Today I learned something worth sharing. Unfortunately it wasn't something that will make you jump out of your seat, etc., but hopefully something that you will keep in mind, pray about, and that will motivate you to move. Someone I know was raised by a missionary family in the Philippines. I was reflecting to them today about a book I recently found at an antique/used book store called, "Am I Going to Heaven?" Don't let the title decieve you though, the book is written by a nun in New York in the 1990s. The nun writes stories of the children who come in off the street to Covenant House, a homeless shelter. These children come from situations where they are forced to be 'mules,' they are raped, drug dealers, etc. The stories are heartwrenching.
As I was telling my friend raised in the Philippines about this book, she related a personal experience. Sniffing glue is prevalent among children in the Philippines, and not for reasons you might imagine. Instead of just seeking a high as seen commonly here, children use glue over there to alleviate some of the pain of hunger. Yeah.
A verse that I often reflect on and feel motivated by is James 1:27, "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."
Moral of the story: there are children out there seeking alleviation from an empty stomach and children out there seeking alleviation from an empty heart. There is something we can all do, and as far as I'm concerned it's a call. What part will you play?
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