Dear ,
There seem to be some things that are universal. No matter where you go or who you meet, some things always remain the same. One of those things is the need for love and compassion. Age doesn't matter, nor does race, gender, or intellect. Inside we are all the same. We all need someone to love us and believe in us. Only in this way can we truly prosper as human beings.
So many times we have heard, "You are wasting your time on those adult orphans. They will never change." or, "You would see more fruit working with (fill in the blank)." These often well intending people apparently don't understand the Father's heart for orphans. God talks a lot about orphans and the responsibility of His people to care for those that are needy and vulnerable.
It's true that when people have experienced a lack of love and compassion in their lives, they become dysfunctional and are unable to respond like "normal" people. They are broken. And repairing anything is always harder than maintaining. Are these broken people worth our time? Is it wise to spend money, energy, and other resources on these broken people?
Anytime we consider repairing something, we count the cost. If a car blows an engine, we consider the value of the car before investing in the repair. If a cell phone stops working, we consider whether or not it is valuable enough to fix, or whether it should just be thrown away. So, when we consider investing ourselves in the repair of people, we need to estimate their value first. Does an adult orphan, most of whom are uneducated and poor, have enough intrinsic value to deserve valuable resources? And how is that value determined? Valuable to society? Valuable to economic growth? No, we must use another standard of measure. Are they valuable to God?
The world is full of "throw away" people. All too often, people without money in their pockets are considered "a dime a dozen" and we easily forget their plight. People are starving to death and dying of preventable diseases. Others, though they may be surviving physically, do not prosper because no one loves them. May we never forget God's great value of these people, and may our estimation of their worth match that of their Creator.
 Next week, we will be leaving for South Asia for a month of ministry among some of these disregarded people. We will be joined by a group of Romanians for the first part of the trip, and a group of Americans for the last part. Our goal is to teach God's people to take care of God's prized creation- mankind.
Please join us in prayer that God will move greatly and stir the hearts of His people to action.
Going for Him,
Stephanie and Leslie
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