!!!!
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All our love....Lesa
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